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Tom Dore on playing for Norm
Posted on: October 28, 2016 at 12:20:45 CT
FIJItiger MU
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http://www.rockmnation.com/2016/10/28/13401188/tom-dore-missouri-basketball-radio-interview
By the time he came to recruit me, I was already being recruited by John Wooden, Dean Smith and Bob Knight. Norm looked me in the eyes and said, “There’s a lot of places telling you that you’re going to start, that they’re going to give you all kinds of stuff like cars and trips for your family” -- and there were. But he said, “I’m going to work your ass off. I’m not going to promise you you’re ever going to play, and if you make a mistake I’m going to make you regret it, but I’m going to teach you how to be a professional athlete and how to be ready to be a man.” And that resonated with me.
Norm sat there and he looked at me and he said, “I’ll give you room, board, both tuition, and fees, you will get absolutely nothing else. If I can’t give you a ride somewhere, you’re going to have to walk to wherever you’re going unless you have a car. You’re not going to get a ride from anybody.” There was nothing, absolutely nothing, outside the rules that happened when I was there as a player or as an announcer. I know Norm and I know he wouldn’t put up with any of that.
Well Norm is a hard ass. Don’t let anybody sugar coat it. And I love him, absolutely love him, but that first year, especially my redshirt year was really hard. I was the lowest of the low; whatever needed to be done is what I was going to go do. He made it clear from the start that this is exactly what your role is going to be, so I didn’t really question it.
Back in my era, if Norm had an open checkbook, like a lot of other places did, I think that things could have gone totally different because he was a great coach. He could have easily led Missouri to a Final Four and multiple national championships, but he was unflinching in his principles; he was not going to cheat, was not going to give a kid any more than what he deserved and if you had an academic problem he was not going to go to your professor and scream at your professor about changing the grade.
I think if Norm had been a little easier to play for, had been more of a laid back coach that may have helped as well, but that just isn’t who he was. And if you came to Missouri, you came there knowing who he was. He was Stormin’ Norm. He’d get that way in practice, he’d get that way in games. Because he never wavered, and I love that guy. I’d do anything for him.
Edited by FIJItiger at 12:22:26 on 10/28/16
By the time he came to recruit me, I was already being recruited by John Wooden, Dean Smith and Bob Knight. Norm looked me in the eyes and said, “There’s a lot of places telling you that you’re going to start, that they’re going to give you all kinds of stuff like cars and trips for your family” -- and there were. But he said, “I’m going to work your ass off. I’m not going to promise you you’re ever going to play, and if you make a mistake I’m going to make you regret it, but I’m going to teach you how to be a professional athlete and how to be ready to be a man.” And that resonated with me.
Norm sat there and he looked at me and he said, “I’ll give you room, board, both tuition, and fees, you will get absolutely nothing else. If I can’t give you a ride somewhere, you’re going to have to walk to wherever you’re going unless you have a car. You’re not going to get a ride from anybody.” There was nothing, absolutely nothing, outside the rules that happened when I was there as a player or as an announcer. I know Norm and I know he wouldn’t put up with any of that.
Well Norm is a hard ass. Don’t let anybody sugar coat it. And I love him, absolutely love him, but that first year, especially my redshirt year was really hard. I was the lowest of the low; whatever needed to be done is what I was going to go do. He made it clear from the start that this is exactly what your role is going to be, so I didn’t really question it.
Back in my era, if Norm had an open checkbook, like a lot of other places did, I think that things could have gone totally different because he was a great coach. He could have easily led Missouri to a Final Four and multiple national championships, but he was unflinching in his principles; he was not going to cheat, was not going to give a kid any more than what he deserved and if you had an academic problem he was not going to go to your professor and scream at your professor about changing the grade.
I think if Norm had been a little easier to play for, had been more of a laid back coach that may have helped as well, but that just isn’t who he was. And if you came to Missouri, you came there knowing who he was. He was Stormin’ Norm. He’d get that way in practice, he’d get that way in games. Because he never wavered, and I love that guy. I’d do anything for him.
Edited by FIJItiger at 12:22:26 on 10/28/16
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Tom Dore on playing for Norm - FIJItiger MU - 10/28 12:20:45