Steve Mix asked recently if he could borrow a bit of column space. Well, what was I going to do, argue?
Was I going to say no to probably the greatest basketball player in University of Toledo history? To old No. 50, the only uniform to be retired by UT’s men? To the guy who represented our city in the NBA for 13 seasons and maintained a home in the metro area the entire time? Who, when it all ended, came home?
Of course not. So, take it away Mixer:
“Well, Toledo, it’s time for a new chapter in our lives. My wife, Maryalice, and I have moved to Florida.
“We both grew up here (South Toledo and Old West End) and we raised our family in the area. As we pack up and head south, we would like to say ‘thank you’ for your friendship and support over the years.
“To our family, our friends, the Monday night crew at Loma Linda’s, to those at St. Rose and at the Historic Parish of St. Patrick, to Dave Matthews and all of the coaches, players and officials who made the Basketball Academy special, and to the parents who entrusted us to teach your children about the game and a little bit about life, thank you very much.
“I would also like to thank my teammates at Rogers High and at the University of Toledo. To two guys I miss very much, coach Will Collins (Rogers) and coach Bob Nichols (UT), thank you for your help and guidance. And to all of my players at the Basketball Academy, of which more than 200 have gone on to play at different levels of college basketball, shoot ’em straight.
“Although we are looking forward to a bit more sunshine and spending time with family who have also moved south, we are sad to say good-bye.”
And so are we.
Few have worn “TOLEDO” across their chest better than Steve Mix. Our memories of that soft, left-handed hook, the powerful dunks and his ownership of the paint at both ends of the old UT Field House court seem timeless and happily trap us in agelessness. In reality, Mix is 68 years old now and he and Maryalice have relocated to the Vero Beach, Fla., area.
College recruiting wasn’t always the fine art it is today. Players fell through the cracks. Can you imagine a Steve Mix eluding coaches from the nearby Big Ten or, for that matter, from any of the nation’s top programs were he playing at the prep level today? It happened in the mid-1960s, despite making All-Ohio three straight seasons at Rogers. Of course, he was a “tweener,” at 6-foot-7 and with limited range. It didn’t bother Bob Nichols. He got Mix’s name on the dotted line and the young coach’s program was up and running.
If you missed the numbers along the way, here they are: 3 seasons at UT, 73 games, 1,676 points (23 per game, No. 1 all-time), 872 rebounds (11.9 per game, No. 2 all-time), 52-21 record. He earned All-MAC honors three times and was the league’s first-ever Player of the Year. He was the third, and most recent, Rocket to earn All-American honors.
(Mix, by the way, came along during the era freshmen were ineligible to play on the varsity. Although his 23 points per game is the best average in UT history, there are now four players, all of whom played four years, ahead of him on the career points list and three on the career rebounding list. If you project Mix’s averages over a fourth year, which is almost certainly fictional since we’re talking about a freshman, his 2,231 career points and 1,154 rebounds would blow away all school records.)
During his NBA career of 787 games — he was drafted by Detroit and spent the bulk of his career in Philadelphia, where he was nicknamed The Mayor — Mix scored 8,355 points (10.6 average) and had 4,160 rebounds (5.3 average). He appeared in 89 playoff games and was named an NBA All-Star during the 1974-75 season, when he averaged 15.6 points and 10.9 rebounds for the 76ers.
After retirement as a player he doubled his work load, shuttling between Philly and Toledo, serving for 20 seasons as a radio and TV commentator for 76ers games and getting in on the ground floor, along with brother Bob, as developers of the Maumee Sports Mall. Now a mecca for indoor soccer, volleyball and basketball as well as a golf practice facility, the Mix Basketball Academy was a staple of the facility for some two decades.
Steve dabbled in a lot more, including local cable TV work, but he asked for only one column. And there it is.
Mix was born here, raised here, played here and stayed here. Until now. So, one of Toledo’s sports greats wanted to say good-bye.
Contact Blade sports columnist Dave Hackenberg at: dhack@theblade.com or 419-724-6398.
First Published March 25, 2016, 4:10 a.m.
