In a few hours, Magee would be giving up his shorts and T-shirt
for a suit and tie. On Thursday, he had looked up to the top floor
of the Hall and seen his picture in the Ring of Honor, next to Tom
"Satch" Sanders and just below Artis Gilmore. A plaque with an
inscription about Magee's career was near the photo.
What had been announced in April and dreamed about long before
that was now real. Herb Magee, Philadelphia University coach, was
going into the Hall of Fame.
The ball, commemorating his 900th win, was on display in a glass
case. One fan/alum, wearing a "The University formerly known as
Textile" T-shirt stopped him to pose for photos and a chat. The
museum store had some Magee keepsakes. It was all a bit surreal for
the kid from West Catholic High.
"They have you going every minute," Magee said, before leaving
the museum. "You get an intinerary. It took me about eight times to
figure out where I was supposed to be."
Turned out he was supposed to be in the Hall of Fame. He got
nominated. He got the votes. He's in - forever.
"You look up there and you see all the other names," Magee said.
"To see my picture up there really took me back a little bit. First
of all, I didn't expect to see it this quickly. I knew it would be
up there. Secondly, I looked pretty good."
Magee suggested there might have been some airbrushing.
Perhaps.
The record, however, needs no embellishment. It was earned from
1967 until now. Even after the university unveils the bust of its
coach in October, the winning is not going to stop. Magee, 70, is a
coach. And he wants to coach. Maybe forever.
