As America enjoys the fun (or heartache, depending on your team’s success) of March Madness, the Recorder would like to invite you to enjoy some nostalgia.
In homage to the historic success of Indiana University’s men’s basketball team, and their first Big Ten title win in 10 years – the Recorder is taking a look at three well-known IU players: Quinn Buckner, Landon Turner and Mike Woodson.
Quinn Buckner
What we remember: Buckner was captain of coach Bob Knight’s 1976 IU team that won the NCAA basketball championship. It was the last IU team to go undefeated and win the championship.
Buckner went on to be part of the gold-medal winning U.S. team at the Olympics in Montreal. He then enjoyed a 10-year career with the NBA, playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers, making contributions to the Celtics team that won the 1984 NBA championship.
Where is he now?: Buckner is senior vice president of communications for Pacers Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever. He is also a popular TV sports analyst.
Buckner’s responsibilities primarily include public relations functions that keep the team and community engaged with each other, including the Pacers’ popular toy drive.
“I’m enjoying what I’m doing very much,” Bucker said recently. “I’ve always wanted to be on the business side of sports.”
Landon Turner
What we remember: Landon Turner, a towering power forward, had a very promising future as an athlete, and was destined to become the next NBA star. Along with Isaiah Thomas, Turner led the Hoosiers to an NCAA National Championship in 1981. Just four months later, his spine was fractured during an automobile accident, which left him paralyzed from the waist down. Despite this, Turner was chosen in the 10th round of the NBA draft by the Boston Celtics.
Where is he now?: “Now, I’m a motivational speaker, telling people about my story, and I also spend time fishing,” Turner said recently, with his characteristic humor.
Indeed, Turner has become a popular speaker, especially among youth, motivating them with his inspirational, yet realistic view of addressing life’s challenges. From his wheelchair, Turner has been able to change people’s lives in a way that he might not have been able to do from the court.
Turner was recently inducted into the IU Athletics Hall of Fame, and last month he launched the Landon Turner show on Radio Next.
Mike Woodson
What we remember: After a standout career at Broad Ripple High School, Woodson was the leading scorer on IU’s 1978-79 team that won the NIT Tournament. He, along with Isaiah Thomas, led the 1980 team that won the Big Ten championship and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. Woodson was drafted by the New York Knicks as a scoring guard in 1980. He played 11 years in the NBA, mostly with the Knicks and the Kansas City (now Sacramento) Kings, taking them to the 1983 playoffs. After 1991, Woodson worked as an assistant coach for several NBA teams.
Where is he now?: Last year, Woodson became head coach of the New York Knicks, not long after being hired as assistant coach. For the 2011-12 season, Woodson led the Knicks to a 36-30 season record, which was an improvement over the previous year.
This season, under Woodson’s leadership, the Knicks started off 6-0, their best start since 1993. They are, as of this writing ranked No. 3 in the Eastern Conference.
