Oakley found Wallace
VUU tie began with Robbins' request to 'find me a big man'

June 17, 2004

BY JOHN O'CONNOR
RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

The phone rang in Ben Wallace's Detroit-area home late Tuesday night. No answer. No surprise.

After all, there were still about 90 seconds left in Detroit's NBA-championship-clinching victory over visiting Los Angeles. The caller was Virginia Union basketball coach Dave Robbins, who just wanted to leave a message for Wallace, the Pistons' post man.

"I just told him how proud we were of him, and that all the hard work over the years had truly paid off," Robbins said.

Robbins, Wallace's coach for the two seasons he was a VUU Panther, should have added one more thing: "Find me a big man."

That request of a pro star led to Wallace's initial awareness of Virginia Union. Years ago, Robbins ended an offseason conversation with former Panther and NBA enforcer Charles Oakley with the half-kidding remark, "Find me a big man."

Oakley, an Alabama native, later called Richmond from York, Ala., where he was involved in a summer camp. Said Robbins: "I can remember Charles' words. 'Coach, you asked me to find you a big man. He's not that big, but he sure is a man.'"

In White Hall, Ala., Ben Wallace was the 10th of 11 children, a sinewy 6-8 kid who drew Oakley's attention by guarding him so impressively in a pick-up game. Because of academic considerations, Wallace spent two years at Cuyahoga (Ohio) Community College, whose team was coached by Oakley acquaintance Jeff Warren. Wallace then followed Oakley's lead to VUU and Richmond, where Wallace makes his offseason home

Wallace, who was not drafted out of VUU, donates an annual Panthers hoops scholarship from his NBA earnings. The 29-year-old has two years left on a contract that will pay him $6 million next season and $6.5 million the following season.

Contact John O'Connor at (804) 649-6233 or joconnor@timesdispatch.com