Murray State University Athletics
Photo by: Barry Johnson
Runnin' With The Racers Podcast - Doug Vance
12/13/2020 6:29:00 PM | General
Former Murray State sports information director, Doug Vance, is our guest on the Runnin' with the Racers Podcast, episode 119.
The Runnin' with the Racers Podcast posts each week to GoRacers.com, iTunes and Soundcloud.
This article on GoRacers.com is brought to you by McConnell Insurance.
Vance served as the sports information director for the Racers from 1978-83. Working at Austin Peay before coming to Murray State and later 20 years in th
e athletics department at Kansas University, Vance witnessed many special moments involving some of the great players and coaches in MSU history.
MSU Baseball One Win From The College World Series In 1979
Many believe the team Coach Johnny Reagan had at Murray State in 1979 was his best team in his 36 seasons. The 'Breds were OVC champions and were sent to the NCAA Regional at Starkville, Miss.. MSU defeated Tulane 5-3 and New Orleans 16-15 to get a shot at mighty Mississippi State for the right to play in the College World Series. The Bulldogs had to beat MSU twice to advance. In front of more than 5,200 fans, the underdog Racers finally succumbed to the Bulldogs 8-6 and 18-8 to fall one win short of going to the CWS.
"It is still in my mind one of the most exciting events in my career," Vance said. "Nobody gave us any chance and we came very close and Mississippi State had to beat us twice. I think our pitchers were just worn out in the final game. I remember the Mississippi State fans were harassing us at the hotel. Coach Reagan stood up in the bus and told our team to not let the fans get in their heads. Coach Reagan was a great coach and great guy and I really miss him."
Racer Football 1979 OVC Champions – Danny Lee Johnson Rides Racer 1
Doug Vance was covering the Racer Football program as Coach Mike Gottfried led the team to the OVC championship in 1979 with a 9-2-1 overall record and undefeated in the OVC at 6-0. This 1979 title was made particularly special because it was the first for Murray State since 1951, a span of 28 seasons.
"The one side note to that season is that Coach Gottfried had just hired Frank Beamer as defensive coordinator (who later became head coach)," Vance said. "We had so many committed athletes on that team and the defense was very good. There was another time (in 1980) when Violet Cactus was running around the track after MSU touchdowns and the Racers beat Western Kentucky 49-0. WKU coach Jimmy Feix said the only thing he felt sorrier for than his team, was the horse, because they wore it out by giving up so many touchdowns."
As sports information director, Vance was in charge of producing the annual printed football media guide. In 1979, running back, Danny Lee Johnson, was coming off being the OVC Player of the Year in 1978. Vance had the idea to put Johnson on Violet Cactus for the cover photo. After persuading Violet Cactus to play along, a worrisome Vance was glad to get Johnson off the horse ASAP.
"Danny had never been on a horse before and he was scared to death and there he was in uniform on the horse to get his picture taken," Vance remembers. "The handler for Violet Cactus insisted the horse's ears had to be up and they had a bucket of food they would tap on and the horse's ears would perk up. Barry Johnson snapped the photo and we got Danny down off the horse. I started imagining Danny falling and having to explain it to Coach Gottfried, so we were all a little nervous!"
Coach Ron Greene Rebuilds Racer Basketball Into OVC Champions
When Ron Greene came back to his alma mater to coach the team he played for in 1978, he was ahead of his time in the world of college basketball. From how the team traveled, to having a nice locker room and uniforms, Greene understood every part of a college basketball program had to be good in order to compete with other programs in recruiting great players to MSU.
"Ron was ahead of his time and wanted to make everything we did first class," Vance said. "That first season wasn't successful, they only won four games, but they turned it around. They won at Alabama and lost by two points at Illinois for a trip to the NIT final four."
That Racers won 23 games in Greene's second campaign and set the NCAA record for most improved season. With great players including OVC Player of the Year Gary Hooker, Lamont Sleets, Glen Greene and others, the Racers started what is now a 40-plus year
run of championship basketball under nine different coaches. Vance was the SID at Kansas in 1988 when the Racers and Coach Steve Newton upset North Carolina State and then nearly did the same to the Jayhawks.
San Diego Chicken Visits Murray State in 1980
One of the most famous photos Barry Johnson snapped in his time as Murray State university photographer came in 1980. The photo was taken after the San Diego Chicken entertained fans at Racer Arena during a Racer basketball game. Vance and his two young sons, Cory and Stuart, got their picture taken with the popular mascot.
"It is a great memory for me and my family," Vance recalls. "I've had that picture in my office ever since and I joke that it's a family photo, but just not a very good photo of my wife! Fortunately, Sue, is good natured about that little pun. The San Diego Chicken was brought in by Jimmy Wilder, who was our marketing and promotion director and the chicken
was as funny as he could be."
A Pioneer In Sports Information
Doug Vance is now the executive director of CoSIDA, the College Sports Information Directors of America organization. A member of CoSIDA's Hall of Fame and a former president of the organization. Vance has served in his current role with CoSIDA since 2013. Vance and his wife, Sue, reside in Tucson, AZ. They have two sons, Cory and Stuart and seven grandchildren.
"I have been a lifelong Murray State fan, because you can't invest as much time as the sports information director does, and it not get into your blood," Vance said. "I had three SID jobs and my five years at Murray State were the most formative in my career. That was primarily because of the people that I was around. Such tremendous people who were committed. My time at Murray State was a big part of my career and I could've stayed there."
About Runnin' With The Racers Podcast
Murray State Basketball great Jonathan Stark was the first guest when the pilot episode posted Aug. 29, 2018, The podcast is produced weekly and usually is available by Wednesday. The Runnin' with the Racers Podcast is mainly guest driven with news and notes of the week from the Racers. Dave Winder, MSU Athletics Associate AD for Media Relations is the host. The podcast is available on GoRacers.com, ITunes and Soundcloud.
The Runnin' with the Racers Podcast posts each week to GoRacers.com, iTunes and Soundcloud.
This article on GoRacers.com is brought to you by McConnell Insurance.
Vance served as the sports information director for the Racers from 1978-83. Working at Austin Peay before coming to Murray State and later 20 years in th
e athletics department at Kansas University, Vance witnessed many special moments involving some of the great players and coaches in MSU history.MSU Baseball One Win From The College World Series In 1979
Many believe the team Coach Johnny Reagan had at Murray State in 1979 was his best team in his 36 seasons. The 'Breds were OVC champions and were sent to the NCAA Regional at Starkville, Miss.. MSU defeated Tulane 5-3 and New Orleans 16-15 to get a shot at mighty Mississippi State for the right to play in the College World Series. The Bulldogs had to beat MSU twice to advance. In front of more than 5,200 fans, the underdog Racers finally succumbed to the Bulldogs 8-6 and 18-8 to fall one win short of going to the CWS.
"It is still in my mind one of the most exciting events in my career," Vance said. "Nobody gave us any chance and we came very close and Mississippi State had to beat us twice. I think our pitchers were just worn out in the final game. I remember the Mississippi State fans were harassing us at the hotel. Coach Reagan stood up in the bus and told our team to not let the fans get in their heads. Coach Reagan was a great coach and great guy and I really miss him."
Racer Football 1979 OVC Champions – Danny Lee Johnson Rides Racer 1
Doug Vance was covering the Racer Football program as Coach Mike Gottfried led the team to the OVC championship in 1979 with a 9-2-1 overall record and undefeated in the OVC at 6-0. This 1979 title was made particularly special because it was the first for Murray State since 1951, a span of 28 seasons."The one side note to that season is that Coach Gottfried had just hired Frank Beamer as defensive coordinator (who later became head coach)," Vance said. "We had so many committed athletes on that team and the defense was very good. There was another time (in 1980) when Violet Cactus was running around the track after MSU touchdowns and the Racers beat Western Kentucky 49-0. WKU coach Jimmy Feix said the only thing he felt sorrier for than his team, was the horse, because they wore it out by giving up so many touchdowns."
As sports information director, Vance was in charge of producing the annual printed football media guide. In 1979, running back, Danny Lee Johnson, was coming off being the OVC Player of the Year in 1978. Vance had the idea to put Johnson on Violet Cactus for the cover photo. After persuading Violet Cactus to play along, a worrisome Vance was glad to get Johnson off the horse ASAP.
"Danny had never been on a horse before and he was scared to death and there he was in uniform on the horse to get his picture taken," Vance remembers. "The handler for Violet Cactus insisted the horse's ears had to be up and they had a bucket of food they would tap on and the horse's ears would perk up. Barry Johnson snapped the photo and we got Danny down off the horse. I started imagining Danny falling and having to explain it to Coach Gottfried, so we were all a little nervous!"
Coach Ron Greene Rebuilds Racer Basketball Into OVC Champions
When Ron Greene came back to his alma mater to coach the team he played for in 1978, he was ahead of his time in the world of college basketball. From how the team traveled, to having a nice locker room and uniforms, Greene understood every part of a college basketball program had to be good in order to compete with other programs in recruiting great players to MSU.
"Ron was ahead of his time and wanted to make everything we did first class," Vance said. "That first season wasn't successful, they only won four games, but they turned it around. They won at Alabama and lost by two points at Illinois for a trip to the NIT final four."
That Racers won 23 games in Greene's second campaign and set the NCAA record for most improved season. With great players including OVC Player of the Year Gary Hooker, Lamont Sleets, Glen Greene and others, the Racers started what is now a 40-plus year
run of championship basketball under nine different coaches. Vance was the SID at Kansas in 1988 when the Racers and Coach Steve Newton upset North Carolina State and then nearly did the same to the Jayhawks.San Diego Chicken Visits Murray State in 1980
One of the most famous photos Barry Johnson snapped in his time as Murray State university photographer came in 1980. The photo was taken after the San Diego Chicken entertained fans at Racer Arena during a Racer basketball game. Vance and his two young sons, Cory and Stuart, got their picture taken with the popular mascot.
"It is a great memory for me and my family," Vance recalls. "I've had that picture in my office ever since and I joke that it's a family photo, but just not a very good photo of my wife! Fortunately, Sue, is good natured about that little pun. The San Diego Chicken was brought in by Jimmy Wilder, who was our marketing and promotion director and the chicken
was as funny as he could be."A Pioneer In Sports Information
Doug Vance is now the executive director of CoSIDA, the College Sports Information Directors of America organization. A member of CoSIDA's Hall of Fame and a former president of the organization. Vance has served in his current role with CoSIDA since 2013. Vance and his wife, Sue, reside in Tucson, AZ. They have two sons, Cory and Stuart and seven grandchildren.
"I have been a lifelong Murray State fan, because you can't invest as much time as the sports information director does, and it not get into your blood," Vance said. "I had three SID jobs and my five years at Murray State were the most formative in my career. That was primarily because of the people that I was around. Such tremendous people who were committed. My time at Murray State was a big part of my career and I could've stayed there."
About Runnin' With The Racers Podcast
Murray State Basketball great Jonathan Stark was the first guest when the pilot episode posted Aug. 29, 2018, The podcast is produced weekly and usually is available by Wednesday. The Runnin' with the Racers Podcast is mainly guest driven with news and notes of the week from the Racers. Dave Winder, MSU Athletics Associate AD for Media Relations is the host. The podcast is available on GoRacers.com, ITunes and Soundcloud.
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