May means two things at Rock M Nation: Tremendous Stubble and votes. The former will come soon enough; it's time to begin the latter. We start with the third class of inductees into The Rafters, Rock M's celebration of Mizzou's finest basketball players from different eras.
Class of 2010
Willie Smith
Steve Stipanovich
Doug Smith
Kareem Rush
DeMarre Carroll
Class of 2011
Norm Stewart
Jon Sundvold
Derrick Chievous
Clarence Gilbert
Arthur Johnson
This year, we will approximately maintain the eras as outlined last year. The years for Tiers II and III have changed ever-so-slightly:
Eras for the Class of 2012
Tier I: Pre-Norm (pre-1967)
Tier II: Norm Era I (1968-82)
Tier III: Norm Era II (1983-94)
Tier IV: Norm Era III
Tier V: The 2000s
Five candidates are included from each tier; the last-place finishers from last year's selections have been eliminated, leaving just 25 candidates for five spots.
Here's what I said in the original Rafters introduction:
Does this, like our Wall of Excellence, skew toward recent history? Yeah. But this isn't a poll to choose the five best Mizzou players of all-time (there's no point to that anyway -- Michael Atchison already created the definitive list) -- it is an attempt to recognize both the present and past in a way that generates conversation for RMN readers.
Over the next five days, we will ask you to fill out forms like the one at the bottom of this post. You will be asked to rank your top three selections from a given tier. First place will be given five points, second place will be given three points, and third place will be given one point. Whoever receives the most points is the winner from that tier.
Two years later, that still sums up the intent. So let's start voting! We begin with a group of players to which readers may be less accustomed. Read the bios, do your own research ... and place your votes.
George Williams (1920s)
George Williams, the big center ironically nicknamed "Shorty," remains the only player in Missouri history to be named national player of the year, an award bestowed on him by the Helms Foundation for his play in the 1920-21 season. Williams, who also collected All-America honors for 1919-20, starred for conference champions in both of his years on the varsity as the Tigers posted a cumulative 34-2 record. Regarded as the finest center in the early years of the Missouri Valley, Williams led the conference in scoring in 1921 at 17.2 points per game. The 311 points he tallied that year stood as a Missouri single-season record for over 30 years. After leaving Mizzou, Williams led two different teams to AAU national championships, and earned places on three AAU All-Tournament teams. Truly one of the era’s great players.
Herb Bunker (1920s)
One of the true giants of Missouri athletics. In addition to being Mizzou’s only three time basketball All-American, Herb Bunker is one of only two Tiger student-athletes ever to letter in four sports (basketball, football, baseball, track and field). Though not much of a scorer, the massive Bunker (an offensive and defensive lineman for the football team) was a stellar defender and a peerless rebounder who played for the 1921 and 1922 Missouri Valley champs, teams rated as the nation’s best by at least one historian. Known for his gentlemanly demeanor, the native of Nevada, Missouri, went on to earn a Ph. D. and lead the MU Physical Education Department for years. He is enshrined in the Helms Basketball Hall of Fame, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and the University of Missouri Athletics Hall of Fame.
Arthur "Bun" Browning (1920s)
Younger brother of George "Pidge" Browning (number 52 on the list), Arthur "Bun" Browning played sparingly as a sophomore, but he dominated the next two seasons, earning All-America acclaim each year on teams that posted a cumulative 31-4 record. The Missouri Valley Conference’s leading scorer with a 15 points per game in 1923, Bun’s shooting ability was the stuff of legend. He was known to make shots from mid-court that "dropped through the net without getting on familiar terms with the ring." With that kind of touch, Browning was especially valuable at a time when one player was allowed to shoot all his team’s free throws. Perhaps the finest forward in the Valley’s first 20 years.
Bill Stauffer (1950s)
Bill Stauffer, a 6’4" guard-turned-center from Maryville, Missouri, was the best rebounder in Missouri Tiger history. Despite typically facing larger opponents, Stauffer led Mizzou in rebounding in all three of his varsity seasons, and his per game averages in his junior and senior years (14.9 and 16.5, respectively) ranked first and second in Missouri’s first century of basketball. His career average of 13.6 rebounds is nearly two per game more than his closest competitor. In addition to rebounding, Stauffer developed into a prolific scorer, setting a Tiger season record as a senior with 368 points, and a career record with 807 points in 72 games, an average of 11.2 per contest. Stauffer twice made the All-Big Seven team, and earned All-America recognition for his play in the 1951-52 season. He then became the first Tiger to be drafted into the NBA when the Boston Celtics selected him in 1952. Stauffer, however, never played for the Celtics. Instead, a higher duty called, and he turned the Andrews Air Force base team into the world’s best military squad. His 43 was the first basketball number to be retired by Mizzou, and he remains one of only six Tigers to receive that honor.
Charlie Henke (1950s)
Charlie Henke, a 6’7" center from Malta Bend, Missouri, surely would enjoy greater stature in the memories of Tiger fans had he played on better teams (Mizzou compiled a 29-45 record during his career, which spanned from 1958-59 to 1960-61). After a solid sophomore year, Henke dominated in his final two seasons. A two-time All-Big Eight first team choice, Henke led the Tigers in scoring and rebounding as a junior (19.3 points, 11.5 rebounds per game), and was second in the conference scoring race to Wayne Hightower of Kansas. He was even better as a senior, winning the league scoring title (Hightower finished second). In the process, Henke established new Missouri season records for points (591) and scoring average (24.6 ppg, now second all-time), and passed Bob Reiter to become the Tigers’ all-time leading scorer with 1,338 career points. (he currently ranks 18th) He is one of only two Tigers who rank in the top five in career scoring average (18.1 ppg) and career rebounding average (9.8 rpg).