SSDL BLOG: The ’72 Kid comes Full Circle
The ’72 Kid comes Full Circle
The Lakers Jerry West and the Rams Bob Klein Complete my 48 year Journey
November 15, 2020
90045 - I was into sports at an early age, in fact, I cannot remember a time where I wasn’t playing or watching a game, or at least planning to do so. By the time I was eight, I knew more about sports than most adults, as was certified time and again when I would answer various sports questions from the adults in my life. As the youngest of seven in my family, I may not have noticed I was serving as some kind of trick pony for my older brothers and sisters.
I learned to read at higher level than I ever would have from the sports pages, advanced my math skills through understanding the statistics related to my favorite teams. I learned to speak up by re-telling the game that Vin Scully or Chick Hearn or Dick Enberg had just described. Sports was how I identified with the world. My mom, Jeanette Lennon, knew exactly who I was and how much sports meant to me, and in her wisdom she became my biggest fan. Or at least pretended to listen to all my stories with interest.
The year I turned eight,1972, is a year that is cemented in my memory. Some people might remember ’72 as the year the band Chicago had a hit song with “Saturday in the Park”, or perhaps as the year that the iconic movie “The Godfather” was released. The Vietnam War raged, Nixon did what guys like Nixon do, but me, I kept my eye on the ball.
I remember that in 1972 three of my favorite teams had incredible years, I played on my first team and my sports heroes were somehow within in my reach.
In January of ’72, I was as excited as a too tall for his age, all knowing sports savant (idiot in the rest of my life) could be, because I love me some basketball and finally, finally, I would get to play on an organized team. Dale Currier, a close friend I would lose at age 19, and yours truly were the only two third graders that made the St. Mark 4th grade “Mighty Might” basketball team. That’s right! Recognize! We may have only played two games, but they were HUGE games!
In addition to getting to play on an “official team”, my mom would let me stay up late on Thursdays and put off my chores on Saturdays in order to watch my beloved UCLA Bruins basketball team. I have been fascinated with John Wooden for as long as I can remember. In ’72, they did what they always did when I was a kid, as in for the 6th straight year, they won the NCAA tournament. They finished off a perfect season with a 30-0 mark, beating Florida State for the championship at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. How could basketball season get any better? Funny you should ask.
I was incredibly fortunate that my godfather, Dick Gass, was friends with the Lakers Coach, Bill Sharman. That meant I got to go to a handful of their practices at Loyola Marymount University (at that time Loyola University). Are you kidding me? I would sit on the floor and watch my heroes, Wilt Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich, and Jerry FREAKING West?! I would wait until they went to get water, grab a ball and shoot on a hoop, and every once in awhile one of them would pass me the ball and talk to me. Blew my mind.
‘72 was the magical season the Lakers won an NBA record 33 games in a row, which was memorialized with a collectible team photo by my favorite childhood eatery, Der Wienerschnitzel. That now framed photo is a prized possession, and I stay loyal to “Der Wee Wee” by eating a few mustard dogs every year.
The ’72 Lakers stormed to a 69-13 regular season mark, another record, then won the NBA championship over the New York Knicks in five games. Yes! I didn’t care they had lost in the NBA finals seven times previously since they had been in LA, they won the year I started going to their practices. I would celebrate the team when shooting on my backyard hoop, pretending I was Jerry West, and now #44 was a champion, and I felt part of it.
The bounce in my step was not affected by the last place NHL finish of the Kings. I did not know how to ice skate, and did not quite appreciate the sport yet. The boys of summer, however, my Dodgers, always had my attention. They finished with a respectable 85 wins, but that wasn’t good enough to beat out the Reds in the division, so I turned to football with clear eyes on my Trojans and Rams gridiron prospects.
Okay, okay, I know it might appear as though I am “cherry picking” my teams, UCLA in basketball and USC in football, but allow me to explain. I want all Los Angeles teams to do well. I wanted then, as I do now, any and everyone to recognize that LA is the sports capital of the world. I have felt this way forever. I am true to who I was and that is still who I am.
I’d prefer the Lakers and Clippers in the NBA West Conference finals, then for the Lakers to advance and get another Larry O’Brien trophy. I want the Rams and Chargers in the Super Bowl, with the Rams hoisting the Lombardi. I want UCLA and USC undefeated in basketball and/or football when they meet, and the Bruins to add to their NCAA record of basketball championships, while the Trojans to add their legendary status in football.
That is just what the mighty Trojans did that football season. The John McKay coached team went undefeated, beat Notre Dame and UCLA, won the Rose Bowl and were named National Champions. I loved USC football, their tradition, the fact they had a rival like Notre Dame and what that game meant on a national level.
Throwing the football in the air, then diving on the backyard grass to make a spectacular catch, occupied my time as much as shooting hoops did during basketball season. My “go to” guy on the Rams was tight end Bob Klein. First of all, he was playing the position I knew I would be playing in the NFL. Second, he went to USC, my favorite college football team. Third, my family knew him from St. Monica High School in Santa Monica, so that was another mind blowing moment. The ’72 Rams sputtered to a third place finish in the NFC West, but Klein did catch 29 passes on the year, his best season to date.
Those days of imaginary backyard games, pretending to be my heroes like West and Klein, are forever etched in my mind. I’d run in the house, brag to my mom about a spectacular shot or catch, and she would tell me she was proud of me. Then she would make sure to tell me it was okay to brag to her, but no one else would want to hear it.
Hmm. That “no bragging to others” may have been the toughest lesson to learn. Still is, by the way, as evidenced by me writing this blog to brag about this past week.
On Monday, Jerry West came to my house, politely declined to take the “7428 Shot” on my backyard hoop, but he did watch his friend, my cousin-in-law Wayne Boehle, knock a shot down and I noticed a competitive streak flash across this face. Then, “the logo” sat in my garage (aka the “7428 Studio”) to talk for over an hour about his legendary life and times.
On Friday, Bob Klein met me at Casablanca Restaurant in Venice, talked for close to two hours about his life, the 1967 National Champion Trojans, the Rams, the Chargers and his family.
Incredible. Astounding. And to think, it all started in my backyard. I feel so lucky to have those moments.
On Saturday, I basked in the glory. On Sunday, I wrote this blog.
I wish I could brag to my Mom, who I lost almost four years ago, I’m pretty sure she would have been proud.
Denny Lennon is the Host of YouTube Live shows and the Video Podcast, “Sports Stories with Denny Lennon”
The four part Bob Klein video podcast interview from Casablanca Restaurant in Venice will begin on Thursday, November 19th.
The three part Jerry West video podcast interview from the 7428 Studio begins Thursday, December 17th.
All shows, including video podcasts, live shows and special features are available at: YouTube.com/SSDL
“Sports Stories with Denny Lennon” airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:00am on “LA36” cable TV, and is also available at http://www.la36.org/
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