MOORHEAD, Minn. - An impressive getaway has once again rekindled championship dreams and lifted Minnesota State Moorhead into national basketball prominence. It has also conjured up delightful memories of special seasons of yesteryear, especially for Jerome Barney.
 
A native of Chicago, IL, Barney spent one unforgettable season with the Dragons in 1970-71 and helped piece together, arguably, the greatest season in MSUM history. It was a magical winter that began with a record 15-game win streak and included a 24-1 regular season finish and a spot among the top four college division teams in the land.
 
It was an unlikely collection of players who were more than willing to subordinate their individual talents for the good of the club. It was a unique band of brothers that appeared to come out of nowhere, but in truth, they came from almost everywhere. A 6-5 transfer from St. John's University in Collegeville, Barney was clearly in the middle of the fray, ruling the lane and imposing his will on Dragon teammates and opponents alike.
 
A dominant post player in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference during his three seasons with the Johnnies, Barney was one of three additions to the Dragon basketball family in 1970 and a major piece of coach Marv Skaar's basketball puzzle.
 
“I got into a controversy at St. John's so I left,” Barney said. “When I was at St. John's we scrimmaged Moorhead State, and I was doing what I normally do, getting all the rebounds and scoring about 20 points. When Marv found out I was leaving, he called (SJU head coach) Jim Smith, and Jim Smith endorsed me. He gave me a thumbs up and said I always came to play."
 
“I was working as a bill collector at Montgomery Ward in downtown Chicago at the time, trying to figure out what was next. Marv told me, 'You're a good dude.  Why don't you come to Moorhead?' I said I'll buy the bus ticket right now.”

 
On May 4, 1970, four students were killed at Kent State University in Ohio when National Guardsmen opened fire on unarmed students at an on-campus antiwar rally. The killings received immense national media attention and are still remembered, but just 10 days later on May 14, local and state police opened fire on a group of students at the predominantly black Jackson State College in Mississippi. Two were killed and a dozen injured, but the story did not seem to resonate as strongly in America.
 
“After they shot the kids at Kent State, there was a big uproar, but after they shot the kids at Jackson, nobody said anything,” Barney remembered. “That's what got the black community so upset. With that climate, someone had to step up and say let's have a civilized discussion about this.”
 
“Marv put everything together for me, but after I got to Moorhead, Kent State happened and, all of a sudden, the campus was in a damn uproar, so me and my big mouth got right into the middle of the uproar. Coach told me he got a call from the (MSC) president, and I told Marv I was just trying to keep a lid on it because the students were acting crazy. I told coach, 'You don't have to worry about me; everything is going to be alright.' The only way I could keep a lid on it was to come out front, and Marv said that was okay.”
 
How did he survive? “With the grace of God,” Barney confessed.


By fall basketball began to assume its usual prominent place in Barney's life, and much to his delight, he discovered something special about his new teammates.
 
The cast of characters included 6-3 Charlie Williams from Augusta, GA, a marvelous frontline defender and dangerous offensive weapon with serious liftoff ability. Steve Colby, a silky smooth 6-0 junior guard from Alexandria, provided an extra dash of quickness and outside scoring. Danny Retherford, a confident 5-11 import from Franklin, Ohio and an Air Force veteran, provided an additional outside scoring threat while 6-2 senior Mike Berg, a two-time All-NIC MVP from Wahpeton, No. Dak., was the club's mainspring. A fierce competitor fully capable of breaking down any defense, the multi-talented Berg drew much of the pre-game attention of opposing coaches and seemed always at his best when the game reached full boil.
 
Barney knew this club was something special, even if the rest of his pals didn't really believe it. “I ran into Colby when we started playing, and I told the guys we could get to the (NAIA) nationals. I said, 'I've been to the nationals.'
 
For coach Skaar, it was simply a matter of putting together all the pieces.
 
“Marv told me he wanted me to shoot the runner coming across the middle and get all the boards,” said Barney. “We had Charlie; he was the post and could jump out of the gym with his 45-inch vertical. He was shooting down on everybody. Berg was a great slasher who could shoot jumpers with a great touch from the angles; Colby could shoot jumpers and handle the ball like Marcus Haynes. That's how we broke the press, get the ball to Colby and get out of the way. Then Retherford shows up from the Air Force.
 
“We had five stars on that team, and on defense, we played the one-two-one-one and pressed. We also got pushed hard in practice and had some real battles with guys like (Nick) Neibauer, (Tom) Super, (Steve) Holte and (Hank) Siwek.”
 
Barney still has great admiration for coach Skaar for creating and maintaining a healthy atmosphere.
 
“We had great synergy, and it was a magical season. Marv had us in tip-top shape and he knew how to use everybody's skills and mesh them together in the 1-4 (offense). Marv knew how to direct us. We couldn't have had a better coach; he wasn't a screamer and treated us like grown men.
 
“It was a great experience, and we came together like brothers. You must remember it was a troubled time in American history. It was magic. Just look at the diversity, it was totally improbable. Talk about Hoosiers; they need to do a story about the Dragons. It was totally improbable.”
 
Williams led Dragons scoring in double figures with 19.6 ppg while Barney averaged 14.8 ppg and a whopping 12.2 boards a game. He set a single game record of 25 rebounds against Bemidji State that has endured for more than 40 years.
 
It started innocently, with four quick victories, including a 78-64 romp over North Dakota, but MSC would need all its talent and moxie to survive a 69-66 near ambush at Mayville State in game five. The faith fully restored, the Dragons stretched their win streak to 15 straight, including a 99-82 roadkill of NCC champion North Dakota State, and a 76-68 victory over Central Michigan, a Division I member of the Mid-American Conference.
 
Winona State severed the  streak with a 70-68 mid-season win at Winona, but MSC responded with nine straight victories to close the regular season 24-1, including a 11-1 championship mark in the NIC, victories over six conference champions and a fourth-place ranking on the final NAIA Division I national poll.
 
As quickly as the magic appeared, it suddenly vanished in a painful 85-84 NAIA District 13 playoff loss to Augsburg College. The visiting Auggies were a substantial underdog saddled with some serious injury problems but they rode some sizzling outside shooting and splendid play off the bench to the shocking upset.
 
“I had back spasms that day, so I wasn't at the top of my game,” Barney remembers. “We had a chance at the end, a last second shot, but those guys were unreal that night. I had played them before when I was at St. John's and made (something like) 11straight shots, but that's the way it goes.”
 
The crushing loss stunned a legion of Dragon fans; and for years, some of the players refused to even revisit the marvelous run of 1970-71. Barney is one who would not let the loss ruin an entire season.
 
Did the loss to Augsburg define the entire season for him? “Not at all, not at all,” said Barney. “We finished fourth on the final poll, and that's a heck of an accomplishment. Kentucky State was number one, and they had two guys---Travis Grant and Elmore Smith---who played in the NBA.”
 
Barney admits while the Dragons may have lacked size, they didn't lack heart. “Between Charlie and me we averaged 21 boards a game, and the tallest guy we had was 6-5. It's not about the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of fight in the dog.”
 
Barney left Moorhead State a basketball legend, and he also left a better man.
 
“Coming to MS helped me to grow up and become a responsible individual,” said Barney. “My academics began to go through the roof, and I was able to get into law school. I majored in Spanish Education with a minor in Political Science. (After MS) I applied for a job teaching Spanish in the Bahamas, and they made me a senior master of the junior high school. I also started playing for the Bahamas national team.”
 
Barney left the south side of Chicago over 40 years ago to begin his odyssey, but many of the lessons he learned still guide him today.
 
“I came from Hales Franciscan High School in Chicago, and we were taught to lead. We were the only black catholic school in the catholic league. I was all-south section and honorable mention all-city.”
 
Still, Barney wasn't the only legend to grow up in the Hyde Park neighborhood. “I grew up on 53^rd and Greenwood. President Obama grew up on 51^st and Greenwood.”
 
When asked if he could he beat the president in a game of one-on-one, he demurred and took the high road. “He's younger than I am,” Barney said.
 
Today Barney is a practicing lawyer in Detroit, and actively involved in a variety of civic enterprises.
 
“I've been practicing law for 35 years. I am a licensed boxing promoter and used to be the boxing commissioner for the State of Michigan. I have been on the athletic board of control and developed the Fatburger restaurant chain. Currently, I'm involved with the Black Chamber of Commerce, too, so we can address some of the unemployment issues in the black community, and I wrote a book of poetic monologues that is being adapted to a play that will premier in April at a local theatre.”