Street painted mural in minds of thousands

[HawkeyeHypnosis]

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/ar...painted-mural-in-minds-of-thousands?Frontpage

Good read. Cant believe it's been so long. From article:


I hadn’t been in the Chris Street Gym for almost 10 years until the previous week when the middle school held an open house and dedication ceremony for the Blake Fieldhouse. I stood and looked at the mural of Chris I had painted so many years ago and I was flooded with memories.

Chris was a very easygoing kid that people loved to be around. He had a great sense of humor and it was always fun to get him to laugh. That’s why it was so difficult for everyone when he died — the entire state mourned his death. Iowa basketball coach Tom Davis said, “To me, I think Chris represented the intensity of life, the openness of the Midwest.â€￾

All Iowans who are old enough to remember can tell you where they were and what they were doing when they heard the tragic news. During his last game he set the record for most consecutive free throws. That record, 34, stands to this day.

When I had Chris Street as an art student, he knew that some people grow up to be artists and some grow up to be basketball players. But Chris was more than just a basketball player. Chris painted his own mural in the minds of thousands of people. It is an image of the true rewards from hard work and a spirit of determination. Growing up, he dreamed to be an Iowa Hawkeye and he died living his dream.

 

[kegunder]

Chris Street lived across the hall from me when I was a freshman. He was "off-the-charts great" in his charisma, kindness, focus, and enthusiasm for fun. I always mention his greatness to people who don't know about him.

Sometimes I wonder how much my memories of him have been embellished by his death. Its hard to say that without sounding disrespectful. I truly believe my memories of him are accurate and he was greater than anyone I've ever known in some of the most important facets of living.

Everyone involved in that tragedy has my sincere hope for peace.

 

[sportstalent]

Never before, or after has a player embodied what it meant to be an Iowa Hawkeye. There will never be another like him, he was truly a special person. Neither Tom Davis, nor Iowa baskeball was the same after his death.
Iowa recognizing him on the 20th anniversary is something that is a continuation of the healing process, people who remember Street will never fully heal.
Iowa basketball is starting to have that same feel again, but is still missing that one player that embodies Iowa basketball. Settles was close, but his injuries are what kept him from being that guy.
I am glad that Fran has embraced the past when the two previous coaches never really seemed too. It is like RichRod at UM and now Hoke, there is that same old feeling about the program. Neither Iowa basketball or UM football are back to where they were, but they are on that path. (I am not comparing UM football tradition to Iowa tradition here, just how the coaches embrace the program history, just the first example I thought of).
I think every fan had a part of them pass away that night, Street just meant that much to the fans.