Don Owen: NKU to face basketball royalty in San Francisco Dons
(This column was originally published on Sept. 27, 2012) HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Under normal circumstances, these story links at nkunorse.com are reserved for Northern Kentucky University sports news and recaps. I also never give myself a byline on stories or recaps. Just ask my assistants. Having entered the twilight of my career as sports information director at NKU, I'm not looking for clips or Internet links for resume' fodder. I had to for this one, though. A simple phone call from a friend – and several emails, too - made it necessary to provide a history lesson today about the University of San Francisco men's basketball program. Yes, the two-time NCAA Division I national champion (1955 and '56) University of San Francisco Dons. The team that featured future NBA Hall of Famer Bill Russell, one of the greatest centers to ever play the sport. A program that later produced All-Americans in Bill Cartwright, Winford Boynes and Quintin Dailey, all of whom were first-...