Thursday • March 28
CST 6:58 | EST 7:58 | MST 5:58 | PST 4:58 | GMT 11:58
Other Non-Flash Media Players
Mrs. Illinois
Bookmark and Share
Elliott and David are joined in studio by the newly crowned Mrs. Illinois Lisa Sonnenberg.

Also on the show: former Louisville coach Denny Crum and former St. Louis Hawks star Bob Pettit, one of the NBA’s top 50 players of all time.
Episode Segments:
 
Sports and Torts: Mrs. Illinois Lisa Sonnenberg

From winning first place in her division at the OCB Midwest States Fitness/Figure Competition to capturing the Mrs. Illinois crown back in March, it's been quite a year for Lisa! We'll find out how she balances this all with motherhood, and find out about her ties to the Chicago Bulls during this in-studio appearance.
Listen to this MP3 file... Download this MP3 file... View this video file...

 
 
Sports and Torts: Denny Crum

David and Elliott revisit the career of this legendary head coach, from his days as a player and assistant coach at UCLA under John Wooden, through his impressive 30-year stint as head coach of the Louisville Cardinals
Listen to this MP3 file... Download this MP3 file... View this video file...

 
 
Sports and Torts: Bob Pettit
Pettit was the league's all-time leading scorer and second-leading rebounder when he retired from the NBA in 1965. He was the first player to surpass 20,000 points in his career and the second, after Wilt Chamberlain, to average 20 points and 20 rebounds in the same season. He was named first-team All-NBA 10 consecutive seasons. Truly, he was one of the NBA's all-time best, and it was great to talk with him.
Listen to this MP3 file... Download this MP3 file... View this video file...

 
Guest(s) Appearing on this Episode
Bob Pettit
Pettit's basketball career had humble beginnings. At Baton Rouge High School, he was cut from the varsity basketball team as both a freshman and sophomore. His father, Sheriff of East Baton Rouge Parish (1932-1936), pushed him to practice in the backyard of the Kemmerly house until he improved his skills. It worked: Pettit became a starter as a junior, and led Baton Rouge High to its first State Championship in over 20 years in his senior year. After high school, Pettit accepted a scholarship to play at Louisiana State University. He was a three-time All-Southeastern Conference selection and a two-time All American as a member of the LSU men's basketball team. (Freshmen were not allowed to play varsity basketball in those days.) During those three years, Pettit averaged 27.8 points per game. He was also a member of the Zeta Zeta Chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon at LSU. Pettit made his varsity debut at LSU in 1952. He led the SEC in scoring for his first of three consecutive seasons, averaging 25.5 points per game. He also averaged 13.1 rebounds per game, helped his team to a second-place finish in the league, and was selected to the All-SEC team. During his junior year, Pettit led the Tigers to their second SEC Title (their first came in 1935) and their first NCAA Final Four. He averaged 24.9 points and 13.9 rebounds per game for the 1953 season. He was honored with selections to both the All-SEC and All-American teams. Petit averaged 31.4 points and 17.3 rebounds per game during his senior year and once again led LSU to an SEC Championship and garnered All-SEC and All-American honors. In 1954, his number 50 was retired at LSU. He was the first Tiger athlete in any sport to receive this distinction. In 1999, he was named Living Legend for LSU at the SEC Basketball Tournament. He is a member of the LSU Hall of Fame. Bob Pettit Boulevard in Baton Rouge, LA is named after him. n 1954, the Milwaukee Hawks selected Pettit in the first round of the NBA Draft. Many were skeptical about Pettit making the transition from college to the rough-and-tumble NBA. Rookies often struggle adjusting to the pro game, but not Pettit — in 1955 he won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award after averaging 20.4 points and 13.8 rebounds per game. After this season, the Hawks moved to St. Louis. Pettit was moved to forward as a pro. "In college I played the standing pivot," he said in a April 1957 issue of SPORT magazine interview. "My back was to the basket. In the pros, I'm always outside. Everything I do is facing the basket now. That was my chief difficulty in adjusting, the fact that I had never played forward before." In his second season, Pettit won his first scoring title with a 25.7 average, and led the league in rebounding (1164 for a 16.2 average). He was also named MVP of the 1956 NBA All-Star Game after scoring 20 points with 24 rebounds; he would win subsequent MVP All-Star Game honors in 1958, 1959, and 1962. He also won his first of two NBA regular season MVP awards (the other was in 1959). In 1958, Pettit, Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan led the Hawks to an NBA Championship, defeating the Bill Russell-led Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals (the Hawks had acquired Macauley and Hagan from Boston for the draft rights to Russell). Pettit put an exclamation point on the Hawks' 110-109 game 6 victory by scoring a then-playoff record of 50 points. Both teams would also meet in the 1957, 1960 and 1961 Finals, with Boston winning each time. Pettit's league leading scoring average of 29.2 points per game in the 1958-59 season was an NBA record at the time, and he was named the Sporting News NBA MVP. In the 1960-61 season, Pettit pulled down 20.3 rebounds per game, making him one of only five players to ever break the 20 rpg barrier. In the following season, he scored a career best 31.1 points per game. Pettit ended his career in 1965, becoming the first NBA player to eclipse the 20,000 points mark (20,880 for a 26.4 average). His 12,849 rebounds were second most in league history at the time he retired, and his 16.2 rebounds per game career average remains third only to Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. Pettit was an NBA All-Star in each of his 11 seasons, was named to the All-NBA First Team ten times, and was name to the All-NBA Second Team once. Pettit still holds the top two NBA All-Star Game rebounding performances with 26 in 1958 and 27 in 1962, and has the second highest All-Star Game points per game average with 20.4 (behind only Oscar Robertson). Pettit averaged at least 20 points per game and at least 12 rebounds per game in each of his 11 NBA seasons. No other retired player in NBA history other than Pettit and Alex Groza (who played only two seasons) has averaged more than 20 points per game in every season they've played (note: Michael Jordan averaged exactly 20 points per game in his final season). In 1970, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Bob's Poage at NBA.com

 
Denny Crum
Crum was born in San Fernando, California. From 1954–1956, Denny Crum played basketball at Los Angeles Pierce College. In 1956, he transferred to UCLA to play for John Wooden. While at UCLA, Crum was honored with the Irv Pohlmeyer Memorial Trophy for outstanding first-year varsity player. He also received the Bruin Bench Award for most improved player the following year. fter graduating in 1958, Crum served as a freshman coach under John Wooden at UCLA. The following year, he returned to Pierce College to serve as head coach. After four years at Pierce College, Crum was rehired by Wooden as a top assistant coach and chief recruiter. As a coach at UCLA, he accompanied Wooden to three NCAA titles. In 1971, Crum was hired as head coach by the University of Louisville, taking over from John Dromo. By 1972, Crum had taken his first team to the NCAA Final Four, where his team lost to John Wooden's UCLA team. Crum would go on to lead the Louisville Cardinals to five more final fours (1975, 1980, 1982, 1983, and 1986). He is tied for fifth all-time in number of final four appearances with Adolph Rupp and Tom Izzo. They rank behind John Wooden, Dean Smith, Mike Krzyzewski, and Roy Williams. On March 24, 1980, the Cardinals became NCAA Tournament champions after defeating Crum's alma mater, UCLA, 59–54. Crum's 1980 national champions have been credited with popularizing the High-5.Six years later, Louisville would overcome Duke 72–69 for a second title. Crum is one of only eleven coaches to achieve two or more national championships.In 30 seasons, Crum took the Cardinals to 23 NCAA tournaments, where they had an overall record of 43-23. While in the Metro Conference, the Cardinals won 12 regular season titles and 11 tournament championships. In its 19 years of naming a champion, the Metro had Louisville as first or second place 17 times. In 1993, Crum became the second fastest coach to reach 500 wins.

Denny's Website

 
Lisa Sonnenberg
I was born in West Jordan, Utah (near Salt Lake City). I’m the youngest of four children. I have many interests and hobbies but health and fitness have always been a priority of mine. Although my passion is health and fitness, my faith, being a good mother to my four children (ages 7, 5, 4, and 1) and loving companion to my husband are my top priorities and where I find the most joy and fulfillment in my life. When I’m not at home with my family, I serve in a women’s group in my church which provides support for one another and also spend time with young girls in planning wholesome weekly activities. I recently competed in the OCB Midwest States Fitness/Figure Competition in November and took first place in my division. I was crowned Mrs. Illinois in March of 2012.

Lisa's Website