SE's Hines has streak of 651 straight games

He has never attempted a shot or coached a game for Southeast Missouri State University, but perhaps nobody has been more involved with the Indians' basketball program over the last two decades than Ron Hines.

Hines, Southeast's longtime sports information director -- a position similar to media relations director on the professional level -- has not missed an Indian game since 1980, his first year as the school's SID. His streak of 651 consecutive games is the longest among Division I SID's.

"That's a lot of games," a laughing Hines said.

Southeast coach Gary Garner, who is in his sixth season with the Indians and, ironically, attended the University of Missouri with Hines in the 1960s, considers Hines an invaluable member of the Southeast basketball family.

"Ron does so much for us," Garner said. "He knows so many people in the media profession, he's always getting us publicity that another person might not be able to.

"He's a good guy and a hard worker. I don't know if people appreciate all that he does for the university, and not just the basketball program."

Hines, who is a familiar figure at home basketball games overseeing the statistical crew on press row and who also travels with the team to all road games -- he serves as radio color commentator for football and men's basketball when the Indians play on the road -- describes his role as SID this way:

"Through a lot of different methods, you try to create a positive impression about Southeast athletics to as many people as possible. We write and edit media guides for all sports, put out press releases, keep statistics and manage all home events.

"People think it's just basketball and football, but it's all sports. And working with the media, that's a big part of it. It's important to have a personal relationship with as many of the media as you can."

A 1965 University of Missouri graduate, Hines began his professional career as an assistant SID at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. At SIU, he set up a radio network and broadcast the school's basketball games for two years.

It was during that relatively short stint at SIU that Hines broadcast the play of Walt Frazier, a then-unheralded guard who led the Salukis to the 1967 NIT championship and later became an NBA star with the New York Knicks.

"That was quite a thrill," Hines said. "He's the best I've ever seen."

Hines later worked for radio stations in Michigan and Herrin, Ill., where he again broadcast SIU football and basketball for more than a decade. He got out of radio and started a weekly newspaper in Goreville, Ill., which he ran for two years before selling.

In 1979, Hines came to Cape Girardeau to work as a sports and news reporter for the Southeast Missourian newspaper, where he spent less than a year before becoming Southeast's SID.

"A lot of the Southeast people said they hired me just to get me off their case," Hines said, smiling while recalling a story he broke about former Southeast quarterback Joe Young actually being ineligible despite having played most of the season, which caused the Indians to forfeit several games and a probable conference championship.

"But really, I always enjoyed sports information work the most among the things I had done in my career and I was fortunate to get the Southeast job," Hines said. "I didn't plan to be here 20 some years, but that's how it's worked out."

Not that Hines, who is originally from Hamilton, a small town in the northwest part of Missouri, is complaining.

"I've had a wonderful time here and there are so many great memories," he said. "We hosted several NCAA Division II national track championships, which were covered by ESPN. That certainly stands out.

"We had a great run in Division II basketball in the 1980s. We went to the national championship game twice and that was a great experience. Of course, going to the NCAA Tournament in Division I basketball for the first time was something."

Garner led the Indians to that NCAA berth three years ago, which Hines figures was fitting because of their past relationship.

"It's sort of neat the way that worked out," Hines said. "Gary and I went to school together and knew each other pretty well. In fact, I was the public address announcer for Missouri basketball when I went there and I did all of his home games when he played there.

"I followed his teams over the years wherever he was coaching and when the job here opened up, I was glad he applied. That's been a good association."

Hines, who has missed only a handful of Southeast road football games since 1980, is proud of the consecutive games basketball streak that almost came to an end two years ago as the Indians battled horrible winter weather to make it to a tournament in El Paso, Texas.

"I thought the streak was going to end there. I remember sitting in a motel room in St. Louis, wondering if I was going to get there," Hines said. "In one of the scenarios, I wasn't going. I told Gary that will end the streak. He didn't know anything about it, but when he found out he arranged for me to go. I really appreciate him doing that.

"The streak is never something I set out to do, but once it got going, I'm proud of it. Nobody else in Division I has done it. To have a streak like that, you have to have good coaches to work with, good help and a great wife."

Hines and his wife, Mary, will celebrate their 35th anniversary in June. She has also been a big part of Southeast athletics over the years, working with the statistical crew at all home football and basketball games, designing media guides and accompanying her husband on as many road trips as possible.

"She's been a major part of this," Hines said. "She's been very supportive over the years."

Hines doesn't know how many more games he'll add to his streak but figures it won't end any time soon.

"I'm eligible for retirement, but I don't have any hobbies. My hobbies are going to basketball and football games," Hines said. "Why should I retire and pay to go to games when I can get paid to go to games? As long as my health is good, I have no plans to retire."