Like a flash, Illinois State men’s basketball forward Harouna Sissoko streaked across the court to block Damarco Minor’s fastbreak dunk attempt with one minute remaining, triggering the red- and white-clad crowd to unleash a piercing burst of sound not felt in Horton Field House for 34 years.
Sissoko’s gutsy hustle play—seemingly fueled by 3,420 buzzing fans packed shoulder-to-shoulder—helped the Redbirds hold off Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), 77-71, Saturday, December 10, 2022, in the first men’s basketball game played at Horton Field House since December 2, 1988.
“I love this place,” said Redbird men’s basketball legend Doug Collins ’73 following the “Return to Horton” victory. “To have a day like today was so important—I think that our guys got a chance to feel what I felt every night I played. This was the kind of crowd that we had. The energy and the excitement and the love.”
A consensus All-American in 1973, Collins averaged a program-best 29.1 points in three seasons playing for head coach Will Robinson from 1970 to 1973, and he is the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,240 points. Horton Field House, which opened in 1963, was Collins’ home.
“The crowd lifts you here,” Collins said. “That loose ball that you might not be able to get; with that extra energy from the crowd—maybe you get that.”
After singing the Illinois State fight song with the pep band, cheerleaders, and fans to celebrate their hard-fought win, Redbird players and first-year head coach Ryan Pedon embraced Collins who was standing, smiling proudly, at his courtside seat.
“Since taking this job, I have gotten to know Doug and realized the passion that he has for this place. It oozes out of him, and he cares so much about Illinois State,” said Pedon. “He wants to be a part of this community and this basketball program for life, and I admire that so much.”
The day before Illinois State’s throwback game, Collins took the team on a personal tour of Horton. He showed them his team’s old locker room and spoke about the past—and the future.
“Now we’re in the spot where you’re going to win people’s hearts by the way you play,” he told them.
Redbird junior guard Darius Burford said it is always “special” when Collins visits. “Every time I see him, it’s like, ‘Man, that’s the GOAT (greatest of all time),’” Burford said with a smile.
The idea for a Return to Horton game, featuring Collins, was born from Director of Athletics Kyle Brennan’s conversations with longtime Redbird supporters upon his arrival at Illinois State in 2021.
“So often, the stories led back to starting their love for ISU Athletics at Horton and seeing Doug Collins play,” Brennan said. “They told me how intimidating the atmosphere was and talked about the great wins we had over teams like UNLV. Everyone spoke about it with such nostalgia, and I thought, ‘Why can’t we play a game in there?’”
Brennan said four months of planning went into the event, and he credited his staff for overcoming multiple challenges associated with hosting a modern college basketball game in 59-year-old Horton Field House. Part of the setup included moving Doug Collins Court in sections, on forklifts, from CEFCU Arena to Horton where members of Illinois State’s Army ROTC assisted the field house crew with installation.
“My goal with this game was to bring our generations of fans together and let everyone enjoy it—those who are experiencing it for the first time and those who are getting to walk down memory lane,” Brennan said.
Bill Gaddis ’68, M.S. ’76, and Dr. Lynn Gaddis ’71, M.S. ’91, Ed.D. ’02, were among the fans crowded into Horton’s lower bleachers, behind the media table, for the Return to Horton. Pinned to Lynn’s red Illinois State crewneck sweatshirt was Bill’s class of 1968 pin.
“This is how we dated—following the Redbirds at Horton,” Lynn said. As a student, she recalled once becoming part of the action when Percy Family Hall of Fame men’s basketball forward Dr. Tom Taulbee ’70, M.S. ’71, Ed.D. ’73, leapt into the student section, over the top of her, diving for a loose ball.
After Lynn and Bill married and had children, they purchased season tickets in Horton’s legendary, towering north endzone bleachers. “That’s where we stood the whole game. And it was noisy, and the whole section of bleachers swayed,” Lynn said. “There were so many last second shots and so many amazing players. Noise breeds noise. So, when somebody stood up and started yelling, then everybody got into it.”
Lynn and Bill recalled watching Redbird basketball greats such as Taulbee and fellow Illinois State hall of famers Dr. Jerry McGreal ’68 and Steve Arends ’69; and memorable opposing coaches including Tulsa’s Nolan Richardson—remembered by Redbird fans for his polka dot ties and shirts—and Bradley’s Dick Versace—known for his animated personality and white, curly hair.
“There’s a lot of good memories,” Bill said. “It’s just a good feeling to come in here.”
Red Alert student section leader Trevor Arbogast, a junior history education major, did his part to energize Horton. Wearing a retro Doug Collins No. 20 T-shirt—one of 1,000 given to students by Collins—Arbogast was hoarse from yelling and cheering and sweaty from jumping around the front row of the packed student section.
“This game is everything—especially as a townie,” Arbogast said. “I’ve always dreamed of coming here for a game, but I never thought it would happen. Students love the opportunity to be here right on the floor, to be able to bring some of that juice and that energy.”
During halftime, more than a dozen former players spanning six decades of Redbird men’s basketball were recognized at center court. Among them was hall of famer Rickie Johnson ’86, who played at Horton from 1982-1985.
“This is totally amazing,” Johnson said. “I get it now. I didn’t hear any of this as a player because I had a job to do. But now, as a fan, I get it.”
Dr. Jill Hutchison, M.S. ’69, Illinois State’s hall of fame women’s basketball coach from 1970 to 1999 said several of her former players traveled to Normal to once again experience a game under Horton’s arched, metal roof.
“I can’t imagine all of the memories they’re thinking about now,” Hutchison said. “It’s really loud—the acoustics in here are terrible; but in a game situation, it was great because people could make a lot of noise. They’d pound on the floor of these bleachers, and they’d rattle this place.
“We hosted the first women’s basketball national tournament in here (in 1972), which was really exciting. It was probably one of the coolest things I ever got to do. This brings back a lot of those memories.”
In the days leading up to the throwback game, men’s basketball coach Ryan Pedon said he wanted to bring his team into Horton with an appreciation for “all those who came before us—all of the players, all of the alumni, all of the fans that have seen games over there.”
“We want to wake up the echoes,” he said.
Pedon, who donned a retro-style maroon and gray plaid jacket as he paced up and down the sideline directing his team, said the atmosphere was “electric.”
“I know us playing a game in here meant a lot to a lot of people,” Pedon said. “I wanted, as a coach, so badly for our players to feel the magic that this place provides.”
Collins said he felt the “magic” return to Horton. “Just to see our guys make the big plays when they had to do it, and then feel the crowd,” Collins said. “And afterwards to go out and hear the guys singing the Illinois State fight song—it’s what college sports is all about.”
