Quip's List

[Ref Daddy]

In the late 1970s, Abe Lemons was riding high at Texas -- The Longhorns were at home against Mississippi State, and during the warmups, one of the opposing players dunked the ball. At the time, this was a violation, though no one knew why.

One of the officials notified Lemons his team would shoot a technical before the tipoff. Abe said he didn't want one because that was no way to start a game. But to his consternation, the official said: "You got to. That's the rule."

Before the Horns returned to the court, Lemons explained to his players in the locker room that they had a foul shot coming, but as good sports, they had to miss. "Who wants to shoot it?"

"I will, Coach," volunteered a breezy young man named Jimmy Krivacs.

"OK," said Abe, "but shoot it with your back to the basket so everyone will know you missed it on purpose."