Catching up with Huston Breedlove
Huston Breedlove, a 6-foot-6 forward from Akron, Ohio, was playing in an all-star game in Pennsylvania when he caught the eye of new Iowa basketball coach Ralph Miller.
Breedlove made a campus visit to Iowa City and signed on, picking Iowa over Wichita State. He lettered three years for Iowa, finishing his career in the 1967-68 season.
He played professionally in Spain for several years. Now 66, Breedlove lives in Milwaukee, Wis., and continues to work as a Spanish medical interpreter. He was back in Iowa City recently to play in the Iowa basketball golf outing in honor of Chris Street.
“I’m in good health and glad to be back,” Breedlove said.
Q: You played on Iowa teams that went 17-7, 16-8 and 16-9. What was it like playing for Ralph Miller?
A: He was a man of very few words. I think the first conversation we had he said, “You know, a man can be better than you, and a team can be better than you, but you’ve got to make them prove it for 40 minutes.” That’s what we did and that’s why we won.
Q: What brings you back every year to this golf outing?
A: I heard about it three or four years ago. Now I come back, just to get the feeling again. I came here from another state (Ohio), and got an opportunity.
Q: You sound like you still have warm feelings for Iowa, even though you’ve been gone for more than 40 years.
A: When you get old, you look for the warm. Everything is getting cold. You want warm feelings.
Category: Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball
