Former Cincinnati QB Ben Mauk Goes One-on-One with MikeDropSports

 

In 2007 the Cincinnati Bearcats won 10 games for the first time since 1951, finishing 10-3 with a victory in the PapaJohns.com bowl. It was a highly successful season with the team also appearing in the AP top 25 poll for the first time since 1954. Back in 2007 Cincinnati was a member of the old Big East conference. Read more about the 5 years before and 5 years since the destruction of the football conference.

The Bearcats quarterback that season was graduate transfer Ben Mauk. I was fortunate enough to have the chance to speak with former Cincinnati QB about his time in Cincinnati.

Mike: What made you choose Cincinnati over some of the other options when you decided to leave Wake Forest before the 2007 season?

Ben: I chose Cincinnati because Ohio is a football state. I monitored their success in 2006 and wanted to be a part of it when I realized I could transfer upon graduating. Cincinnati is only about 2.5 hours from my hometown (Kenton, OH), and I wanted to be close to home in the event i wasn’t fully healthy at the start of the season.

Mike: Well, fortunately you were healthy!! Having completed 61% of your passes, becoming the third QB in UC history to throw for 3,000+ yards (3,121)  and 31 touchdowns (tied 9th on all time list) and only 9 interceptions.

That year was Brian Kelly’s first year as UC head coach. After 2006, Mark Dantonio left for Michigan State and UC opted to replace him with Kelly, who was the head coach at Central Michigan. Did you enjoy playing for coach Kelly?

Ben: I loved playing for Brian Kelly. He was the right coach at the right time for UC. His support and faith in me in 2007 meant more to me than I think even he knows. I’d do anything for Coach Kelly; he is a winner and a master of getting the most out of his team.

Mike: You only attended UC for one year, but it was a highly successful one year. What would you say is your favorite UC memory?

Ben: My favorite UC memory was coming on the field against Louisville to a sold out Nippert Stadium. I was told that no one came to UC games, but always believed Cincinnati is a championship city; if you win, the people will come, and they did in 2007.

Mike: I was told that too! I was a sophomore in 2007 and I remember that Louisville game like it was yesterday. I felt very much at home that day, inside a packed Nippert Stadium and a crazy atmosphere.

What was your favorite career moment, either UC or at Wake Forest?

Ben: My favorite career moment was coming back from injuring my throwing arm and shoulder and being back in my home state once again to play a game that I love. To have that opportunity taken away was difficult, but to make a comeback at Cincinnati was well worth the pain and suffering.

Mike: I know after college you dabbled into arena football a little bit (we’ll touch on that in a second) but what are you up to now?

Ben: Well first and most importantly, I am recently engaged to Amanda Haywood and will be a step father to two girls, Hannah and Harper, come next May. On top of that, I am teaching and coaching high school football at Glendale High School in Springfield, MO with my father and younger brother. I love being able to spend time with my family and enjoy the memories we are able to make together.

Mike: Congrats! That’s very exciting news about your family. With everything you went through with the arm injury and whatever other bumps and bruises you endured throughout your career – how are you feeling now?

Ben: I still feel like I could go play, but after a day worth of throwing, I’m ready to put the cleats back up and grab my coaching visor/whistle.

Mike: Back to the arena football part of your career, I dug up this old picture of you and I at a Cincinnati Commandos game back in 2009. Those games were awesome to attend. How was the experience as a player?

Ben: I enjoyed every second of it. Being able to come back and play in Cincinnati, at the Gardens, with former teammates was a lot if fun. Again, Cincinnati is a city of Champions, and it was a thrill to win it all.

 

Mike: Thank you so much for the time. Ben. I really appreciate the time. And thanks to everyone who checked out this interview. Stay tuned for my interviews in the future!!

Looking Back at NBA Throwback Teams

 

In honor of the popular social media tradition #ThrowbackThursday, today, we take a look at some older NBA teams who no longer exist due to re-branding or relocation.

Seattle Super Sonics

The Sonics are last on the list because they are one of the most impact franchise relocations of all time, given that they won the NBA finals in 1979. Most franchises re-locate due to poor attendance and fan support. But the Sonics move was related to the lack of a new arena and also an owner who bought the team with the sole purpose of moving them to his home town of Oklahoma City. The Sonics lasted from 1967-2008. They won one championship and lost two others. The Sonics have the most successful history of any team on this list.  

Throwback meter – 10 – People still yearn from Seattle to get an expansion team and many expect that one day the Sonics will return, which will make their gear even more valuable. Also, because they were so successful, there is a lot of stuff to go around, especially since Kevin Durant played his rookie season in Seattle. That’s always been a popular jersey.

Vancouver Grizzlies

 

The Grizzlies lasted six seasons in Vancouver, Canada. In that time they played a total of 460 games and won just 101 of them. Their cumulative average record is 17-60 (not exactly 82 because lottery shortened 1999 impacts the math). Five of those six seasons ended with the Grizzlies finishing last in their division and their best season was their last in Canada, when they won 23 games in 2001.

Following that season, and an absolutely disastrous run, the franchise was sold and moved to Memphis. Other relocation options at the time included St. Louis, Nashville, Las Vegas, New Orleans, and Louisville (amongst others). The Grizzlies have had a really impressive run in Memphis.From 2010-2017, the Grizzlies made the playoffs all 7 years including a run to the western conference finals. They are currently one of 7 franchises to never play in an NBA finals.  

Throwback apparel meter: 8.5 – The only memory remaining of the Grizzlies is the highly acclaimed throwback jersey. One of these days I will buy the Mike Bibby teal jersey.

Charlotte Bobcats

In 2002 the Charlotte Hornets relocated to New Orleans, and kept the Hornets name (until later). In 2004 the NBA, realizing the mistake they made, brought an expansion team to the city.  Inaugural owner Bob Johnson named the team after himself – the Bobcats. The Bobcats name lasted 10 years (2004-2014) and the team saw the playoffs just twice, getting swept both times. Their average record over this time was 29-51.

In 2015, with new owner Michael Jordan now running things, the team re-branded back to the Hornets. As mentioned, the New Orleans franchise kept the Hornets name until 2015 when they became known as the Pelicans, in honor of Louisiana’s state bird. This allowed Charlotte to reclaim the Hornets name, branding, and history. Very little references to the Bobcats remains, given their lack of success during that time period.  

Throwback meter – 4 – As someone who recently purchased a Raymond Felton Bobcats jersey, it’s 50/50 on it’s appeal. Some people find it fascinating, others find it pointless.

Washington Bullets

The Bullets inclusion on this list is strictly personal. Before the Washington Wizards existed beginning in 1997, the Washington DC franchise was known as the Bullets. Obviously, the negative connotation led to the name change but their time ranged from 1974-1997 and included 13 total playoff appearances, including a 1-2 NBA finals record (won the 1978 championship over the Sonics – whose next on this list). In ’75 they lost to the Warriors (go figure) and ’79 lost to the Sonics. From 1984-1997 they lost all 6 playoff series they played in.

The reason the Bullets make the list though is because I had the pleasure of being their ball boy back in 1994 and I met 7’7 center Gheorghe Muresan. Great memories.  

Throwback meter – 0. No one wants to own a shirt that says Bullets (does anyone want to own one that says Wizards though?)

Other teams that deserve recognition:

• Before the Sonics became the Thunder, the Hornets, after being displaced by Hurricane Katrina, spent a year in Oklahoma City for the 2005-06 season, before returning to New Orleans full-time. This temporary move opened the door for OKC as a relocation option
• The NBA’s version of the New Jersey Nets existed from 1997-2012, before moving to Brooklyn. The Nets had a great two year run, where they made back-to-back NBA finals appearances in 2002 and 2003, but other than that spent much of their time in NJ in the shadow of the Knicks.
• The Clippers played in San Diego from 1978-1984. The Buffalo Braves, moved to San Diego and became the Clippers. Poor play, disinterested ownership and awful fan support (4500 average attendance final year) led to the team being sold and moved to Los Angeles.
• The Cincinnati Royals are a personal favorite of mine. They existed from 1957-1972 and are best known for the fact that legendary Oscar Robertson played for them. Other than that, there run was rather uneventful and is simply a footnote in the Sacramento Kings lineage. The Royals would move to Kansas City (renamed the Kings) before finding a permanent home in Sacramento in 1985.