Baltimore has never been represented by a classier sports figure than Wes Unseld, who just stepped down as coach of the Washington Bullets.
Unseld, now a hard-to-believe 48 years old, was loaded with class when he came here in 1968, drafted by the Baltimore Bullets. That's a tribute to the parents who raised him in his native Louisville.
Even at 22, Unseld was a man of quiet dignity who respected others and, in return, won universal respect.
As a player he was a marvel, a 6-foot-7 center who, in his first pro season, won the NBA's Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards.
He led the Bullets to 12 straight playoff appearances, first in Baltimore, then in Washington, and to an NBA championship in D.C. in 1978.
Those things you can learn from an NBA Guide. They only show that he was a wonderful player. I'm more impressed that he's a wonderful person.
In the Bullets' heyday in Baltimore nearly a quarter century ago, the big thing was the playoff series against the New York Knicks.
Oh, those games, those matchups, were something to behold -- Gus Johnson going against Dave DeBusschere, Earl Monroe against Walt Frazier, Jack Marin against Bill Bradley, Kevin Loughery against Dick Barnett, Unseld against Willis Reed.
I can still remember the incredible grace Unseld showed in 1971 after a Bullets loss to the Knicks in Madison Square Garden that knocked Baltimore out of the Eastern Division semifinals.
It was a fiercely fought contest, as all of them were. The Knicks won at the buzzer and the season was over for the Bullets. It seemed like two seconds later that Jim Karvellas was shoving a microphone in Unseld's face and asking for a comment.
And Wes said, calmly, "First, I'd like to congratulate the Knicks on their victory."
Strange that should stay with me all these years, but it was so simple, so sportsmanlike, so typical of Unseld. I don't think I've heard another athlete say that in the 23 years since.
The following year the Bullets were quartered in the New York Hilton during an Eastern championship series that eventually was won by Baltimore. Gene Shue, the Baltimore coach and an early riser, was in the lobby at 8 a.m.
Shue didn't expect any of his players to be up before noon. Suddenly he spotted Unseld moving toward the hotel's front door.
"Wes, where are you going at this hour?" Shue demanded to know.
"To the station," Wes mumbled.
