Johnny Orr Interview on Jon Miller

[cycloneworld]

Excellent interview with Coach Orr talking about past memories and about the current status of things at Iowa State.

Jon, any chance you could podcast the interview?

Things I caught were coaching salaries...Orr said that he was the highest paid coach in the nation his first year at ISU. Said he made $15,000 per year when he started at Michigan.

He talked about Barry Stevens. He talked about leaving Michigan and coming to Iowa State. Also talked about the current state of ISU athletics a little bit. He really likes McDermott as a person and thinks he will succeed here. Met Chizik and likes him a lot. He mentioned that he loves Iowa and calls this place home. A few other things as well.

Jon, I liked your comment in there about calling everyone "coach".

[Drive4cy]

Yeah, interesting hearing about his past coaching salaries. That's insane that those have inflated so quickly. It's not like coach Orr coached in the 50s or something, it really wasn't that long ago.

[brianhos]

UGH! I missed Johnny?

[BryceC]

He was on Cotler yesterday morning too. Some more funny stories and stuff.

[Cyclonesrule91]

When I was going to ISU I made just about every basketball game. Hilton got loud but rarely did it get as loud as when Johnny came out with the team before the game began. Man I miss them days

[cycloneryan]

It is impossible to not smile when you listen to that man talk. He would have been a great salesman.

[johnsonjj]

Originally Posted by cycloneryan

It is impossible to not smile when you listen to that man talk. He would have been a great salesman.

He WAS a great salesman of ISU basketball.

[CycloneErik]

Whooooeeeeee, coach!!

He's a huge reason that I'm a Cyclone. That guy just gets you excited for stuff.

[ISUFan22]

Originally Posted by johnsonjj

He WAS a great salesman of ISU basketball.

Amen....

[Cardinal&Gold11]

I loved Johnny Orr! His teams back then played so hard. Didn't get to catch the interview but i bet i was a good one. I loved listening to him talk as well.

[lakeliving]

I attended a coaching clinic in Minneapolis quite a few years ago. Johnny was one of the speakers. He was diagraming on an overhead how the Iowa State fast break worked. It was classic Johnny, before long he had overhead marker all over the overhead and was joking about having players running everywhere (as he is moving the overhead marker all over) and suddenly starts swearing a blue streak about how the fast break is really just chaos. He had the entire ballroom of college and high school coaches in an uproar, which fed him even more. It is my favorite non- Ames memory of him.

[Go2Guy]

Originally Posted by Cyclonesrule91

When I was going to ISU I made just about every basketball game. Hilton got loud but rarely did it get as loud as when Johnny came out with the team before the game began. Man I miss them days

Do you remember those days just before he came; like '76 / '77? It seems Hilton could barely fill the bottom parquet.

[Go2Guy]

Originally Posted by cycloneworld

Things I caught were coaching salaries...Orr said that he was the highest paid coach in the nation his first year at ISU. .

Do you folks think ISU could afford to pay someone the highest MBB salary in today's world? What are we talking here - something like $3 MM ??

[cyfreddy]

Mays be it is because I am just getting older, I am 47, but I loved watching Johnny's teams allot more then I like watching teams now.

Who can forget Ron Virgil 6-4 guarding guys 6-11? I still say the most exciting game I have ever witnessed was the 102-100 Double Overtime over Iowa in 1988.

I also enjoyed going to the old Big-8 Tournament. Talk about a good time.

Oh well, life seems to pass by so fast anymore.

[nickwc]

i remember when i was pry 6 or 7 and my father went back to iowa state a second time, we were walking in ames and we ran into orr and i was like dad its johnny orr and he heard me and goes hey coach how ya doin? made my day for weeks