Civic Dialogue; Hot Rod Hundley

I rather have a Hot Rod Hundley than his voice and so are synonymous with basketball the Utah Jazz and the NBA from his all-American status at West Virginia University to National Basketball attention for his skill and enduring personality Hundley has been at center court for most of his life. Now he takes a behind the scenes look at basketball history and tells his own personal story in a new book Hot Rod Hundley tonight on civic dialogue conversation. Good evening and welcome to civic dialogue I'm Ted Kapler. Thank you for joining us. The Utah Jazz mark their 25th year in the NBA this next season and

their one and only play by play announcer hot rod humbly will be right beside them to celebrate. Hot Rod began announcing for the jazz back in 1974 when they were in New Orleans. But his legacy with the NBA goes back much farther over five decades. Hot Rod is here tonight to tell us about a new book he's written highlighting his lifelong relationship with the game of basketball which began as a high school and then college star athlete back in his home state of West Virginia. The name of his new book well you got a lot of it baby I guess. Rob deciding the name of the book was pretty easy for you and I hope it goes of course beyond her with the jazz I started with that. Slogan or whatever you want to call it but I think in the kind of stock when people walk out the street and people yell at me and say hey you got to love a baby so I started using it all the time and we decided I'd be a good title for a book. How did you come up with it just came out one night. Yeah well what I study the book

publishing company side more sports publishing out of Champagne Illinois called Tom macaque and a local writer who writes inaugural is about a full covers of jazz and make and they contacted him to do the book it's an autobiography and they said What's a jazz twenty fifth year and see if Rob would like to do a book. He approached me at us yeah let's go after explain the deal and I said I think it's a lot of fun. I did have a book back in 1970 20 years yeah. Yeah it didn't do very well but it was it was and I made it out of the book and you know this is the second well this one should do well I've read it most all of it and it's extremely interesting. You talk not only about your own personal life which I'm going to quiz you on here in a minute but you talk about all kinds of basketball players you name outstanding teams of the various decades right. You talk in great detail about the jazz and each of the individual players and give your opinion on them. Are you going to be welcome at jazz meetings from now on what you said here.

Well yeah I think it's pretty favorable. I disappoint of course like anyone in the last two seasons would get to that we get to the dance but I just can't get over that. What will we ever be able to. I don't know you know I like to think that we still got another chance you know stock in Amman or another year older. Twice we had Chicago on a ropes so to speak and some games we would like get away but I thought we could have won. And just the shame of what that way and like last year we had a home court advantage in the finals and didn't get it done. Now now with this lockout. I think like most people if you're a basketball fan and if we say we play only half the season that's favorable for the jazz because we're we're one of the older teams so we'll rested by playoff time. Plus when our solders were very well coached and the disciplinary team and a half court game we run our our set patterns better than by us or we could start without a base practice hike and be a jump start on the rest of the league.

Well do you think the lockout is really going to last for half of the season. I've heard everything. I hope not. You know like like the players like the coaches like the owners I'm sure we all want to get back to back to work and so it's a fun season but it doesn't look good right now they cancel 24 of the exhibition games up to the 16th which eliminates one jazz pre-season game but they don't meet again until another week and that could postpone it another two three weeks. And I've heard rumors. December 1st January 1st and I've also heard that the final day would be January 20th if we don't play by the 20th or cancel the whole season. It would be bad. One of the issues obviously the salary issue and salary caps and all of that and you know more about that than I. But you think you played then we're going to talk about that in a minute as a professional basketball player in the NBA. Early on you didn't make a lot of money. They make a lot of money out of them.

I'd just like to look at the withholding and some other checks out the amazing how it has turned around and I cover that in the book. Back when I played and I came in a league and 57 58 and played through 63 and broadcast this will be one 30 second you're behind the mike in the NBA Shaab watch salaries. Like my 10000 as a rookie go all the way to millions for these players it's just you would never dream of that is it outta hand I mean I think it's one reason there's a lockout. Sure. So to speak the monsters what happened years ago. The owners I should say created a monster. Maybe salary wise yeah. But you know everything escalates and life goes away and everything becomes more viable but you would never dream back when I played it. This kind of money would be available. But now it's gotten perhaps a little bit out of hand more so than the salaries the fact that the player share in a lot of other revenue that's generated by a for instance like here and saw like jazz have their own stores memorabilia jerseys caps you know all the players take a lot of

that money too so they have been well represented by the Haitians like to put it that way. But maybe the agents of calls a problem. Rod you talk very in very interesting ways about your life and here things that I don't think most people know about you know we all are familiar with you and your coverage of the games. You had a tough beginning now did I. I was born in Charleston West Virginia. 1034 of course the Depression hit in October 29. I went through 30 more or less and so I was born right in the middle of it and my mom and dad were an educated people. Back to you. Very few people had a real chance to get a chance to go to college or support my mother. Moved to Washington D.C. which is close to West Virginia and to get work there was no work in West Virginia. My father was a meat cutter by trade and pool hustler was where he was best. I always said that maybe what he did wasn't the

best but he was the best of what he did. Yeah but he liked Romo when educated they were divorced when I was like 6 months old. I never live with a relative. I was shuffled around by different families and finally landed with this one couple that were poor people themselves that he was a bottle washer and I had a milk factory and she just stayed home. But they're wonderful people. They raised me practically from what you're one too. So about 15 16 years old they were just neighbors and they were just well she just knocked on the door and they asked and she said I wanted to see my mother did and said Would you take care of my son along trying to help you out the best I can you know and they've been working on it. Yet you talk relation. You talk in very personal ways about about how you felt at that stage in your life that you had to sleep under the stairs that you cried yourself to sleep at nights. If I was a scared kid I you know the front door knocker or the stairway going up and I put a curtain across the stairway and I slip and I had a little bit underneath the stairway there was a room in the

house inside the house of the middle of the hallway which was it was cold at night and it was hot in the summer. But I learned to live with it and I didn't know any better so you you don't have something you don't listen. Yeah. I grew up that way maybe for the best for me because I said I this house and these people lived and I was about a block and a half from a playground. I never live near a playground until I live with these people and I grew up and I started going to the playground like every kid on the street and we were all poor but in the city recreation park provided baseball bats and balls basketballs all the things we could afford and then they had a recreation director to a supervisor. And that's how it started I went down and started playing basketball in all sports and it dawned on me at an early age that I was better than most of the kids in basketball because every time we pick up sides whoever the captors were would pick me first so I said you know I want to be the best player they always took me first so I started

working at that sport more so than the others. I didn't end up getting an education and a chance to be a professional player a life SLI basketball sort of saved your life. You should you better have. I've said this many a time that and I speak to a lot of groups around the country I have always said that you know I picked a basketball player I was a kid I said you're going to get me out of here. I talked to them. And I'm still riding that balls so to speak and I never left it. And basketball has been my life forever and I'm still right there. How going to a bar. Yeah and you got your name because of the way you played. Hot right. Yeah well I was one of the first to put Obama back to having him clowning around and so forth and in the name of Rod sports writers have been hot rodded stuck ever since. We have some video of some old guy gets video tape of Paul James talking with Jack Gardner When Paul I think that the University of Utah games and Jack of course was the co-chair of you and we're going to look at that and

this clearly shows how you got your whole life. Let's watch that long Hot Rod Hundley with something that you'll see very rarely on simply because a ball and there's a lot you know as they get the ball and humbly comes down and he is in the middle on the watch this twice surrounding in midair. Let's watch it again. That's me and testing. That's what you want more. And you know he's playing for the Lawsons Lakers. And splitting maneuvers. Yes it is and you were pretty much of a hardship weren't you realize you don't see a lot of people making that move out on that play that we watched. Yeah but the ball around the back again around yeah. But I used to work when I want to you know handball court for there's no temptation to shoot a basketball isn't a quick hoop and

to be outside going to a ball for an hour and a practice jump and run the back throw off the wall with the other hand to go get it and then go out and play it. Yeah that was my ritual or time ago YMCA had a lot of handball courts that's where I would sneak in there and they would let me and to go plug and when I was a kid about you were a good passer but you're also good cheer I think you made 54 points in the state championship in high school wasn't at all according to every 45 What's it like in a Kentucky West Virginia how schools are going 54 was more career has a college player who hasn't yet. And you were named All-American in college and Western in junior and senior year my first inning and you were a first round draft for a draft pick in the NBA you went to Minneapolis. How did Cincinnati had the first pick of the draft they traded to many at all in Minneapolis selected me first player in the draft. Ten thousand dollars one you're no cut contract no bonus no nothing. I was happy to get it this year. You know today if you are number one pick in the whole league you're talking millions of

your style of a lot of flashiness and good movement good shooter. You'd have a hard time plan now they wouldn't let you do that when they were good enough. You know Pete nerve gas right away was a much better player than than I was he was he did a lot of the same things as far as the ball handling but was better. He was 6 5 could fly with a mask will have more speed than I had and more depth of ball handling and he could do everything with a credible. And he played five years of the jazz down in New Orleans in half a season here in Salt Lake. Is he the best player you've ever broadcast. Games for Pete. Yeah for it when you say 4 I would say Stockton Melo were better players or better basketball power chart would be on of the top 5 players that ever played for the Jets. Yeah I played with two of the all time greats Jerry West and Elgin Baylor who were just superstar great players are in the Hall of Fame. I've seen so many down the road but people certainly would be one of

the best. Well I want to talk more about that and get your reflections on that which you do detail in the book but I want to talk a little bit more about the Rod Hundley. You left the NBA after how many years now I've played only six. You played six and then you went into broadcasting. I well first I had a short spell with the converse rubber covering. Oh yeah well as a salesperson you sixty four five six seven I was with Converse Yeah and I was living in North Carolina working in that area of West Virginia North Carolina and Virginia and three states yeah they moved me back to California I want to get back to Los Angeles and really liked L.A. and I lay there so that when I turned up they moved me there. I did work in L.A. over three or four months. And in 1967 and the Lakers called me and offered me a job as an analyst. A lot of broadcast radio and television and I said you know I'm in a big market on the Los Angeles biggest city in America along with Chicago and New York and I thought this is a great opportunity I

would think it might lead to bigger things you know to the rather than just selling basketball shoes nothing wrong with yeah. Converses right right now but it was very good to me. But I wanted the opportunity I want to take the chance and and I did and I've been in it ever since. Yeah yeah you have. And you you came with the Jazz as we said earlier from New Orleans to Salt Lake. You like L.A. You say that in the book you played there. You like the show biz aspect I get the feeling right. So how do you like. I love it here. I was apprehensive when I when I came here from New Orleans. Sure the team moved here in the summer of 79 and I moved out here in about June of 79. We made the positive move. It was done deal with whatever. So I packed up and moved here with the job and I you know was amazed flew in her in June beautiful summer snow capped mountains I see this is beautiful no humidity. These were the pluses. But yeah I don't like snow but. But we traveled on the water anyway but I think it's wonderful.

I really do. I really fall in love with the Celtics really you have succeeded in measurably in the basketball world in different ways and yet in your book you say that you were kind of a flop had been a flop of marriage yet you didn't do well on that. I have three beautiful daughters who were born all over the country with my oldest girl was born in Los Angeles in Santa Monica row right by a lovely part of Maryland. When I was playing my second daughter was born in Greensboro North Carolina when I was working for Congress my third daughter was born in Phoenix Arizona when I was doing the Phoenix Suns game and so and I'm from West Virginia My wife is from North Dakota and so we were up to five different states but I've never I've never been. I've been a child I think basically all my life and I never grew up matured through marriage with your children.

I've been a provider of them or anything. And I worry about my girls you know how what they think of me whatever but. I just had one get married to Mexico and I was a beautiful wedding motivation. Everybody was or ever had a good time and all her friends were there and and the kids have been great to million and they have understanding I think because it's very hard. I personally feel this way about anyone and for official sports if you travel like a professional athlete. It's very hard to to make a marriage successful. I really believe that. Well do you do you feel like you live a long life now. I do yeah. I have lived alone for so long of I've gotten used to it. And I have a lot of friends is already in Salt Lake City by the way been wonderful to me to the fans of mine and I've made a lot of friends here and it was a much before I really enjoyed here for that reason. But I have you know I think everyone lives alone. You have more which when you're when you're alone with her you according to your

writing you did sort of make up with your mother got reacquainted with her. Did you ever do that with your dad. Not my bad. The last time I saw her while I was working with Converse and he passed away back in the 60s when right after I'd finished as a professional player and he was little to try to watch for Jerry lived there all his life. From there I was a child. And I never really got to really get to know him you know. I became a pretty good pool player I used to go to the poor when I was a kid and he would let me play. It cost 10 cents a game like on the board I was yeah I would say go and blood and he was a house man. Control all about turntables and and they use the head table they play all these mirror ball razzle dazzle games with pills and you shot for the house you know and I play for quarters that large Arab I'd be in there and I'm going to 3 o'clock after school. He was I thought I really believe this that he was embarrassed because I was a big high school's basketball star and I was at a paper every day and that he had not been successful

in life and didn't want anyone to actually know that he was my father he was. But everybody did sir and. But he would or would talk to me and lot of times you sit down with someone watching a pool game and he would he look at me and he would say well you had a big game last night you know and he never look at me you just look straight ahead of the pool table and I said yeah you know I scored 30 points whatever the House will k. But he I found out later after he had died I was flying back to trust I go back to what you twice a year I got off the plane and an old timer came up to me was sued you had Rod only after your dad right which was his nickname because he was a meat cutter by Dre voting no and I said yeah. He said Boy he does he have a scrapbook on you and I made me you know I said yeah and I slowing said I want to talk to you. We said talk to him he's really was a close friend of my father. Past tense and the road gets normal you know amazed that I did with my mother. As far as your future now you say in here you're 63 years or older you're still a

kid. How much longer are you going to keep this broadcasting schedule. Well yeah I think that fire me like most guys I guess you know there's a lot of guys that last a long time electric current of the Lakers up in his 80s and I started with 38 years with a leg that I don't know I don't like I'd like to do it that lowers your health and you are held you know I feel good now. I mean you know I'd like to do it one day and then play it by ear. If they still want me to do it you know and the traveling schedules kind of killer though isn't the traveling is a lot better it used to be because of because are but now has her own place. Yeah you know before it was it was brutal. I think that you're running through lobbies with luggage and you've three seats you may get the middle one. Thank you for all the pro all the all the players are up to first class and I have all you're taller than I thought you were when I walked

in here I've seen you on TV and heard it on the radio but your talk. Speaking of writing airplanes you talk in here about an airplane ride You had that was pretty good when you're glad to tell us about that. Yeah that was it's funny now but awarded by a lawyer and well we had our own plane believe 1960 the last year the Lakers were in Minneapolis in the summer of 60. They moved to Los Angeles like a jazz move to Salt Lake City and that's another reason they have a name like yours by the way with all the lakes or Minnesota not know a lot of you know it was no jazz assault legged out of the New Orleans yet but we had Minneapolis likers right now on the side of our old DC 3. And we were flying back from St. Louis the Hawks were in St. Louis for an hour in Atlanta and there was about a two and a half hour flight at the most. On with the prop plane you know those days and so we were on the plane and sneering about time when we're not there and the lights had gone out of the plane early we couldn't play

cards or read a book or whatever you normally do on your own time and so we just try to get some sleep. Well suddenly we're about two and a half hours later I wake up one of the reason death and they had the windows open in the cockpit in the front of the cockpit door was open of this flap about what only the two pilots on the plane would have a BIOS on the other the players the coaches and a window which was flown back through the plane it was about 20 below zero in the plane it was snowing outside or in a blizzard. The pilot came back with a flashlight and said the words you never want to hear were lost. He said We got about 30 minutes we're going to fuel up we can go and look for an airport. You know looks like there's a cornfield down below they've been putting a flashlight snap signal whenever I want to go if there is water or please go up it. They actually won a way were it were over Carol. Small town next border next model so it would last where we were doing a bit of the pilots or we are

lost we're not in Florida because there's no way. And so we all voted voted we just echoed Here's let's take it down right here on your current best let's go forward and hit it safely rest good he said. So we buckled up and bent over and I looked around him were you got the engines were coming down and everybody was on his position on a blanket over their head and freezing and sweat coming off your forehead of the same time. But it was like taking a basketball to the floor of your answer though the landing just one planned stop yeah. We knocked out about 75 hours of course talk not one person had a room that's really nothing. Well you were a bit on the I've had worse players should have been a religious man after that well that's one of the many stories in here we just have a couple minutes left already down to that point. Stockton Malone their future with the team.

Well you know John I think probably just play this one more year this will be his 15th year and such one guard will Gaza last and that's a degree incredible career he's had as well notably Karl Malone with the big body 6 9. You could probably plays only your He's a year younger than Cro he could probably go another 5 and be effective. I think John start to slip a little bit but he's but he's got such a great heart and a competitor that you know he could still be a help our club and I think after the season he would retire. As you know he hasn't but I said that I think he's got a lot of pride and you know yeah he's young kids Cup come when kids get the step on him. Yeah and you know and I don't think he wants to play and be embarrassed. They want to quit on top right. That's why a lot of the Great was go out on top and I think you do that. Yeah. And Carl will stay here for four five years well we hope he talks and you know but he always seems to end up here I that's right why does he do that well you know shading his way about more money you know or whatever.

He's a very sensitive guy he's a very proud man and he's a great athlete as we all are but he's been very loyal as far as where has he played no where but you tosser just a minute ago is right. So I think he'll be lawyers got a big beautiful home very small like you know love salt like the fans love him and I I would believe you. Well they're pretty good guys most of the jazz pretty quality people now they are and that's another thing of pro basketball and I think the Jazz have set an example of a lot of new franchises coming like they are people so like to see how we run our franchise because of what we do is or is on the right track. They check the young man out not just how great a player is what kind of guys you know kind of crazy Mike in school what if you've got a bad record has you been in trouble and so on and you're trying to find good people obviously you want to have some basketball talent and go from there would been very fortunate. Well Rod thanks very much for coming to see if you like with your book Hot Rod Hundley You gotta love it baby right out now and I guess I can get it anywhere Sam. All the bookstores will have bookstores.

Thank you. If you'd like to make a comment about tonight's program please call our viewer hotline at 5 8 1. Or we do have a website you can access a w w w dot dot org. We do welcome your comments and your suggestions. Next week KQED and civic dialogue begin coverage of the candidates and the issues that will be before both the voters and the November election ballot. Each Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. KQED will feature a candidate debate followed by civic dialogue at 8:00 with an examination of campaign issues. So be sure to join us until then. I'm Ted gaping or good night.