Hall of Famer 'Moose' still bullish on community

Monday, October 12, 2015

A hometown hero who holds a special place in his community's heart and a living legend at his alma mater, Brett "Moose" Hecko has always epitomized what a Hall of Famer is supposed to be about.

And now, he is one. Hecko was one of six former student-athletes inducted into the DePauw University Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday.

Brett "Moose" Hecko addresses the DePauw University Athletics Hall of Fame audience Saturday.

But he was the only one whose story was tied to his community's heartbeat.

"'Moose' Hecko -- Brett is his given name but when you're a larger-than-life character, it's OK to have a nickname like 'Moose,'" DPU sports information director Bill Wagner began in presenting Hecko for induction in the Moore Theatre of the DePauw Green Center for Performing Arts.

Part of that story is the climate in which Hecko starred first at Greencastle High School, where he led the Tiger Cubs to their first sectional basketball title in 19 years and just one win from the Final Four in 1988, and followed that with four years at DePauw, including an amazing run to the NCAA Division III Tournament championship game in 1990.

But to really share the Hecko story, Wagner asserted, "you have to back up to what the environment of Greencastle was like during the late '80s."

"During his junior year in high school, IBM closed (its Greencastle plant)," Wagner reminded the audience, adding that "Big Blue" took 985 jobs out of the community with that decision and some 200 students were moved out of the school system in the process. "So the town was really hurting at that point."

The next season was Hecko's senior year at GHS and the basketball team was muddling along with just a 10-8 record at mid-season "when something clicked with that team," Wagner noted.

"While jobs can't be brought back by a sports team," he continued, capturing the essence of the community feeling as the GHS basketball bandwagon grew that year, "the spirit of the community can be lifted. And that team went on to win the first sectional in 19 years, they went to the semi-state, and probably without Damon Bailey playing on the other team (Bedford), would have gone to the Final Four in the state of Indiana."

Hecko will tell you he was just one of a number of hometown heroes who propped up the community psyche at the time, but "Moose" was the biggest and the best, a fact not lost on Wagner.

"When I think about him, what do I think about?" the longtime DPU sports information director asked. "Resiliency. He's a hard worker and a team player and he's a uniter. People loved to be Moose's teammate.

"That was important," Wagner continued, "because when he had to make a decision on where he was going to go to college ... at DePauw, that's when the final pieces of the puzzle came together for what would be the next year."

Speaking of resiliency, Wagner recalled how that legendary 1989-90 Tiger team started out 0-3, not exactly portending things to come.

"We certainly weren't thinking about the final destination and where it ended," Wagner recalled of the NCAA final game, a one-point loss to Rochester in Springfield, Ohio, "in fact, if Troy Greenlee doesn't hit a three at Illinois Wesleyan, we probably don't make the tournament."

That resiliency and that desire and a coming together as a team really made it something special, Wagner added.

"And much like the story of Greencastle, " he said, "Brett Hecko's story is one of resiliency, effort and teamwork."

With that, he called Hecko to the podium amid bellowing cries of "Moose, Moose" from his old teammates and friends.

"I'm a townie," Hecko smiled to offer. "I'm proud to be from Putnam County. I grew up two blocks southwest of campus."

His Greencastle youth was spent, Hecko reminisced, riding his bike all around DePauw's campus, playing baseball on a lot that is now the Lilly Center, playing pick-up football games with friends at Blackstock Stadium and dodging the custodial staff and security while getting thrown out of old Bowman Gym on almost a daily basis while trying to get into pick-up basketball games.

"So this is a very, very special and cool honor for me to be up here," the 1992 DPU graduate beamed.

After thanking his family and teammates, Hecko grew more sentimental.

"This may sound a little cliche, and 'Wags' alluded to it earlier," he continued, stressing his accomplishments wouldn't have been the same without the rabid support of the Greencastle and DePauw communities.

"The number of people who followed me and my teammates in high school in our run in 1988 and again here during my four years at DePauw, that was a pretty neat experience for me" Hecko said, "and still to come back here today -- I've lived in Seattle over 20 years -- and still see people and talk about those times, is pretty meaningful to me."

Hecko thanked three coaches -- naturally, his high school coach and teaching mentor Doug Miller and DePauw's legendary late Royce Waltman -- but the third coach, Dave McCracken, provided another link to the Hall of Fame day.

McCracken -- a former Greencastle High School coach who ran basketball camps that allowed Hecko to cut his teeth on the proper techniques he acknowledged helped him become the player he was -- is fellow Hall of Fame inductee Ginny McCracken Vogel's dad.

Hecko also recalled his DePauw teammates, including Brett Crist, the school's all-time leading scorer and "the best player in DePauw history," as Hecko termed it, who was also inducted Saturday. There also were Brad Brownell, a coach on the floor who now coaches Clemson University, and Greenlee, Hecko's fellow Putnam County product (South Putnam) and now GHS basketball coach who helped create an enormous community following of the fabled DPU team.

Brett "Moose" Hecko (second from right) displays his Hall of Fame plaque as he's joined Saturday by (from left) Rich Bonaccorsi, "D" Association president; Bill Wagner, DPU sports information director who presented Hecko for induction; and Stevie Baker-Watson, DPU director of athletics and recreation.

"I was very, very lucky to play with the guys I played with," the self-deprecating Hecko said. "First of all, let me say this, my job was easy. I got to make layups, snatch a few rebounds and make uncontested 15-foot baseline jumpers. That's pretty easy. That's not the hard stuff."

The fifth starter on that 1990 team was tough-as-nails David Ferrell, who joined the 6-4 Hecko as DePauw's two "bigs."

"Dave always guarded the best 'big' on the other team, " Hecko recalled. "In addition to that, Dave had to guard my guy, too."

When the laughs died down, Hecko added, "And coach Waltman used to joke a little bit that the deal was I then got all of Dave's shots on the other end."

The 2015 DePauw Athletics Hall of Fame class also includes Beth Broering Ernst '01 (women's swimming and diving/track and field), Bob Cathcart '82 (football), Brett Crist '91 (men's basketball), Cara Duckworth '02 (field hockey) and Ginny (McCracken) Vogel '83 (women's basketball).

The DePauw Athletics Hall of Fame has inducted 190 individuals and three teams (including the 1990 NCAA men's basketball runners-up) starting with the charter class of 25 individuals.

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