Golden Era Plaque Ceremony (Full Video) | Kevin Porter Reflects on Time at SFU

Loretto, Pa. - As part of last weekend's University Alumni Weekend, the Saint Francis men's basketball program honored its three legends of the "Golden Era" in Maurice Stokes ('55), Norm Van Lier ('69) and Kevin Porter ('72) with the unveiling of new locker room plaques.

The event was organized by former men's basketball alum Art Hunter ('72), and Bob Moore ('70), the Athletic Department's first-ever Sports Information Director who would later go on to become the Historian for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League.

"I would like to thank Art Hunter, Bob Moore and all of those who contributed to the plaques for making the weekend such a huge success," said Saint Francis head coach Rob Krimmel. "The tradition of Saint Francis basketball is something that we talk about regularly.  The passion and pride that the former players displayed this weekend is something that I want our guys to be able to experience some day."

By securing donations from former teammates and alumi, Moore and Hunter able to raise money for three state-of-the art plaques honoring the legends of the "Golden Era", which will be displayed in the men's basketball locker room.

"When we started this project, it was unbelievable to see the support and excitement from fellow teammates, classmates and the organizations that these great players represented," said Hunter. "The admiration and respect that came through from the stories shared to us about Maurice, Norm and Kevin showed us just how many lives they touched. They are true representatives of Saint Francis basketball and are great examples for the current team about what it means to 'Become That Someone'."

Maurice Stokes, Norm Van Lier and Kevin Porter are without argument the best players this school has every produced," said Moore. "Saint Francis has a rich-basketball tradition with many fabulous players to come through the program, but when you hear Saint Francis basketball you immediately think of those three. It was important for us to honor them with these plaques and provide a visual history of their accomplishments."

Stokes, Van Lier and Porter all went on to enjoy distinguished playing careers in the NBA following their time at Saint Francis, touching numerous lives on and off the court.

Stokes led Saint Francis College to a fourth-place finish in the 1955 National Invitational Tournament, earning the prestigious tournament most valuable player (MVP) award, and was a 1955 second- team All-America selection. He is the SFU's second all-time leading scorer at 2,282 points (22.4 ppg) and the school's all-time leading rebounder by a wide margin at 1,819 (17.8 rpg).

A first-round draft choice of the then Rochester Royals (No. 2 overall), Stokes was the 1956 NBA Rookie of the Year and a three-time NBA All-Star selection until a fall in an NBA game in March of 1958. Diagnosed with encephalitis, Maurice remained bedridden over a 12-year period. It was then that he was taken under the wing of fellow Royals teammate Jack Twyman. Their friendship inspired the NBA to name its Teammate of the Year award the "Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year." Stokes was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Pro Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004.

Upon hearing that the University would honor Maurice with a plaque, fellow NBA Hall of Famer and all-time great Oscar Robertson shared the following words:

"People ask me to compare Maurice Stokes to players of today's generation and I say he was a combination of Karl Malone and Magic Johnson," said Robertson. "I admired Maurice not only for his basketball talent but for the person who had the most positive attitude I had ever met. He was truly a Hall of Famer in every sense of the word. I congratulate Saint Francis for honoring this great man."

Van Lier  scored 1,410 points during his collegiate career from 1966-69, a total which ranks him 10th on the school's all-time scoring list. As a senior, he averaged 21.0 points per game, and for his career, he averaged 18.8 points per contest.

His greatest asset, though, was his ability to excel at all aspects of the game. Van Lier averaged 10.3 rebounds per game for his career, ranking him tenth all-time at SFU. As a junior in 1967-68, he set a then-school record for assists. "Stormin" Norman coupled his scoring, rebounding and passing skills with a defensive tenacity and a knack for making the big play under pressure.

After graduating from Saint Francis in 1969, Van Lier was drafted by the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association. He played 10 seasons in the NBA with Chicago, the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks, and averaged 11.8 points per game during his professional career. During that time, Van Lier appeared in three NBA All-Star games and 38 playoff contests, earning three NBA First Team All-Defense nods and five Second Team nods. Following his playing career, Van Lier served as the color analyst on Bulls radio broadcasts from 1980-82 and was a television pregame and postgame analyst for the organization from 1992-2009.

The Chicago Bulls released the following statement on Norm Van Lier:

"The Chicago Bulls are happy to hear that former Bulls great and Saint Francis legend Norm Van Lier is being honored by the university at its Plaque Dedication Ceremony for his place in the school's basketball program. Known for his toughness and relentless style of play, Norm endeared himself to the city of Chicago during his time as a Bull. Saint Francis University undoubtedly played a key role in Norm going on to enjoy a 10-year career in the NBA."

Porter followed Stokes and Van Lier with an equally impressive career in Loretto. When he concluded his four-year stint at Saint Francis, he ranked second all-time to Stokes in scoring with 1,766 points. That total currently ranks fourth on the university's all-time list.

Porter averaged 23-or-more points in each of his final three seasons, including a career-high 24.7 scoring average as a senior in 1971-72. Only Stokes and Sandy Williams have recorded higher single-season scoring averages.

Upon graduation from Saint Francis, Porter enjoyed a 10-year career in the National Basketball Association. He led the NBA in assists four times and became the first player in the league's history to dish out 1,000 assists in a season, dishing out 1,099 as a member of the Detroit Pistons in 1978-79.

When he retired in 1983, he had accumulated 5,314 career assists (currently 53rd all-time) and 7,645 career points. He currently ranks 15th all-time in career assists per game (8.06). Notably, of the top 60 career assist leaders, nobody played in fewer games (659).

Porter returned to Loretto in 1983 to be the Saint Francis head men's basketball coach for the next four seasons.

Porter, who was selected 39th overall by the Baltimore Bullets (now the Washington Wizards) in the 1972 draft, played six of his 10 seasons with the organization, reaching the 1975 NBA Finals. The Wizards released the following statement.

"Kevin Porter, with his high-stepping, fancy passing, and set-shooting feet, was a fierce competitor who never saw a big man he would not challenge. Kevin was one of the NBA's best guards who came to play every night. Congrats to KP and his family for this well-deserved honor."

Porter was the only honoree in attendance. Stokes passed away in 1970 and Van Lier passed in 2009. Porter was joined by a large contingent of his teammates from the class of 1972.

"I am so honored and so grateful to be a part of the Saint Francis family," said Porter. " I want to thank Art Hunter and Bob Moore for their work putting this event together and coach Krimmel and his players for welcoming me back. To be able to share this with my teammates and this university is truly a blessing."

You can view the complete ceremony and listen to Kevin Porter reflect on his time at SFU via the links at the top of the page.