SLU offered Jim Valvano???

[bonwich]

I was digging back through the clips by Dave Dorr based on some of the chatter below and found this little gem:

'Valvano, in his third season at N.C. State, was the top choice of Dick McDonald, then the Billikens' athletic director, for the St. Louis U. vacancy in 1978. Valvano was interviewed by the school's search committee.

' ''When I got there, it was obvious there were problems,' said Valvano. ''I met with a lot of interesting people, Ed Macauley among them. They said, 'We want to go; we want to do it.' But after the whole two days, I sat down with the acting president (the Rev. Edward J. Drummond S.J.) and he told me the exact opposite. He said, 'No, that's not the direction we're going; no, we're not sure.' I told him, 'You'll never get a quality coach unless the commitment is from you, the president.'

' ''I was offered the job. I turned it down. I was not one to take a risk.'

'Instead, the Billikens got Ron Ekker and a hatful of never-ending problems. Valvano remained at Iona for two more years, then moved on to bigger and better things.'

Ahh, the good old days. May they never return. Hail Biondi!

[thetorch]

Many missed chances by our old regime. We missed out on Joe Hall coaching at SLU and Jim Valvano. Valvano, though he has been all but canonized in death, was still one of the worst cheaters the NCAA has ever seen. He made Ricky Lewis look like an upstanding gentlemen.

[jjray]

Let us just remember him in death (and March of 1983). Facts just get in the way of inspiring legends at times.