Then & Now: Willard Fagler

Then & Now: Willard Fagler

Compiled By Dave Brandon

Nebraska

Basketball Hall of Famer Willard Fagler played for the

Huskers from 1952-1955 for Coaches Harry Good

(1947-1954, 86-99) and Jerry Bush (1955-1963, 81-132).

A 6’6”

center from Harvard, Fagler led the team in scoring his

senior year (13.6 PPG), and was often paired under the

basket with such former Husker big men as Bill Johnson

and Rex Ekwall.

Fagler

is our latest guest in this Sunday's edition of "Then &

Now."

HHC: Thanks

for joining us. What was your high school career like at

Harvard (Nebraska) High School?

WF:

Well, we had a pretty good basketball team but we were a

Class C school and we never made it to the state

tournament. But, I made All-State two years for Class C.

HHC: And,

before we flashback, how did you manage to play four

years of varsity basketball at a time when most were

forced to play a year on the freshman team?

WF: Well because at that time it was

during, I guess, the Korean War, and a couple of years

in there they let freshman play and we were eligible to

play four years.

HHC: Ah, okay. And as a high school senior

in 1951, what made you choose to play basketball at the

University of Nebraska?

WF: I got recruited by Coach Harry Good,

and really at the time, I didn’t think I wanted to go to

school, but he kept after me, and I finally decided I’d

go and give it a try.

But he

called a couple of times and I also got two or three

letters from him stating what the university could offer

and what they could give me to come play at the

University of Nebraska. But it was nothing like it is

now, for sure (Laughs).

HHC: (Laugh) That’s probably a good thing,

huh?

WF:

Yeah, I suppose you’re right (Laughs).

HHC: Like you said, Harry Good was the

Head Coach when you first arrived at Nebraska. What was

he like and was he held in high regard?

WF: I thought Harry Good was a very nice

individual. He was a good coach, and I think everyone on

the team liked him.

But, you

know that if you don’t win, it’s just like anything

else, and sooner or later they are going to make

changes.

HHC: What style and brand of basketball

did he believe in playing?

WF:

When I was there, I played forward and center for him,

and we had a triangle offense that we ran. He didn’t

zone; we played man-to-man. But, it was just a little

bit slower pace back then than it is now.

HHC: What are some of your favorite

memories of him?

WF: The thing that I always remembered

about Coach Good, and this included Mrs. Good as well,

is that they always had the basketball team out to their

house for Thanksgiving and Christmas if we had to have

games or practice. They were always very nice to the

players on the team.

HHC: Before we

get into some of your specific years, what was it like

playing in the Coliseum back then?

WF:

You know, back then, they drew a curtain across one end

of it so we’d have the fans basically right next to us

on the court, and it always seemed like they were right

on top of you. But this wasn’t just at Nebraska, but

also everywhere else back then, because they didn’t have

the big coliseums like they do now.

I can

also remember road trips where some universities had the

fans even closer than the Coliseum; they were right on

top of you.

HHC: 1951-1952 was your first season at

Nebraska, and the team went 7-17 (3-9, 7th). However,

one positive was that Jim Buchanan earned All-American

honors (16.7 PPG) and was a first team All-Big Seven

pick. How good was he, and what kind of man was he?

WF:

He was a very good ball player, and probably, in fact,

one of the better ball players I played with. To me, he

was a terrific individual.

Jimmy

was a guard, and probably about 6’1”. I was coming in as

a freshman, and Jimmy more or less took me under his

wing and taught me quite a few things on how to play

basketball and get accustomed to the university life.

So, I

think he’s a great person.

HHC: 1952-1953 was your sophomore year,

and the team went 9-11 (4-8, 6th). You guys did beat #5

Kansas State at home (80-67) that year, and Bill Johnson

was your leading scorer (13.9 PPG) and rebounder (9.4

RPG). What do you remember about that year?

WF: Well, I remember that we started out

and thought we’d have a real good year (Editors Note:

They were 8-5), and then something happened, and you

know, it just didn’t gel after we got about halfway

through the season. But, I still had a lot of fun

playing and representing the university.

HHC: Anything

about that Kansas State win stick out?

WF:

No, not really, except that we played really hard that

night trying to win, and things like that. But that’s

been a long time ago.

HHC: Talk more about Bill Johnson and Rex Ekwall,

who were the other key big men during your times at

Nebraska.

WF:

Well, Bill was probably the tallest person on the team

at that time, and he was a good individual, and has

always tried to keep up with everybody on the team.

In fact,

last time everybody got together from our teams, he put

together an event at one of the games at the Bob Devaney

(Sports Center). So, he does a very good job of keeping

up with everyone.

Rex was

another one of these players that came from a small town

in Nebraska and was an excellent ball player. He and I

roomed together and had a good time, and we still see

each other every now and then if I go back to a

basketball game, because he is there and supports

Nebraska basketball very good just like Bill.

HHC: 1953-1954 was your junior season, and

the team went 8-13 (5-7, T-4th). That year was the last

for Harry Good. Was this because of lack of wins, or was

winning emphasized less back then?

WF: I think the lack of wins was some of

it, but I also think that at the time, the Athletic

Director, who I believe was Bill Orwig, wanted to go in

a different direction than what the program was going

in.

HHC: How did Coach Good leaving make you

feel?

WF:

Well, anytime you play for someone for three, four

years, and they are going to be replaced, you are always

antsy about what is going to happen the next year, as

far as how are you going to fit into schemes and things.

So, it was just a “let’s wait and see what Coach Bush

wants.”

But as I

said before, Coach Good treated me very fairly and I

respect him very much.

HHC: Prior to your senior season of

1954-1955, Jerry Bush was hired as Head Coach. Do you

recall any other candidates for the job besides him?

WF: No. In fact, I think it was when we

found out that we had a new coach was the day he was

introduced to us, and that was it.

We had

never heard of whom they were interviewing or anything.

It was a little bit different than it is now.

HHC: What was your initial impression of

Bush, who came to Nebraska from Toledo (7 years at

Toledo, 129-59)?

WF: I don’t know if you know this or not,

but he did play professional basketball for awhile, so

he knew the game of basketball and it was a more up

beat, up tempo game when he got there from what we had

been used to before.

So, I

think all of us enjoyed it a little bit more. We still

played our man-to-man defense.

HHC: What kind of man was Jerry Bush?

WF: Coach Bush was very energetic. When

you went to practice, you had better put out 100%,

because if you didn’t, you would be running laps and

steps in the Coliseum.

So, his

practices were always upbeat, and he was always upbeat.

He just wanted you to feel like you were winners all the

time and you could beat anyone, and that’s really what I

remember about him.

HHC: Your last

year (1954-1955) saw a record of 9-12 (6-6, T-3rd),

while you led the team in scoring by averaging 13.6 PPG.

What sticks out about that year?

WF: We went and we played Colorado, and

they beat us by 30 points or something like that

(Editors Note: Colorado 89, Nebraska 47).

But then

they came back to Lincoln and we turned around and won

by about 10 (84-77) against them, and that was probably

one of the best ball games that we had that year.

But gee,

you’re really taxing my memory now (Laughs).

HHC: (Laughs)

Who were some of the best ball players you ever competed

against? 

WF: Well, the first one would be Clyde

Lovellette from the University of Kansas. He was a

senior when I was a freshman and went on and made

All-American two or three years. He was born just tall;

he was about 7’0”. And then BH Born from Kansas, too.

Dick

Knostman (guard) from Kansas State was great, along with

Burdette Haldorson (6’7” center) from Colorado, and then

the one and only Norm Stewart from Missouri, who was an

excellent ball player.

The most

famous person would have been Dean Smith, who was a

senior the year I was a freshman, but he never started

for Kansas. They had a set of twins that played guard,

and he was the third guard on the team.

HHC: What do you feel was your biggest

shot or play that you ever made while in a Nebraska

uniform?

WF: I never really kept up with stuff like

that. I was just out there to play basketball.

HHC: Fair enough. And what are your

favorite memories of UNL? 

WF: I guess

one of them would be being voted into the Nebraska

Basketball Hall of Fame. Another is being married and

having two sons that have nice families. And I guess my

older granddaughter signing a basketball scholarship at

North Georgia College, which is a Division II school.

HHC: Did you stay in touch with any

coaches or teammates after leaving, and do you know of

anyone passing away?

WF: Mostly Bill Johnson and Rex Ekwall. I

don’t know of anyone that has passed away. I think the

ones that I played with are all still living unless some

have just passed away recently and I haven’t heard about

it, but most generally, my sister lets me know because

she still lives in Lincoln.

HHC: Do you get a chance to follow the

current program?

WF: Well, I follow the football team if

its on television and things like that, and same with

basketball, but down here in the south, we usually get

SEC and ACC ball games. But every now and then, we get

Big 12 on ESPN2

HHC: And what have you been up to since

1955, and where will we find you today?

WF: I went into the Army for two years and

played basketball there at Fort Gordon, Georgia, where I

met my wife. After I got out, I came back to UNL and

finished school and started working in the agricultural

fertilizer and chemical industry, and did that my whole

life up until I retired about five years ago in

Savannah, Georgia.

HHC: And if we set you up an e-mail

account, would you be willing to take some e-mails from

our readers?

WF:

No, I don’t really use the Internet, I’m sorry.

HHC: Not a problem. Thanks a lot for your

time, and anything else you'd like to say or add?

WF: No, I don’t believe so, but it’s been

a pleasure talking to you and thank you for calling.<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">