Forty Years Ago, Woodson, Hoosiers Overcame Long Odds to Win Big Ten Title
1/9/2019 9:35:00 AM | Indiana MBB
Bloomington, Ind. - When Mike Woodson readied for his senior season 40 years ago, he knew what the team's prospects were.
"We had everything we needed to win a national title," Woodson said.
The reigning NIT champions, Bob Knight's 1979-80 squad was loaded. Woodson was back after leading the team in scoring in each of the previous two seasons and was on pace to become the leading scorer in IU and Big Ten history. He was joined by fellow returning starters Randy Wittman, Ray Tolbert, Butch Carter and Landon Turner, redshirt freshman Ted Kitchel, plus a five-man freshman class highlighted by a do-it-all point guard from Chicago - Isiah Thomas.
"For the first time in the years I was there, I felt we were solid at every position, and we were backed up at every position," Woodson said. "The guy could play, and the guy behind the guy could play."
Woodson's sentiment was shared by the national media, which tabbed Indiana as the preseason No. 1 and the favorite to win the national championship.
For everything that Indiana did have, there ultimately proved to be one thing that the team didn't have, something that would keep the team from its ultimate objective of winning the national title.
Luck.
Indiana's misfortune came in the form of injuries to some of its most important players. In a mid-December game against Kentucky, Wittman departed with a foot injury. The ailment would eventually be diagnosed as a stress fracture, and Wittman was lost for the season. In that same game, Woodson injured his back, an ailment that would ultimately sideline him one week later and require surgery.
"It's unfortunate that the injuries happened, and unfortunate that we weren't able to get (Coach Knight) to the finish line and win it all," Woodson said.
But when the 1980 Indiana men's basketball team returns to Bloomington the weekend of Feb. 8, it won't be to bemoan any perceived failures of one of IU's most talented basketball teams ever. Instead, it will be to celebrate and recognize a team that might be unmatched in program history in terms of perseverance and resolve.
Standing at 14-7 overall, 7-5 in the Big Ten, and unranked on Feb. 12, the Hoosiers ripped off six straight wins to close the 1980 regular season and win the most improbable of Big Ten titles.
"It was a hell of a run that we put together, after all the difficultly we faced," Woodson said. "I think if you talk to Coach, he'd tell you that was one of his favorite teams because of what we overcame."
No one overcame more during that season than Woodson, who underwent surgery in late December and miraculously returned for those final six games to lead IU to the conference championship.
The decision to undergo the back surgery was hard enough. Woodson admits to being in denial when he first started to feel back pain in early November, knowing full well that surgery could end his season, and the importance of his senior campaign on his hopes of playing in the NBA.
But the pain persisted, and after a series of doctor visits Woodson ended up in the office of Indianapolis neurosurgeon Dr. Henry Feuer. Feuer recommended back surgery immediately ('like, tomorrow,' said Woodson), which produced an immediate response from Woodson.
"I was like, 'You're out of your mind. There's no way I'm doing surgery,'" Woodson said.
Feuer persisted, letting Woodson know that there was a chance he could be paralyzed in one leg based on the nerve damage that had started to set in. Woodson asked what the odds were of his being able to return to the court, and was told they were 50/50.
That was enough for Woodson to make his decision.
"I said those odds aren't good enough," Woodson said. "So I said I'm not having the surgery."
Feuer told Woodson he would need to let both his mother and Knight know about his decision. That prompted a heart-to-heart talk with his mother, which ultimately changed Woodson's mind.
"She sat down with me and said, 'Are you going to graduate on time?' I said, 'Yes Ma'am.' She said that was all she was concerned about. She said, 'I care about your health. You're having it done.'"
The next morning Woodson underwent back surgery.
During the time, the expected recovery from back surgery was three to six months. But thanks to an arthroscopic procedure considered ground-breaking at the time, Feuer was able to address Woodson's disc issue and give him an outside chance of returning before season's end.
Despite the surgery's success, Woodson found himself in a dark place after the procedure.
"It was probably one of the lowest moments of my life," Woodson said. "I had gone from being able to run and jump to barely being able to pick up my feet. I was really down."
But Woodson's spirits and prospects of returning were lifted by some likely and unlikely sources. In addition to Knight and his teammates, his girlfriend and future wife, Terri, pushed him to stay on top of his rehab.
After he was able to walk again, Woodson also leaned on legendary IU Swim Coach James 'Doc' Counsilman to aid in his return to the court. Counsilman fitted Woodson with a vest and belt that kept him upright in the pool, and Woodson was able to run at Royer Pool with minimal resistance.
"That was probably the most helpful thing for me in terms of having a speedy recovery," Woodson said.
The time spent in the pool enable Woodson to progress to a stationary bike and then a treadmill. Faced with no lingering pain, Woodson returned to the practice court less than seven weeks after undergoing surgery.
There were plenty of skeptics. The doubts, though, were quickly erased.
"In the four years I was at IU, that was probably the best practice I ever had in that seventh week," Woodson said.
With that hurdle cleared, Woodson was ready to return to the court for the Hoosiers, who found themselves in the middle of the Big Ten pack, unranked, and facing a tough road trip to Iowa City to face eventual Final Four participant Iowa.
Woodson played, started, and starred, scoring 18 points to lift IU to a 66-55 win. Woodson went on to average 20.5 points/game during the team's final six regular season games, culminating in a 21-point effort in IU's 76-73 overtime win over Big Ten co-leader Ohio State in the finale to secure the conference title.
"It was a hell of a year," Woodson said. "My greatest satisfaction was being able to come back and then be a part of a group of guys that were hungry. To overcome what we did and to beat a loaded Ohio State team to with the Big Ten, it was gratifying.
"No one thought we could that, but we did."
It was a special season, and a special group. Woodson plans to be in Bloomington to celebrate the 40th anniversary of IU's 1980 Big Ten championship, which will be recognized during the Feb. 8 Purdue game. He's looking forward to reconnecting with his teammates, many of whom he's remained in contact with during his nearly 40 years in the NBA as either a player, assistant coach or head coach.
"The NBA life has kept us in touch," Woodson said.
While many of their paths have crossed in NBA circles, there will be something special about reconnecting at the place where it all began some 40 years ago.
"When you grow up in the state of Indiana, basketball is a big part of a lot of guy's lives," Woodson said. "It was a big part of my life. I knew (IU) was where I wanted to go all along.
"One thing Coach Knight told all of his players when he recruited them was you will be playing for one of the greatest universities in the world when you're playing basketball, and I'm going to make sure you get a great education, and I'm going to make sure you get a super job somewhere. And he did all of those things.
"It's unique and a special place."
Bloomington, Ind. - When Mike Woodson readied for his senior season 40 years ago, he knew what the team's prospects were."We had everything we needed to win a national title," Woodson said.
The reigning NIT champions, Bob Knight's 1979-80 squad was loaded. Woodson was back after leading the team in scoring in each of the previous two seasons and was on pace to become the leading scorer in IU and Big Ten history. He was joined by fellow returning starters Randy Wittman, Ray Tolbert, Butch Carter and Landon Turner, redshirt freshman Ted Kitchel, plus a five-man freshman class highlighted by a do-it-all point guard from Chicago - Isiah Thomas.
"For the first time in the years I was there, I felt we were solid at every position, and we were backed up at every position," Woodson said. "The guy could play, and the guy behind the guy could play."
Woodson's sentiment was shared by the national media, which tabbed Indiana as the preseason No. 1 and the favorite to win the national championship.
For everything that Indiana did have, there ultimately proved to be one thing that the team didn't have, something that would keep the team from its ultimate objective of winning the national title.
Luck.
Indiana's misfortune came in the form of injuries to some of its most important players. In a mid-December game against Kentucky, Wittman departed with a foot injury. The ailment would eventually be diagnosed as a stress fracture, and Wittman was lost for the season. In that same game, Woodson injured his back, an ailment that would ultimately sideline him one week later and require surgery.
"It's unfortunate that the injuries happened, and unfortunate that we weren't able to get (Coach Knight) to the finish line and win it all," Woodson said.
But when the 1980 Indiana men's basketball team returns to Bloomington the weekend of Feb. 8, it won't be to bemoan any perceived failures of one of IU's most talented basketball teams ever. Instead, it will be to celebrate and recognize a team that might be unmatched in program history in terms of perseverance and resolve.
Standing at 14-7 overall, 7-5 in the Big Ten, and unranked on Feb. 12, the Hoosiers ripped off six straight wins to close the 1980 regular season and win the most improbable of Big Ten titles.
"It was a hell of a run that we put together, after all the difficultly we faced," Woodson said. "I think if you talk to Coach, he'd tell you that was one of his favorite teams because of what we overcame."
No one overcame more during that season than Woodson, who underwent surgery in late December and miraculously returned for those final six games to lead IU to the conference championship.
The decision to undergo the back surgery was hard enough. Woodson admits to being in denial when he first started to feel back pain in early November, knowing full well that surgery could end his season, and the importance of his senior campaign on his hopes of playing in the NBA.
But the pain persisted, and after a series of doctor visits Woodson ended up in the office of Indianapolis neurosurgeon Dr. Henry Feuer. Feuer recommended back surgery immediately ('like, tomorrow,' said Woodson), which produced an immediate response from Woodson.
"I was like, 'You're out of your mind. There's no way I'm doing surgery,'" Woodson said.
Feuer persisted, letting Woodson know that there was a chance he could be paralyzed in one leg based on the nerve damage that had started to set in. Woodson asked what the odds were of his being able to return to the court, and was told they were 50/50.
That was enough for Woodson to make his decision.
"I said those odds aren't good enough," Woodson said. "So I said I'm not having the surgery."
Feuer told Woodson he would need to let both his mother and Knight know about his decision. That prompted a heart-to-heart talk with his mother, which ultimately changed Woodson's mind.
"She sat down with me and said, 'Are you going to graduate on time?' I said, 'Yes Ma'am.' She said that was all she was concerned about. She said, 'I care about your health. You're having it done.'"
The next morning Woodson underwent back surgery.
During the time, the expected recovery from back surgery was three to six months. But thanks to an arthroscopic procedure considered ground-breaking at the time, Feuer was able to address Woodson's disc issue and give him an outside chance of returning before season's end.
Despite the surgery's success, Woodson found himself in a dark place after the procedure.
"It was probably one of the lowest moments of my life," Woodson said. "I had gone from being able to run and jump to barely being able to pick up my feet. I was really down."
But Woodson's spirits and prospects of returning were lifted by some likely and unlikely sources. In addition to Knight and his teammates, his girlfriend and future wife, Terri, pushed him to stay on top of his rehab.
After he was able to walk again, Woodson also leaned on legendary IU Swim Coach James 'Doc' Counsilman to aid in his return to the court. Counsilman fitted Woodson with a vest and belt that kept him upright in the pool, and Woodson was able to run at Royer Pool with minimal resistance.
"That was probably the most helpful thing for me in terms of having a speedy recovery," Woodson said.
The time spent in the pool enable Woodson to progress to a stationary bike and then a treadmill. Faced with no lingering pain, Woodson returned to the practice court less than seven weeks after undergoing surgery.
There were plenty of skeptics. The doubts, though, were quickly erased.
"In the four years I was at IU, that was probably the best practice I ever had in that seventh week," Woodson said.
With that hurdle cleared, Woodson was ready to return to the court for the Hoosiers, who found themselves in the middle of the Big Ten pack, unranked, and facing a tough road trip to Iowa City to face eventual Final Four participant Iowa.
Woodson played, started, and starred, scoring 18 points to lift IU to a 66-55 win. Woodson went on to average 20.5 points/game during the team's final six regular season games, culminating in a 21-point effort in IU's 76-73 overtime win over Big Ten co-leader Ohio State in the finale to secure the conference title.
"It was a hell of a year," Woodson said. "My greatest satisfaction was being able to come back and then be a part of a group of guys that were hungry. To overcome what we did and to beat a loaded Ohio State team to with the Big Ten, it was gratifying.
"No one thought we could that, but we did."
It was a special season, and a special group. Woodson plans to be in Bloomington to celebrate the 40th anniversary of IU's 1980 Big Ten championship, which will be recognized during the Feb. 8 Purdue game. He's looking forward to reconnecting with his teammates, many of whom he's remained in contact with during his nearly 40 years in the NBA as either a player, assistant coach or head coach.
"The NBA life has kept us in touch," Woodson said.
While many of their paths have crossed in NBA circles, there will be something special about reconnecting at the place where it all began some 40 years ago.
"When you grow up in the state of Indiana, basketball is a big part of a lot of guy's lives," Woodson said. "It was a big part of my life. I knew (IU) was where I wanted to go all along.
"One thing Coach Knight told all of his players when he recruited them was you will be playing for one of the greatest universities in the world when you're playing basketball, and I'm going to make sure you get a great education, and I'm going to make sure you get a super job somewhere. And he did all of those things.
"It's unique and a special place."
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