Oh, the tricky proposition of college number retirements…
What should determine whether a college kid’s jersey number gets retired? Of course the player should have meant something to the school in some form or another, but are there any quantifiable standards schools should hold players to when considering number retirements?
Breaking and/or setting school records?
Player of the year honors?
Other awards?
Championships?
Should they have graduated?
The University of Texas, which formerly required player of the year honors, has now – in conjunction with the completion of renovations to its football and baseball stadiums – let go of all inhibitions and decided to go on a number retirement binge.
Included in the group will be football players Vince Young, Bobby Layne and Tommy Nobis; baseball players Greg Swindell, Burt Hooton, Scott Bryant and Brooks Kieschnick; and basketball players Kevin Durant and Slater Martin.
One of the number retirements — No. 21 — will actually be a repeat retirement. The baseball program’s retirement of the number in honor of Swindell will mark the second time it’s been retired. The Longhorn baseball team’s other retired No. 21?
Roger Clemens.
Anyway, here’s a recap of the number retirement bonanza…
Baseball: Burt Hooton (20), Greg Swindell (21), Brooks Kieschnick (23), and Scott Bryant (25)
Basketball: Slater Martin (15) and Kevin Durant (35)
Football: Vince Young (10), Bobby Layne (22), and Tommy Nobis (60)
