But I know of another short guy who was better than him -- a lot better. And there's a story they used to tell about how this kid got so good at the place I called home on many a Saturday afternoon when I was growing up in Bridgeport, Conn.
The name of the joint was the Archbishop Sheehan Center. It was like a YMCA for Catholics. Pool, pingpong tables and, yes, a regulation basketball court.
The way the story went was this: This kid, you see, was short. Real short. But he loved to play basketball so his dad made him wear ankle weights -- five pounds per foot -- everywhere. To school. To the store. And especially to play basketball. Being too short for basketball myself at the time -- I did my growing later in life -- I was awed by the story.
Did the ankle weights pay off? You betcha. They said when he played for Norwalk High School that -- had it been allowed -- he could dunk as many points as he could hit from the outside.
He was a competitor, too. At an all-star high school tourney, he drained 66 points. His coach later would say that after the game, even though the kid had put on a show, he was in tears. Why? Because his team lost.
Like Bogues, he went on to an outstanding collegiate career despite the fact that he had stopped growing at 5-foot-9. He finished with a 33.1 points-per-game average -- a bit below the mark of 48.1 he had set during his freshman year. That career number, by the way, still stands as the fourth best of all-time.
And in the pros? Well, he didn't do quite as good -- only a 17.9 ppg average. But as a Houston Rocket, he did manage to set a few NBA records that still stand to this day. In 1981, he made the most consecutive free-throws ever (78) in a season and ended up with the game's all-time free-throw percentage for one year (.958).
Yes, he is Calvin Murphy -- the kid out of Connecticut and Niagara who went on to become the best small man the game has ever seen.
WEBVIEWER MAIL: Got a trivia question that you think will stump the ol' Irishman -- or a gripe about sports or some particular incident -- just email me and I will try to include it in my next column. All ya gotta do is click here.
Hey, Irishme! The answers to your quiz last week are: Jack Nicklaus, Luis Tiant and the Lady Byng Trophy, right?
-- From a real Rifleman named Connors who does that AOL thang early and often.
Yes, yes and no, Greg. But I think you ought to change your name to "college" and get back to school. All you have to do is click on the "Give Up" buttons to get the answers, pal.
OK, I can stump you. Who was the reserve center on NCSU's 1983 national championship basketball team? Here's another one: What was the average weight of the 1926 NCSU football team?
-- From a Stomper stumper who's soaking up rays at one too many .coms in Florida.
It was Alvin Battle, but State also had big-man Thurl Bailey who could play that position, too. And so could Lorenzo Charles. And as for your other question ... the average weight of the team was equivalent to about six cupcakes -- just like this year's club.
Hey, why wasn't I in New Orleans coaching my team on Sunday?
-- From Marv Levy, now resting peacefully at a Buffalo.com.
Marv! You found me on the Net, bro! Good to hear from you. As for your question, the answer I think has something to do with age -- not yours...that team you put on the field last season, bud.
Don't you think Don Sutton should have gotten into the Hall?
-- From a nervy guy named Ned at a .gov place.
Are you kidding, Ned? Not only Sutton, but Tony Perez as well. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Whenever you entrust anything to sports writers -- like Hall votes or national college football titles -- you are conducting a popularity vote and not a rational analysis of talent.
1) What national team has qualified for all 15 World Cup tournaments? Give up?
2) Who holds the record for shooting the lowest score for 18 holes in a PGA Tour event? Give up?
3) He played goalie for the New York Rangers and recorded an amazing 103 shutouts during his career. Who? Give up?
4) Philadelphia Flyers bad boy David Schultz had a nickname that had something to do with his rough style of play. What was it? Give up?
5) Which professional boxer has the most knockouts recorded for a career? Give up?
Mike Emmett has been kicking around sports departments in newspapers and online operations around the U.S. for years. Got something to say to the Irishman? Email him with a click here.
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