University of Minnesota Athletics
Black History Month: Townsend Orr
2/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
In honor of Black History Month, Gopher Athletics is celebrating those who made us great. Throughout February, GopherSports.com will share short interviews with African-American alumni from almost every Gopher program. In these interviews, former student-athletes reflect on their time at the U of M, provide advice to current Gophers and share what Black History Month means to them personally.
Townsend Orr
Sport: Basketball
Years: 1990-95
Hometown: Harvey, Ill.
Occupation: Asst. Men's Basketball Coach, Benedictine University (Mesa, Ariz.)
What is it you honestly miss most about the University?
I have been fortunate to continue playing basketball after the U of M and everywhere that I've traveled, I say I miss the warmth and the feelings of the people. To this day, I still say that the University of Minnesota was the most inviting place that you could ever want to go to in terms of meeting people and how warm and welcoming they are.
If you could give the current student-athletes any piece of advice, what would it be?
First and foremost, I would tell them to be a student, then an athlete, in that order. Especially with super-superior athletes with extraordinary talents, sometimes I think they believe it is a given that they are going to have an opportunity to play a professional sport for a living. I would just tell them to make sure they really value their education. Try to meet as many people as they can that can help them up the ladder to success and to really just focus on the academic part of it. That way, even if they do or don't have a professional career, they will still be productive citizens after they finish playing.
Please share your favorite university or athletic event you've attended since you graduated and what made it so special to you?
I have not been back on the campus in years, but I visited Minneapolis and definitely follow the team. I attended the Big Ten tournament last year in Chicago. I had the opportunity to watch Minnesota play and beat Rutgers in the first round, and it bought back so many memories. It was great to get a chance to see some old alums and support Coach Pitino and the new team. I look forward to them continuing to succeed and making the University of Minnesota proud.
What are you grateful for?
I am grateful that I had the opportunity to receive an athletics scholarship to a fine university. Everywhere I go, I let everybody know that I attended the University of Minnesota. I am grateful for the coaches that I had, as well as the teammates. I have maintained friendships throughout the years and I am very grateful to still have a lot of those guys in my life today.
What does Black History Month mean to you?
As a former African American History major at the University, it means understanding where we have come as a country and where we are headed as a country. I think a lot people may look at Black History Month as for just African-Americans but, to me, it is more than that. I think Black History Month embodies the accomplishments of so many people before us to move this nation to a better place, where we can actually say - "I am my brother's keeper." By that I mean being supportive of all races, all backgrounds and all religions. I think Black History Month just gives us a small symposium to be able to share that with the whole world.