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Former Niles McKinley great Lou Tabor remembered
Tabor was a prep football, basketball
standout and played at Wichita State
By Steve Ruman
NILES
As far as Bob Santangelo is concerned, his final meeting with Lou Tabor was a fitting one.
Santangelo last saw Tabor on Aug. 27 when Niles opened its football season at Girard. Santangelo had arrived at Arrowhead Stadium 90 minutes before kickoff, and Tabor was already seated in the top row of the visiting bleachers.
“There was Lou in the sun, but as happy as he could be, because he lived for Niles,” Santangelo said. “Whether it was the football team or a kid in a spelling bee, if you were representing Niles, you had Lou’s unconditional support.”
Tabor, 65, died on Tuesday following knee surgery. The lifelong Niles resident graduated from McKinley High in 1969, where he was a standout football and basketball player, and a team captain in both sports. A fullback and linebacker, Tabor earned a football scholarship at Wichita State, where he played for three years.
Santangelo and Tabor were lifelong friends, classmates and teammates.
“So much is made of his athletic talents, and rightfully so, but I’ll always remember Lou the person,” Santangelo said. “Always a smile, always greeted you with a handshake or a hug. He was just a great human being.”
Former Niles McKinley High principal Mike Lastic remembers Tabor as “a quiet leader who led by example,” and referred to Tabor as one of Niles’ all-time great athletes. Lastic also served as an assistant coach during Tabor’s high school career.
“His role as a fullback exemplified his mindset as a team player,” Lastic said. “He didn’t always get the headlines because he was blocking for others. But he didn’t care, he was all about the team. And quite honestly, just his presence made the team better.”
Tabor’s younger brother, Tim, described Lou as “a heroic figure,” and said that his own success in sports (Tim played college basketball in Pennsylvania at Juniata College) was a direct result of his relationship with Lou.
“I learned about sports and I learned about life through Lou,” Tim said. “I remember growing up, we would play basketball constantly, and constantly he would beat me to a pulp. But he never broke my spirit. He didn’t gloat. He would pick me up and tell me what I did wrong, and I loved it.
“As I got older all that losing to Lou paid off. I knew I was finally able to play with him. So he comes home from college and I ask if he wants to play. He says, ‘Nope, my work is done.’ ”
Echoing the comments made by Santangelo, Tim said that his brother “was Niles to the bone.”
“Some people, they support a program until they no longer have family playing the sport,” Tim said. “For Lou, Niles was his family so if you were wearing a Niles uniform, he was your biggest fan.”
Tabor was a sophomore on the 1970 Wichita State football team which lost its head coach and 14 players when a team plane crashed in the mountains of Colorado. The players and coach were among 31 fatalities on a plane which carried 37 passengers and three crew members.
The Friday afternoon flight was bound for Logan, Utah where Wichita State was scheduled to play Utah State the following day.
Tabor, along with the remainder of his teammates and coaches were on a second plane. At the time, the team traveled on a pair of charter planes, dubbed Gold and Black. The Gold plane carried starters, the head coach and school administrators, along with family and other school dignitaries. The Black plane carried backup players and assistant coaches.
Ironically, Tabor had begun the season as a starter. That week, following a sub-par practice, he was moved to second team. His replacement, Marvin Brown, was among those who died.
“That was something he very rarely talked about, but you knew it played on his psyche his entire life,” Tim said. “For Lou, it was almost as if he had a feeling of guilt, as though he wondered, ‘Why them and not me?’ Lou lost a big piece of his heart and soul that day.”
Lou’s father was a longtime Niles City Schools teacher and principal. The Tabor family has long been associated with its support of Niles schools and the community. Santangelo said that Lou exemplified the family’s love for the school system and its sports teams.
“Here’s a guy who was around town for over sixty years, and I never once heard anyone say anything even remotely bad about the guy,” Santangelo said. “Niles just lost a great man and one of its greatest supporters.”
Funeral services for Tabor will be held at noon today at The Joseph Rossi and Sons Funeral Home in Niles