| Get BrazosSports by Email | Contact Us | Archive
AUSTIN -- When he introduced the 1983 Class 5A state champion Bryan Vikings, UIL director Bill Farney said, "The Blue Magic came through."
Saturday, the Blue Magic enjoyed a return to the Erwin Center.
Eleven former Bryan coaches and players took the court as one of the honor teams recognized during the UIL Boys Basketball State Championships.
"They played some good basketball at Bryan High," Farney said to the cheers of the evening crowd.
The Vikings remembered being a team known for its toughness.
"We had some luck come our way, but we had a good, solid team," Brown said. "They were strong mentally, and they were tough, tough kids."
A quarter-century later, the Viking players still groan when their coach mentions the Ponderosa run.
"We had a 13-step cross country program in the fall, and the last step was to run a half-marathon," Brown said. "They ran 13.4 miles before they could go in the gym. They had to run on the bypass, starting with one lap around the football stadium, and had to run to the Ponderosa Inn, which is the other side of College Station. And back."
Brown pointed to post Stanley Mitchell, who was a junior.
"He missed the day that we had the run and for him to be on the team, he had to run 53 laps around the track and 200 laps around the gym in one day," Brown said. "That's the kind of commitment these guys made. The year we won state, there were seven or eight seniors, and they all left on the run holding hands. There was a bond that was unbelievable."
Then a sophomore, former Viking Kenny Keller had 25 points and 14 rebounds in two games at the 1983 tournament. In the 64-63 semifinal victory over San Antonio Sam Houston, Keller sank two free throws with 8 seconds left to lock up the victory.
"Over the Christmas holidays, we played in the Houston Optimist Tournament, and we lost to a team we were supposed to beat," said Keller, who played three years of college ball at Texas Tech. "We lost, and [Brown] was hot. He told us 'The reason you lost that game is because you were out of shape. I can promise you, you will never lose another game because you are out of shape.'"
Keller said that the two practices the next day were so brutal that a couple of guys dropped off the team.
"I almost quit," Keller admitted, looking back at the last game before district play. "We never lost another game. I can remember, had we not won the state championship, it wouldn't have been worth it."
Former Viking Derrick Wiggins went on to play football at North Texas, but his Bryan basketball workouts might've been tougher than the ones he went through in college.
"By the time I got to college and played football, the work was easy," Wiggins said. "It was actually easy to go out and work after coming out of the program that we came out of."
There were no workouts this Saturday, just a team that was happy to be together again.
"It's a special feeling to come back with these guys after 25 years," Brown said. "That's what this thing is all about. These guys are special."
The champion Vikings spent Saturday afternoon and evening together, receiving their gold commemorative pins presented to honor teams.
"We'll have a little get-together afterwards," Brown said. "Then we're going to do it again next year."
Bryan forced Fort Worth Paschal into 16 turnovers in the 1983 championship game and won 71-54. It was the first of back-to-back state titles for the Vikings. Bryan also advanced to the 5A title game in 2001.
The 1983 title was the initial giant step in a magnificent run for Bryan, which became the first 5A team to win two straight championships. The Vikings still hold the 5A state record with 15 straight playoff victories, tied with Houston Wheatley.
The close semifinal win over Sam Houston was more typical of the Vikings' postseason games. Bryan edged Longview 55-53 in bi-district before beating Klein Forest 66-43 in area. At the regional tournament, Bryan got past Richardson 63-59 and beat Dallas Kimball 73-67 for the school's first trip to the state tournament.
"We were underdogs in about 11 of those 15, and they just found a way to win," Brown said. "They just wouldn't lose."
Said Keller: "I think there were three or four games that we won by one point. I remember we hit about a 32-foot jump shot at the buzzer to win one game."
But the Blue Magic always seemed to find a way.
"Coach Brown would tell us to keep the faith and believe in that Blue Magic," former Viking Dennis Rhodes said.
Bryan responded to the close games with lots of contributors. In the championship game, six Vikings scored in double figures.
"We had a lot of great leadership with Rod Bernstine, Victor Langston, Bubba Chambers, Alexis Bryant, Greg Dunn and Mike Bradford," recalled Rhodes, who was a sophomore on the 1983 championship team. "A lot of those guys were more than one-sport players. They went from football to basketball and had to transition in, but they were key players in the success of our team."
Not all of the Vikings were able to return. Bernstine, who played football for Texas A&M and whose NFL career included stints at San Diego and Denver, led the Bryan Vikings at the tournament with 25 total points and 17 rebounds over the two games. Brown said he talked with Bernstine on the phone this week.
Sophomore Charles Perry was also a member of the 1983 squad but was not back. Perry played college football at Baylor and was inducted into the Bryan Hall of Honor two years after Bernstine, in 1991.
Their spirit was with the Blue Magic for another special night.
"Walking out on that court, I was wishing I felt as light and nimble as I did back then," Keller said, smiling. "I was wanting to jump up and touch the rim, but now I probably couldn't touch the net. But these are great, great memories. Fantastic."
Here are the 1983 Bryan Vikings who were present as part of the honor team Friday:
Head coach Larry Brown -- head coach at Osceola High School in Kissimmee, Fla. (3 children, 2 grandchildren)
Assistant coach Harley Robinson -- teacher and coach at Bryan High School (2 children)
Guard Billy Chambers -- works for the City of Bryan (6 children)
Guard Joseph Crawford -- works for UPS (3 children)
Center Kenny Keller -- construction project manager (3 children)
Guard Victor Langston -- district manager for The Home Depot (2 children)
Guard Dennis Rhodes -- business education teacher at A&M Consolidated High School (3 children)
Guard Derrick Wiggins -- account manager for AT&T (3 children)
Post Stanley Mitchell -- logistics manager (3 children)
Manager Lester Banks -- Bryan High School campus security
Manager Allen Estill -- finance consultant
• David Campbell's e-mail address is david.campbell@theeagle.com.
