Unless you followed Cowboy basketball during the mid-to-late 1960's, you probably aren't familiar with Mike Eberle.
Mike was an outstanding guard for the Cowboys when they were enjoying success under Head Coach Bill Strannigan. He was the catalyst for the Pokes during a time when they won 50 games and appeared in post-season play twice, and appeared in the 1966-67 NCAA tournament and 1967-68 NIT. He's a member of the Cowboys' 1,000-point club, one of only 35 in Wyoming's basketball history to do so.
Sadly, Mike passed away a little over a week ago in Des Moines, Iowa, at the age of 73. His illness allowed his family and friends to say goodbye. At that moment we lost a great Cowboy.
I remember Mike as a heck of a player who always seemed to fly under the radar. He wasn't flamboyant like some of our greatest Poke basketball heroes, guys about whom we fondly reminiscence. Mike wasn't that kind of player. Although extremely athletic, his game was to score and play great defense while quietly leading the team.
I hadn't thought about him for a long time. A couple Cowboys from that era called to tell me about his passing. Then, someone sent me his obituary which recounted what a remarkable individual he was, and so much more than the Cowboy we knew back in the 60's.
For the record, he was recruited to Wyoming by Strannigan from Clinton, Iowa. In an arrangement that happened far more often at that time than it does today, Strannigan and baseball coach Bud Daniel agreed to share him. He played both basketball and baseball for the Pokes. He was an outstanding baseball player too.
Mike scored 1,083 points from 1966 through 1968. His career average was 13.4 points per game. He was a first-team All-Western Athletic Conference selection in '67. Following his senior season, he remained as the Cowboy freshmen basketball coach while finishing UW's ROTC program. Following his graduation, Not only was he drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers and a couple of ABA teams, but he also was invited to the New York Yankee summer camp. However, he chose the Army and served three years in Vietnam as Battery Commander, Field Artillery, 3rd Armored Division.
It was at Wyoming where he met the love of his life, Paula. They were married for 46 years.
After he was discharged, he eventually continued his education at the Iowa State University Veterinary Medicine School. Following graduation, he started a small-animal practice, Eberle Animal Hospital, in Des Moines, Iowa.
I can't imagine how respected he was in Des Moines. Listen to this: he was a member of the Des Moines Veterinary Medical Association; the chair of the Legislative Committee for the State Veterinary Medicine Association; a member of the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, and the president of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa. If that wasn't enough he was a board member for the Des Moines Center for Performing Arts, president of the Friends of Des Moines Parks, and a board member for the University of Wyoming Alumni Association.
I had no idea.
I didn't know Mike well, but liked him and appreciated his contributions. His obituary impressed me so much that I wanted to talk to some of his former teammates about him. It also gave me a chance to catch up with them which is always a treat.
Bob Wilson was a teammate and a year behind Mike. They roomed together when Bob was a senior and Mike was the Cowboys' freshmen coach.
"Mike and I were roommates, and he was in my wedding. Not only was he a great teammate, and a great friend, but he was one of the best competitors I've ever been around. Many times he and I would stay after practice and have free throw contests. But it wasn't how many we made, it was how many we made, and have the ball spin back to us at the line after it went through the net! Mike could shoot it, and would have had a ton more points had there been a three-point line back then.
"We hear a lot about athleticism in basketball. Not only was he extremely athletic, but he had a great basketball IQ. He also had great empathy for the other guys. The best thing I could say about him, he was authentic. What you saw is what you got from Mike. I will miss him greatly."
Steve Popovich, who came to Wyoming from California, was a sophomore when Eberle was a senior. He echoed Wilson's thoughts. "Mike was such a good guy. He got along with everyone because he was so real. During Thanksgiving of my sophomore year one of my best friends came to visit me. He said, 'well, where are we going for Thanksgiving dinner', and I told him we had practice and so probably nowhere. Mike came through and invited the team to Thanksgiving dinner at his house, and was nice enough to include my friend.
"When we got there he had prepared moose of all things for Thanksgiving dinner," Popovich laughs. "That was the most bazaar Thanksgiving I've ever had. We said 'where's the turkey?', and he told us moose was better. It wasn't, especially to a couple of California kids, but the fact that he had us over told you what he was all about.
"I read his obituary, and wondered what the heck have I done all these years?"
There were a couple of things I loved about collegiate athletics around UW. One, coaches were very open to student-athletes playing multiple sports which allowed Eberle to star as a baseball player too. Number two, athletes from the various sports interacted with one another far more than they do today.
The Cowboys' Hall of Fame linebacker Jim House was in school with Eberle, and was a huge fan. "The football guys and basketball guys hung out with each other a lot," says House. "We all ate together and spent a lot of time together. In fact, all the sports did. There was crossover with a lot of guys playing two sports. Mike was a good friend to all of us. He was always respectful of everyone. He represented UW in a class way, and was a great Cowboy on and off the floor. All of us respected him, and what he stood for.
"His passing is a great loss to UW."
I talked about this with all three Cowboys. That era, our era, is losing teammates and friends. I want to remember those guys because they contributed to Wyoming's tradition.
Mike was one of those guys who always represented his school well. But what he did beyond Wyoming was remarkable. He continued to make us proud until he died. He was quite a Cowboy.
