Hoyt remembers last Ohio State championship team
MOUNT VERNON — March Madness. It’s a time of year that basketball fans and non-fans alike turn their attention to the NCAA tournament. They watch the big upsets, their team making a game-winning shot at the buzzer, and gather with family and friends. For 1957 Mount Vernon graduate and standout basketball player Richie Hoyt, it brings back old memories.
Hoyt was a member of the 1960 Ohio State National Championship team, and each year around tournament time, he remembers. He recalls playing at arenas like Madison Square Garden, and sharing a bus with names the likes of Jerry Lucas, John Havlicek and Bob Knight. This season the memories were especially meaningful, as Hoyt prepared to watch his alma mater play for a national title for the first time since 1962.
“I’d have to say there was just so many moments that even at the time, as well as in retrospect, that were so important and so valuable. I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it until March Madness comes around and then the memories just pour back,” said Hoyt. “It’s fun, it’s energizing, and I feel so good for the university and for the coaching staff because it is such hard work to get where they are and I think they have done a marvelous job.”
Four hours before tip-off, Hoyt sat in his New Jersey home watching ESPN news’ coverage of pre-game hype. The former Buckeyes prediction for the game: “I think that Florida has the experience, and the balance to win the game if I were going to bet,” said Hoyt. “But, in a game like this in the final championship game you never know what is going to happen. So I believe the Buckeyes will win.”
While the end result may not have turned out as Hoyt hoped, he would have been a successful betting man. The Gators’ experience helped them earn back-to-back championships and become the first team to win two national titles with the same starting lineup. Even with the loss, Hoyt knows that years from now the members of the 2007 Buckeyes squad will never be forgotten.
“It is pretty amazing to me that there is a memory, a recollection of that (1960) team, and it was primarily because of (John) Havlicek and Jerry Lucas, but it’s still amazing to me that there is enough people around that really recognize names and do remember,” said Hoyt. “I don’t think when you are playing you ever recognize how big it really is.”
