On this day in Henry County history, July 9, 1984, New Castle’s Steve Alford played with the U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball Team in an exhibition game with NBA all-stars that drew more than 67,000 fans in the new Hoosier Dome at Indianapolis. It was the largest crowd ever to see a basketball game in the United States.
Here is a photo of Steve with USA Olympic teammates on the floor that night. It was taken by Jeff Neuman, who was a contributor at the time for The Henry County News Republican. Here is also a story about that particular “Knight to remember” that appeared in the July 12, 1984 issue of The Henry County News Republican written by Darrel Radford.
Think of the world’s largest and finest high school gymnasium, right here in New Castle, filled to the rafters with screaming basketball fans.
Now multiply that by seven.
It all equates to a record crowd of 67,596 USA chanting, flag-waving fans that initiated the new Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis Monday night as the U.S. Men’s Olympic team coached by Bobby Knight won its fifth game in a row, 97-87, over a group of Indiana-flavored NBA All-Stars.
The history-making crowd, which topped the 61,612 that saw the NCAA finals in the New Orleans Superdome two years ago, had something in common with those capacity gatherings at the New Castle Fieldhouse.
They were rooting as hard as they could for Steve Alford. And they didn’t leave disappointed.
He was both the youngest and smallest player on the court, yet Steve proved that he belonged on the same floor with such talented Olympic players as North Carolina’s Michael Jordan and such legendary pro stars as Boston’s Larry Bird.
Steve played 21 minutes in the contest, and every time he entered the ball game, he made sure his team was better off on the scoreboard than it was before he came in.
He hit 3-of-5 shots from the field for six points and passed out a team-high seven assists. The only player on either team who had as many assists was Detroit Pistons’ star Isaiah Thomas, who also had seven.
The huge crowd, as do all crowds now after he led the nation in free throw shooting, gasped when Steve missed his only charity toss of the night. But what many of those fans may not realize is that in Steve’s 21 minutes of action against some of the best basketball players anywhere, he didn’t commit a single turnover. And Steve was guarded by the likes of Thomas, Quinn Buckner, Randy Wittman, Mike Woodson and Jerry Sichting.
No one else on either team playing as many minutes as Steve could make the same zero-turnover claim.
The scoreboard billed it as a “Knight to Remember.” And Steve could certainly relate to that after it was over. He’d stolen the ball from the NBA’s most valuable player, Larry Bird. He’d fed North Carolina superstar Michael Jordan with a pass that led to an electrifying slam dunk. He’d zipped the ball inside to a national champion, Patrick Ewing of Georgetown.
He and some of his other teammates got the feeling during the game that they belonged.
“We got off to a little sluggish start but again I think that goes back to being put on the floor with great players,” Steve said. “And you kind of get to standing around, watching, waiting for them to make great moves you’ve seen on television. But I think we’re to the point now where we don’t watch them as much. We’re concentrating on our game now.”
While Steve contended it was a thrill to play against NBA stars, Jerry Sichting of the Indiana Pacers said afterward it was a thrill to play against Steve.
Sichting was a senior at Martinsville High School playing under Steve’s father, Sam, when the Mr. Basketball-bound Alford was just getting interested in the game. Jerry remembers him then as a “pesky kid” who was always hanging around practice.
Monday night, Jerry discovered that practice has paid off for Steve.
“It was a great thrill to play against Steve,” Jerry told The News Republican. “We played hard against each other and I think we both had a lot of fun out there. I’ve played against Steve in a lot of pick-up games and watched him progress each year. And he just keeps getting better.”
When it was over, the message on the scoreboard, “A Knight to Remember” was an understatement bigger than the Hoosier Dome itself.
DESTINATION HENRY COUNTY
This Day In Henry County History is brought to you by Destination Henry County Indiana. Discover slam dunk experiences at www.HoopsInHenry.com. Visit the Facebook page at https;//www.Facebook.com/VisitHenryCounty.com
COME SEE US!
Come visit the Henry County Historical Society Museum at 606 S. 14th St., New Castle and see a 1911 Maxwell. We’re open Tuesday through Friday from 1-4:30 p.m. and ANYTIME by appointment. Call 529-4028 and leave a message.
- 4w4 weeks ago
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I was there, probably the best sporting event i’ve been too. Other than Jordan’s return tot he NBA
- 3w3 weeks ago
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A lot of Hoosiers in that game!
- 4w4 weeks ago
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