Former Basketball, Baseball Notables Honored From: University of Cincinnati Currents Date: February 18, 2000 By: Carey Hoffman UC, home of the current No. 1-ranked men's basketball team, brought back to campus last weekend a bit of the glory it experienced when the Bearcats won back-to-back national titles in 1961 and '62. UC coaching legend Ed Jucker returned to UC to see his jersey number (12) in another sport, baseball, retired in a series of events, culminating in a halftime ceremony at the DePaul-UC men's basketball game Sunday. Jucker, now 83 and living in South Carolina, is best known as the basketball coach who led UC to repeat national titles in the early 1960s. But he was also the school's baseball coach from 1954-60, compiling an 87-39-1 record and leading UC to its first NCAA baseball tourney appearance in 1956. Approximately 200 people turned out for a dinner at Schuller's Wigwam in his honor on Saturday and a standing-room-only crowd of 350 showed up for a brunch at the Myers Alumni Center before the basketball game on Sunday. Included in that number were 75 former UC baseball players, including baseball players Jucker coached, as well as basketball players from his national championship teams. Also in attendance to honor Jucker on Sunday were three Baseball Hall-of-Famers - pitcher Sandy Koufax, who played for one year at UC under Jucker, former Cincinnati Reds catcher Johnny Bench and Reds' announcer Marty Brennaman, selected earlier this month for induction into the broadcasters' wing of the Hall of Fame. "I don't think there can be a greater honor for a coach than to have an athlete come back and say you made an impact on my life," UC Athletics Director Bob Goin said at the brunch. "That has happened this weekend." Jucker's past contributions were remembered, and his name was tied to future baseball success at UC with the establishment of the Ed Jucker Fund, an endowment that has a goal of raising $500,000 to permanently support Bearcat baseball. Goin talked about the possibility of building a new baseball facility to make UC more competitive with teams in Conference USA, and current UC baseball coach Brian Cleary thanked Jucker for the interest he has maintained in the program. Then Jucker was called to the front of the room for the retirement ceremony. Quipped Brennaman, who served as master-of-ceremonies: "To drag out some old baseball phrase by some announcer, this one belongs to... Coach Ed Jucker." "We have to get behind this baseball program," said Jucker. "We have a good coach who knows how to win and he needs your support. I can't thank you enough (for this weekend), I'll remember this for the rest of my life."