Comments on: ITH Super Happy Fun Time Top 10 List: George McGinnis

By: wolfer

wolfer — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 02:05:28 +0000

Type your comment here.

By: wolfer

wolfer — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:05:28 +0000

Type your comment here.

By: kate545

kate545 — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 01:10:44 +0000

Thanks for such a informative reply.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 14:14:00 +0000

kate545, you are correct that freshmen could not play for the varsity. But they could play for the freshmen team that did play some games v. other schools. Big George did not qualify academically to play for the freshment team. I think back then they were called “nonpredictors”. Actually Buckner’s class was the first to benefit from the rule change. However, May and Wilkerson were “nonpredictors” and could not play their freshmen years. Ironically, although Coach Knight was not a big supporter of the freshmen eligible rule, he and IU probably benefited most from the rule that year as IU went to the final four led by an all freshment backcourt — Quinn Buckner and Jim Crews.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 21:58:00 +0000

I apologize he came to the sixer’s two seasons after they won only 9 games. However his first season in the NBA he averaged 23 points

By: kate545

kate545 — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 21:31:04 +0000

I remember first seeing George during the 1969 IHSAA championship when he was playing for Indianapolis Washington. It was obvious then that this guy was the stuff. Even as an early teen(but already a hoosier fan), I felt disappointed when he went pro.

slojoe – I seem to have a vague memory that the NCAA forbid freshmen from playing, regardless of academic qualifications. (Benson, I think, was the first to benefit from the rule change)

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 20:05:00 +0000

Joby Wright, Bubbles Harris, and John Ritter started along with McGinnis and Downing. McGinnis was indeed a man among boys. I was a freshman during George’s one and only year wearing the Cream and Crimson. He was ineligible to play his freshmen year because he didn’t qualify academically. I was told that during his freshmen year the varsity was only the third best team at IU behind George’s intramural team and the freshmen team. IU did not play in Assembly Hall until the year after George left. At that time we called Assembly Hall “The House that George Built”. Of course, he never played there for IU, but I did see George and the Pacers lose to the Nets in an ABA playoff game there.

By: indiananorthshore

indiananorthshore — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 19:50:32 +0000

If he would have played 3 years at IU, he would have been the best ever. Also first team high school all american in football (reciever) as well as basketball. Co-MVP in ABA with Dr J. Turned the Sixers around from a nine win season before he arrived to a playoff team the year he arrived. A physical specimen like Karl Malone

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:14:00 +0000

from a pure talent standpoint, almost anyone will tell you that he’s the greatest to ever wear an Indiana uniform.

By: Alex Bozich

Alex Bozich — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:52:00 +0000

Yeah, it was a typo. That was actually attempts. I’ve made the correction.

Thanks for reading and we look forward reading your comments moving forward.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:36:00 +0000

615 field goals in a season would be pretty remarkable. maybe a typo BigA?

Either way, pretty impressive stats. Only a junior in Bloomington now, so he was well before my time, but this entire countdown has been great for a young’un like myself to learn more about some Hoosier legends. Nice idea/work gentlemen.

Been reading for a year now, going to try to start posting and giving back to ths great site. Among the first I check everytime I get on the internet. Thanks.

By: nchoosier

nchoosier — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:54:49 +0000

another reason why this topic is so tough. hard to rank a guy that only played one year. isiah too. what if EJ played 4 years? we could go on and on!

By: DJW

DJW — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:21:52 +0000

It would have been intersting if George would have stayed and completed his entire career at IU playing with his HS teammate Steve Downing.

What an amazing team that could have been.

What other players were on that team when McGinnis was played…do you remember?

By: DJW

DJW — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:43:38 +0000

I am firmly convinced that if McGinnis would have played his entire career at IU he would have been the greatest of all time.

All of his I.U. achievements were accomplished in his first year of playing college basketball.

Unfortunately, he turned pro in his next season.

By: IUBBALL81

IUBBALL81 — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:58:00 +0000

I will always wonder what the result of the 1973 NCAA Semifinal game with UCLA would have been if MAC played in that game.

By: BobbyDigital

BobbyDigital — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:38:00 +0000

I’m too young to have seen this guy… sounds like a manchild. I couldn’t post those numbers in a 5th grade rec league.