If you saw the 1970-71 University High School basketball team play, you had to notice Tom Mirus, the manager wearing those loud green pants.

That team with Joel Oberman, Jim Crews, Art Bess, Rick Thompson and Selby Hubbard starting was arguably the greatest in school history - a team that posted a 27-3 record in one-class competition but lost out to Danville in a super-sectional game.

But, in later life, Mirus has become a star in his own right, overcoming odds that were downright poor the day he was born.

By the time he was 10 years old, Mirus had 23 eye surgeries and lost the sight in his left eye completely. Yet he won four golf letters at U High; earned a golf scholarship to Murray State in Kentucky; has been a teaching pro; and now makes a comfortable living operating tour golf in Florida.

"I never have to go to the same office day-after-day, which is a blessing," said Mirus, who was born with cataracts in both eyes. "I have no depth perception. I am legally blind and I wear very thick glasses. I cannot drive so I rely on public transportation."

Had Mirus been born 20 years later, the progress made in eye surgeries might have left him with much better vision.

Mirus seldom gets back to this area, but fondly recalls his days at U High when he was Coach Bob Metcalf's basketball manager. "My eyes could not keep pace with the fast game basketball had become," said Mirus.

"Coach Metcalf told me I could be on the team and make all the trips or I could be his manager. I decided I wanted to be his manager."

The only drawback was that Mirus had to go out for cross country.

"I did not like that but he made me do it. I had a good time with Coach Metcalf." said Mirus.

Present U High basketball coach Cal Hubbard was Mirus' golf buddy on the Illinois State course. "Cal was a few years ahead of us, but we played a lot of golf together. I took a lot of his nickels and dimes on the putting green.

"I recall our being paired together in a tournament. We were walking to another tee and some of the others behind us were complaining that I was a lucky putter. Then I heard Cal tell them I was not lucky; I was good."

Mirus spent his early years in Decatur where his family belonged to a swim club. When the swim club added a par 3 course, Mirus took up the sport at the age of 8.

The family moved to Bloomington-Normal when Tom's father, Robert, took over the Jack Stoltz Northwestern Insurance agency. Robert had been a high school coach and coached Archie Dees (later Indiana) at Mount Carmel and Billy Ridley (later Illinois) at Taylorville. His mother, Esther, was a standout swimmer and tennis player at Eastern Illinois. Both are deceased.

After graduating from Murray State in 1975, Mirus went to Dixon, where he was an assistant pro for two years. "Then, my parents and I packed up and went to Florida," said Mirus.

"We purchased a 9-hole course south of Orlando. We operated it for two years, then moved to North Carolina where we bought and operated an 18-hole course for five years. We returned to Florida for good in 1983."

Mirus became interested in resort golf and participated for various resorts as a pro.

"In the mid-'90s, I got into tourney administration," said Mirus. "I also became a rules official. Then I started my own tour as part of the Edwin Watts Tour.

"We have 60-some stores in Florida. My corporate sponsor has been with me eight years. I hold 15 tourneys every year and most of my entrants are competitive golfers from the Orlando area. They come from within 100 miles of me. Many Florida golfers are interested in competition.

"The first year, I had five tourneys with 14 to 15 golfers in each. The next year it doubled. In 2000, I had 15 tourneys with 100 entries in each one. I work out of my home in preparation for the tourneys and spend about 50 to 60 days at different courses."

Mirus became interested in blind golfers about 10 years ago. "I am a rules official and these golfers are very good. I attend all their majors and go to their nationals," explained Mirus. "I get to visit some nice courses."

Mirus still thinks about that super-sectional loss to Danville and said, "You think we would be over it by now."

Jim Barnhart is the retired sports editor of the Pantagraph. Contact him at brnhrtj@aol.com