I must have missed this article since I don’t take the TW. I do remember the relationship between Ed and Nolan. I’m sure the Beshara’s could supply him with a few of the polka dot shirts and a few pair of cowboy boots. I would even drive down from the Springfield, MO area to watch Nolan. I love the man and what he did for TU basketball.
I still rate the Nolan era as the highlight of TU basketball, although Bill Self and Tubby Smith were equally important.
I was at the Final Four in Indianapolis in 2000 but had to watch Mich St/Wisc and UNC/Florida instead of TU/Florida. I was almost a part of TU Basketball history. This article is long but an excellent read.
——————
There a few things as tough as carrying someone's casket, especially if that someone was like a father to you.
My "second father" happened to be Nolan Richardson's second father, too. Last week, I served as a pallbearer, and Nolan Richardson delivered the eulogy, when Ed Beshara Sr. of Tulsa was laid to rest. Ed lived a full 91 years and was a father figure to me the last 29. Arkansas basketball fans will remember Ed as the little one-eyed man with the red tam hat sitting in the first row just behind Coach Richardson. He owned the best clothing store in the Midwest. He supplied Nolan with all of those fine silk suits. I spent many a day with Ed. It started in 1978 when Bill Connors, my boss at the Tulsa World, sent me to Ed's shop on south Harvard to pick up a tuxedo for my trip to New York City to cover the Heisman Trophy dinner when Billy Sims won. A few years later, I took over the golf beat at the newspaper and began to cover Ed's charity tournament at Cedar Ridge Country Club. My house was just a few blocks from Ed's, and not much farther from his store. More and more often, Ed would call me to eat lunch or play golf. Then, when Richardson became coach at Arkansas, Ed would ride with me to see the Razorbacks play. When the NCAA Tournament rolled around, Ed usually stayed in my hotel room. He'd introduce me as his son, and I never minded. Ed loved Nolan as a son, too. He "adopted" Nolan when he became head coach at Tulsa in 1981. As a mover and shaker in Tulsa athletics, Ed was sought by some other big boosters to try and oust Nolan because they didn't want a black coach. That backfired as Ed reached out to become Nolan's friend. "He called me to come to his store almost every day for several weeks," Nolan said in his eulogy at Ed's funeral. "I walked in and he said, 'How you doing, Hoss?' I knew I was going to like this man. That's what my grandfather used to call people. Ed told me he was going to be my guardian angel." The funeral mass for Ed at St. Mary's Church was perfect. An opera singer performed the music Ed had chosen for his service. Nolan delivered a stirring message about his best friend. It was a tough day but special, too. One of the things I hold close to my heart are the many times Ed told me that he loved me and kissed my cheek. You just don't get that from grown men. He said it was "old country stuff." I always knew he meant it. Another thing I will never forget is the way he treated the word 'hate.' It was the worst of four-letter words to him. If you were eating lunch and there were vegetables on your plate that you didn't care for, if you said,"I hate peas," he took that as an opportunity to preach. "Don't ever say hate, my son," Ed would say. "Don't hate anything. Don't hate things and don't hate people. Don't even use that word." As Nolan said in his eulogy, if more people felt that way, there would be no wars, no arguments. The world would be a better place. I believe that, too. It was a tough day for Nolan for several reasons. Obviously, he considered Ed Beshara his absolute best friend. He said Ed did something his father didn't do on a regular basis. "I lost my father and grandfather when I was 12," Nolan said. "Then I got to Tulsa and Ed adopted me. He kissed me and told me he loved me every time we saw each other. I needed that. I hadn't had it for so long." But there was another reason it was tough for Nolan. The funeral for his daughter, Yvonne, was in the same church on May 1, 1987. "It was 20 years ago to the day that we had Yvonne's funeral here," Nolan said. "Ed made all the arrangements for that service. That shows you how close and dear he is to me." Ed wasn't perfect. He'd tell you about his vices. He gambled hard, and he cussed often. But he provided so many lessons in life and he made sure that you listened. It served you well to listen. Nolan cried as he finished his remarks. He said he promised Ed that he would not cry at his funeral, but he said he could not hold back the tears. Sometimes it's good to cry. The memories that Ed left with me are wonderful. I've had fun sharing some of the stories this week.
