Rambis surpasses Niesen and Nash as campus icon
By Christie Genochio
Niesen, Niesen, Niesen. Between encomia to the illustrious senior on the men's basketball team and wistful paeans to NBA golden boy Steve Nash, you'd think these two athletes were the beginning and end of Santa Clara basketball. But replica jerseys hanging in the bookstore window and write-ups in national newspapers do not make a program.
Don't get me wrong. As a local girl, I'm a longtime, die-hard Nash fan. In fact, when psyching up for my own eighth grade basketball tryouts, it was to the then-Bronco whom I looked to for inspiration. By association, I have a soft spot for coach Dick Davey, Nash's sensei and the engineer who first believed in the Little Canadian Who Could -- and Did.
But in the days before Dick Davey, there was another, a man unlike any other in the history of Santa Clara basketball.
He still holds the record for the most points scored at Santa Clara (1,736) and was named West Coast Conference Player of the Year; his fingers bear the bling of four NBA Championships won over the course of 14 years with the Los Angeles Lakers, on whose bench he now sits as assistant coach; he earned induction into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. His keen fashion sense inspired a cult following, occasioning the Cupertino High School band to herald him with the chorus from "Jesus Christ, Superstar" and causing Lakers announcer Chick Hearn to dub him "Superman."
This god amongst men is Kurt Rambis, class of 1980.
It would be a simple task to enumerate "Rambo's" considerable achievements and accolades, to cite statistics and recount memorable games. But such a mythic figure cannot be codified by numbers or court-time alone. He's more. Much more.
The 6-foot-8-inch, 213-pound forward led his high school to the Central Coast Section Championships, wrote himself into the WCC history books, and accrued NBA clout through dedication and an "everyman" work ethic. However, his contributions transcend mere athletic accomplishment; Kurt Rambis is a cultural icon.
With his hair cut in feathery locks, enormous black goggles as thick as window panes shielding his calculating eyes, and a thick and bristly mustache warming his upper lip, Rambis always stood out in a crowd. Former Lakers teammate James Worthy once joked, "You know, the Lakers have a dress code now because of Kurt. This hippie surfer from Santa Clara wore the same torn jeans every day."
Although today he paces the sidelines in well-cut suits and exudes the poise of a classical hero (he recently forsook his x-ray glasses in favor of Lasik eye surgery), he is still remembered for the days when he loped across campus in a T-shirt and jeans, a Herculanean champion masquerading as a psychology major, Superman in the guise of Clark Kent.
After contributing to the 1987 Lakers Championship alongside the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kurt had a chance to use his superhero persona to disseminate a message to the youths whom he inspired. His team recorded the "Just Say No!" anti-drug song, and his solo verse went something like this: "I'm Kurt Rambis, they call me 'Superman,'/ And I'm known to give a helping hand,/ Now there's a rival on the street,/ And we all gotta work to get it beat."
His emphasis on "helping" and "work" is perhaps what best characterizes his warrior ethos. Diving head-first onto the floor to recover a loose ball, suffocating his man with glue-like defense, driving impetuously towards the basket -- Kurt knew no fear, no hesitation, no laziness. He expected greatness from himself, his teammates and now the players who look to him for coaching support.
With his fame and fan-favorite status for his common-man appeal, Kurt found a venue in the 1990s in which he could serve as a role model for America's youth: film and television. He appeared as "Himself" in "Sweet Valley High," as Coach Jason Cleary in three episodes of "Seventh Heaven," and cameoed in the movies "Forget Paris" (1995), "Johnny Mnemonic" (1995), "Eddie" (1996) and "The Lovemaster" (1997). It is undeniable: he is an inextricable entry in the lexicon of cultural iconography.
Kurt Rambis is man; he is athlete; he is movie star -- and he deserves remembrance for his contribution to Santa Clara.
Never more should Steve Nash, Travis Niesen or any other such young upstarts be mentioned without allusion to this forefather of Santa Clara basketball greatness, the man who paved the way to NBA success with hard work and a bushy mustache.
Kurt Rambis, I salute you.
Christie Genochio is Scene editor for The Santa Clara.