Russell joined the team in December, 1956, following the Olympics.
There were riots in just about every game we played with Syracuse.
My biggest win was getting the meal money bumped from $5 to $7.
Cooper was my road roommate, and also happened to be the first African American player drafted by a National Basketball Association team.
I had endured six years of frustration so I think winning it all meant more to me than most of the others on the team.
My family was poor, my father drove a cab for a living, but we felt normal because everybody else was in the same boat.