Feb. 7, 2011
Photo Gallery
By Dick Dornan
Special to PepperdineSports.com
MALIBU, Calif. -- Amidst a cool dusk evening in the hills of Malibu overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean, dozens of former players, colleagues, family and friends gathered at the house of Waves alum Paul Skophammer to welcome back home former Pepperdine men's basketball coach, Gary Colson. It was a time of smiles, laughter, tears and an abundance of fond memories for a coach who inspired the lives of many.
Colson was very moved at the reception he received.
"I got so many chill bumps that I weigh 300 pounds," Colson said with a hearty chuckle. "I don't want to take this coat off. I'm just so excited for this. I haven't slept in three days. I started 40-something years ago at Pepperdine. It was the greatest period of my life. I am Pepperdine."
Bill Banowsky, former President of Pepperdine from 1971-78, took Colson on a drive to Malibu back in 1970 to look at the future home of the university. Colson said the board of directors wanted to build the campus in Westlake or Thousand Oaks, but he knew where he wanted it to be built and expressed his desire to Banowsky.
"I said to Bill, `My game is recruiting. I need it right here,'" Colson said with a smile as wide as the blue ocean in the distance. Not too long thereafter, the University and Firestone Fieldhouse became fixtures amongst the Malibu mountains. Most important to Colson was his relationship with his players and their success in the classroom.
"My proudest moment would be with the academics," he said. "We had a 100 percent graduation rate. We had no study hall. We didn't have any tutors. The peer pressure to get it done was unbelievable. We had good people. It's great to see many of them again. We should do this every year."
Former players converged upon Colson when he arrived to the pre-game reception. Hugs, handshakes and yells of joy rippled through the crisp air. It was a reunion that brought tears from Cesar Cavalcante who traveled from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to see his old coach for the first time in many years.
"I haven't been to Malibu for 27 years so coming back to Pepperdine was very emotional for me," said Cavalcante, who played for Colson for two seasons in 1978 and 1979. "Pepperdine was a fantastic experience. It's hard to talk about without crying here after all those years. I have never been so happy in my life like I am right now. This is beautiful.
"The biggest reason for me to come over here again was to see him (Colson). He's my man. When I heard about the party I knew I couldn't miss it. He always helped his players and treated us very well. He was one of the best coaches that I ever had." Dick Skophammer (1973-76), who was offered a scholarship to play at Gonzaga, Fresno State, CSUN and UCSB but ultimately chose Pepperdine, said: "I'm grateful for everything that Pepperdine gave me and what Gary did for me. He treated me right. I liked his demeanor and he was always friendly.
"Gary had a lot of passion about everything. He always wore his emotions on his sleeve. I really appreciated that in him."
Paul Skophammer (1976-79), Dick's younger brother, echoed his sentiment and feelings.
"It was a great opportunity and Pepperdine is the best school there is," said Skophammer. "I had a wonderful experience and met some great people. A lot of them are here today.
"Coach was a good guy. It was good to be around him. It was fun playing for him, always. We didn't always win but he was a good man to be around. It's great seeing him here today."
Keith McFarland, athletic trainer for the Pepperdine men's basketball team from 1974-78, came from his home in Utah to see Colson and the players he treated and bonded with.
"They broke the mold with this guy," said McFarland. "Always a smile on his face, always a twinkle in his eye. I think more than any other coach I have ever seen, he loved the players and he loved coaching. Gary was just a people's person.
"This was an amazing group of people. Probably one of the most diverse groups of people in terms of where they came from, walks of life, kids of famous coaches. Talk about having pressure on you as Gary Colson. His best friend is Jerry West and he has all these kids of these fantastic coaches. They all loved him and respected him. Just a great guy."
Howie Dallmar (whose father Howie Sr. coached at Stanford for 21 seasons), Brian Goorjian (whose father Ed was a very successful high school coach) and Greg Newell (father Pete coached at Cal and is often considered to be one of the most influential figures in the history of basketball) were three players who had the honor to play for Colson. Newell remembered the impact Colson left during an era when strict discipline and regulation were the norm.
"It was a magical time at Pepperdine," said Newell (1977-79), organizer of this special event. "He was a genuine person. Gary allowed us to be ourselves. He wasn't your prototypical coach of that era. There weren't any rules. There was structure but Gary was unique. He gave us freedom and we had to take responsibility for ourselves. I learned a lot from that experience."
Colson coached the Waves for 11 seasons (1969-79) and posted a record of 153-137 (.528) during his years at Pepperdine. He oversaw the program when the school moved from South-Central Los Angeles and into its Malibu campus. He also served as the Director of Athletics for Pepperdine.
Games previously played at the small Culver City Auditorium now gave way to the new jewel on campus, Firestone Fieldhouse. The Waves won the West Coast Conference crown in 1976 under Colson and he was rewarded with the conference's coach of the year honor.
He took Pepperdine to the NCAA Tournament in 1976 and in 1979, where the Waves won first-round games both times. Pepperdine beat Memphis in 1976 to reach the Sweet 16 and Utah in 1979 before losing to UCLA both times at Pauley Pavilion.
His success helped set the stage for the 1980s and early 1990s when the Waves continued to build their great tradition under Jim Harrick and current coach Tom Asbury.
"As you get older you begin to reflect upon people in your lives who have really made a difference and, remarkably, a friendship that has lasted so long," said Bob Rose, a former Sports Information Director for Pepperdine (1973-78) during the Colson era. "He gave me my chance in the business.
"He's the Peter Pan of basketball. He refuses, I'm sure, to this day to grow up. He's got a very child-like enthusiasm and wonder every day he shows up."
Rose had the special opportunity to learn under Colson the nuances of athletic administration at such a young age. He became the Waves' Sports Information Director while as a student at Pepperdine. It propelled Rose into a wonderful career at the collegiate and professional sports level, where h is currently the Director of Public Relations for the Oakland Athletics.
"There is nothing more important than when coaches or athletic administrators really play a mentoring role and they teach a lot of things outside of sports to the student-athletes," Rose stated. "Gary was one of those guys. He had a nice record of success on the basketball court but clearly that's not what brings everybody back here this many years later. What brings people back is what kind of person he was. He treated everyone with respect. Gary touched a lot of people's lives. That's more of a definition of greatness than whatever your record is."
After the dinner reception at Skophammer's house, the Pepperdine community honored Colson at halftime of the men's game against San Francisco. Twenty-one former players and eight former assistant coaches, SIDs, trainers or managers were present. Colson's close friend, Laker legend Jerry West, spoke on behalf of Colson with glowing praise and adoration.
"Gary is a dear friend," West said. "He is one of the most wonderful people I have known."
More than 70 former Pepperdine students came back to see their coach and team. The memorable night was punctuated with a 94-88 Waves victory over USF. It was a fitting tribute to a great coach and even better person.
"I didn't know that much basketball, but I thought I knew something about people," said Colson as he was surrounded by his former players during the halftime ceremony. "These guys made me."
Among the Pepperdine greats that Colson coached were William "Bird" Averitt (the NCAA's leading scorer in 1972-73), Dennis Johnson (a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee), Marcos Leite (a 1976 All-American), Ricardo Brown, Ray Ellis, Ollie Matson, Steve Sims and Flintie Ray Williams.
Colson's career consisted of coaching at Valdosta St. from 1959-68, Pepperdine 1969-79, New Mexico 1981-88 and Fresno St. 1991-95. He retired with 563 career wins which ranks him presently 50th all-time amongst Division I coaches.
