“font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9pt;”>The
sports
community lost a great friend last week with the passing of
former Saint Louis University
“font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9pt;”>basketball coach Charlie Spoonhour.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Spoonhour died at his home in North Carolina at the age of 72. He had undergone lung transplant surgery a year ago, but his health continued to decline during the past year.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>It was a sad day for all of us who are associated with the Billikens’ program. Spoon was the head coach at SLU for only seven years, but he was a St. Louis icon because of what he accomplished in those seven years.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“Spoonball” became all the rage in the mid-1990’s when he brought the SLU program into national prominence. Spoon’s predecessor at SLU, Rich Grawer, was the man who brought the Billikens’ program back from the dead. It was Spoon that took the SLU program to the next level.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Spoon took the Billikens to the NCAA Tournament in 1994 and 1995. During those two seasons, the Billikens packed the St. Louis Arena and the brand new Kiel Center to the rafters with their exciting, fast-paced brand of basketball that featured star players Erwin Claggett, Scott Highmark and H Waldman.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The Billikens entered the National Top 25 rankings for the first time in decades and were featured in Sports Illustrated and many other national publications. Everyone wanted to be a part of Spoonball. In 1998, the Billikens returned to the NCAA Tournament with the great Larry Hughes as 22,000 people continued to pack the Kiel Center on a nightly basis.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Local sports fans could not get enough of the Billikens as their games became the place to be seen on Saturday nights. It was common to see the Who’s Who of St. Louis at SLU games, including Rams, Cardinals, Blues players and other local celebs.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>At the center of all of this was Spoon, who was not only a great coach and game tactician, but a warm individual who made everyone feel special when they were around him. Going to SLU games back then was just like going downtown to visit Charlie’s house for a couple of hours to be entertained.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Spoon was indeed a man of the people. He shook every hand and treated everyone the same way. It didn’t matter if you were a big-time celebrity attending a SLU game or a custodian cleaning up after the game; Spoon always had a minute and a kind word for you. When Spoon was getting a bite to eat at his favorite spot, Tom’s Bar & Grill on Euclid, people would literally get out of their cars to get a word with Spoon and share a story.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Spoon was at home in every setting imaginable. It didn’t matter if he was around black folks, white folks, blue collar folks, the rich and famous, or at his beloved St. Louis Cardinals’ baseball games. He was the same, charming, incredibly funny individual. His after-dinner speeches are legendary. He would have people rolling in the aisles with his country humor and folksy stories.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>One thing I had in common with Spoon, other than our love for basketball, was our love for the comedy of the late, great Richard Pryor. What a lot of people didn’t know about Spoon was that he knew virtually every line from every one of Richard Pryor’s tapes. We spent much time on the road reciting many of Pryor’s lines and enjoying many laughs along the way. Spoon knew them all, from “Mr. Gilmore’s property to Ms. Rudolph” to “The Clock! The Clock on the Wall!!”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>This is my 21st season of broadcasting SLU basketball on the radio. The man who was most responsible for me being on the broadcast team was Charlie Spoonhour. When the job as radio analyst became open in 1991, Spoon was part of the small selection committee after he took the SLU job. I had sent in a tape of a game I had broadcasted at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament when Spoon was still at Missouri State. Reportedly, Spoon was impressed enough to say, “We have to have this guy on our games.” The rest of history.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The loss of Charlie Spoonhour leaves a hole in my heart, and I know a lot of people are experiencing the same thing. However, I have enjoyed the past week as well because I’ve had the opportunity to share old Spoon stories with friends who either played for him or coached with him and have been around him for many years.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>It was truly an honor and a privilege to be in Spoon’s presence for those seven years that I broadcasted his games. I will never forget them. Nor will I forget Spoon.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Truly, a man of the people.
