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This all began a while back with the following e-mail from Kari Ortegel Moers from faraway New Zealand:
"Hi, Ron,
"I hope this finds you well and happy. I am currently living in New Zealand, a long way from Des Moines.
"I’m all grown up now, as are Kim, Mindi, and Missi. My Dad is an old man now [wouldn’t his ego hate to hear me say that!]. My mother is still beautiful.
"I have tried to find Kenny Harris. My Dad said he has seemed to disappear. I guess Paul Morrison tried to find him some time back, Wonder if you had any clues or search ideas [what was his middle name, home town, birth date, etc?).
"Thank you and kindest regards,"
Kari
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Kari is the the daughter of Bob Ortegel, who was Drake's basketball coach from 1974-1981. He was an assistant on Howard Stacey's teams before that and -- as the head coach -- led the Bulldogs to the university's only postseason basketball tournament championship.
Ortegel's 1974-75 team defeated Southern California, Bowling Green and Arizona to win the short-lived National Commissioners Invitational Tournament in Louisville, Ky.
I covered the tournament, and have a wristwatch [courtesy of Ortegel] that was presented to members of the championship team, coaches and reporters.
Drake finished with a 19-10 record that season, which was Ortegel's first as Drake's head coach. His career record at Drake was 91-103, and Lewis Lloyd was his star player.
Ortegel [pictured at the lower right] just finished his 20th season as the Dallas Mavericks' TV and radio analyst. He's also worked for ESPN, ABC, the Raycom Southwest Conference basketball game-of-the-week and the Missouri Valley Conference game-of-the-week. In addition to his radion and television responsibilities, Ortegel headlines the Mavericks' speakers bureau.
In the summer of 2005, Ortegel appeared as an analyst in the Disney movie “Glory Road” -- the story of the 1966 NCAA basketball championship that was won by Texas Western.
After leaving Drake, Ortegel spent 14 years in the corporate world, working as an executive with ShowBiz PizzaTime, Inc. [now called Chuck E. Cheese] and MerleHarmon’s FanFair.
Ortegel, who lives in Grapevine, TX, has four adult daughters -- Kim, Kari and identical twins, Mindi and Missi -- and eighth grandchildren.
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While on the subject of Bob Ortegel, I think he should be invited back to Des Moines so he could be introduced to a crowd at the Knapp Center in an upcoming season. Sandy Hatfield Clubb, the university's athletic director, does well in those types of homecoming situations, and I think it's time the university paid tribute to the guy who took Drake to its only postseason basketball championship.
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Neither Paul Morrison, Drake's athletic department historian nor I were able to find the whereabouts of Kenny Harris, who was one of Ortegel's better players at Drake.
Morrison said every mailing Drake has sent Harris since he left school has been returned unopened, address unknown.
When I told Kari Ortegel Moers about Harris, I asked her to give me more information on herself and her family. Here was her e-mail reply:
"Hi, Ron,
"Thank you for your e-mail. I married a man from Texas and we lived acouple years in Texas and then moved to the SFO Bay area and then he got a job in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as a private pilot and the Prince hired me as well (as his head flight attendant) and we were his private flight crew for 12 years. We have some interesting stories! Came to New Zealand on a holiday and bought a house to renovate into a B & B [which we decided back in California we would like to do someday]. After we got it all set up we shifted and we have been here fulltime now for 8 years. New Zealand is a gorgeous country!!! The B & B [which is named Pencarrow Bed & Breakfast and is pictured above] has been a success and all is well here. The recession has hit us, however, and bookings were down this year. We hope it comes back next season [November-April] but some people are saying our next season could even be worse. We come back to the U.S. about every three years and we will come back this year. I will be going to Disney World with Missi and her family.
"My older sister Kim was married prior to me and has a son and daughter. The son graduates from TCU [he has been able to be near my parents for 4 years] and their daughter will finish her first year at Anderson University in Indiana. Kim lives in Indianapolis. So Kim and her husband have their 'empty nest.'
"Mindi and Missi are still as cute and sweet as ever. Mindi married a Texas boy (a youth/assistant pastor at a Baptist church in Houston) and they have a son and daughter and Missi married a Texas boy [a music minister at a Baptist church in Lufkin, Texas] and they have 2 sons and 2 daughters.
"All of us were married by the age of 21 and all of us are still married. My sisters and their kids are really sweet people-I am very blessed!
"My mother lives in the Dallas area and has been very successful in real estate and has great friends and her own home and, like I said is still the epitome of loveliness.
"Dad is great to us daughters. He is still tough. Still thinks he's a teen-ager. Still absolutely loves his b-ball, and needs to die on the court! I think I'd be safe in saying he hasn't changed a bit.
"One last thing...I am still not a Lute Olson fan...hee-hee!
"Thanks for the help with Kenny Harris. I tend to think it may not be good news. He has sure dropped off the face of the earth.
"Send us your news.
"Our best,"
Kari
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Olson was Iowa's coach when Ortegel was at Drake.
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In another e-mail, I asked for the ages of Kari and her sisters. I mentioned that it was my understanding the girls' parents [Bob and Chris Ortegel] are now divorced.
"Yes, they are divorced and she is available," Kari said. "Kim is 45, I am 43 and Mindi and Missi are 39."
Chris Ortegel is pictured at the lower left.
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In the photo above that of Kari and Bill Moers' B&B in New Zealand are Kim with husband Bill and kids Danny and Callie. In the photo above that are Mindi and her family. Above that are Missi and her family. The photo at the top is of Kari and the 10-pound rainbow trout she caught.
