COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Missouri honored former longtime coach Norm
Stewart on Monday night by adding his name to the Hearnes Center
floor he prowled for 32 seasons.
Stewart retired in 1999 with 634 victories at the school. Norm
Stewart Court was christened during a halftime ceremony during the
Tigers' game against No. 3 Kansas, which Stewart watched from
center court, and Stewart's jersey No. 22 was retired and hung from
the rafters.
Several of Stewart's former players attended the game, along
with longtime assistant coach Rich Daly.
"Most of all, I want to thank the players," Stewart said.
"They deserve it. They're the guys that did this."
Stewart was 634-333 at Missouri and totaled 731 victories in 38
seasons overall, including six seasons at Northern Iowa. Only two
coaches have coached more games than Stewart's 1,106 and he was
seventh on the career victory list when he retired.
At Missouri, Stewart won more games in 32 seasons than had been
won at the school in the previous 60. That included 17 20-victory
seasons, eight Big Eight championships and six conference
tournament titles.
When he retired, Stewart had been involved as a player,
assistant or head coach in 1,127 of 2,151 games in Missouri
basketball history.
"It is a very, very special day for Tiger athletics,"
chancellor Richard Wallace said. "You represented this university
with dignity and great success."
Before the game, 250-300 close friends attended a reception for
Stewart.
Athletic director Mike Alden said the honor has been in the
works for about a year. Missouri is trying to get a new arena and
Alden said he didn't know whether Stewart also would be honored
there.
"I don't know if we've thought that far ahead," Alden said.
"We're concentrating on getting funding for the new building right
now."
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