Do You Remember When The Syracuse Cheerleader Fractured Her Skull Mid-Game?
I can't believe that I almost forgot about this unforgettable event that happened 40 years ago. I've been a fan of the Syracuse Orange for as long as I can recall and the first basketball game that I attended was in 1982.
I couldn't have picked a better game for my first time and here is why. It was January and I was in the cheap seats at the Carrier Dome for an epic basketball battle between Syracuse and Georgetown.
A few years earlier, Georgetown defeated the Cuse in their final game at Manley Field House and Georgetown head coach John Thompson exclaimed that "Manley Field House is officially closed, may it rest in peace."
So there was bad blood and this game was bound to be one for the ages...and it was but not in the way that we originally thought.
Georgetown vs Syracuse Basketball Game
Georgetown was being led by freshman sensation Patrick Ewing and he helped the team to a top 10 ranking. The Hoyas had won 13 in a row when they came to the Loud House and it was going to rock on that day.
The game was being broadcast to a national audience with Syracuse alum, Bob Costas on the call. The Orangemen (as they were called then) would go on to a 75-70 upset win over Georgetown but that isn't the thing that I'll always remember about that day.
Syracuse Cheerleader Fractures Skull In Fall
During the first timeout of the game, cheerleader Michelle Munn flipped from the top row of her pyramid but no one was there to catch her. She ended up on her head and fractured her skull. The 25,000 plus in attendance came to a hush and all I could hear was Michelle's screams.
According to a Syracuse.com article, Munn would return to compass a few weeks later and didn't really remember much about the accident. Because of the incident, there were some changes made for cheerleading safety, although many of the restrictions were relaxed in the 90's.
Munn was from my part of the woods as I lived in Warren Center Pa and went to high school at Northeast Bradford. Munn was from Sayre Pa and attended Sayre High School and our schools were about a half-hour apart.
Even though it was 40 years ago, I still remember that game. I wonder what she's doing today?
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[via Syracuse.com]