Rick Mount scored 61 points in a game against Iowa at Mackey Arena his senior season. Nobody seems to have a complete video of that game. Copies were loaned out to John Purdue Clubs around the state to show at their meetings and never returned. Mount says he once had a copy but loaned it out and never got it back.

I can only offer the next-best thing, his 53-point outing at Iowa earlier that season. Purdue lost this game on Jan. 3 in its Big Ten opener, just as it lost when he scored 61 against the Hawkeyes. That’s a reminder that basketball is a team game, but I wouldn’t blame Mount. Purdue starters Larry Weatherford and William Franklin were suspended for this game after violating team rules during the team’s trip to New York City for a holiday tournament the previous week — insiders say now it involved the partaking of a certain illegal substance.

So, Purdue was seriously short of firepower and needed all it could get from Mount. Besides, Iowa was no joke. It finished the Big Ten schedule with a 14-0 record while averaging 102.9 points in conference play. It’s roster included two future NBA players: John Johnson and Downtown Freddie Brown. Purdue lost just three Big Ten games that season and two were to Iowa.

Watching this video you get a complete look at what made Mount the school’s all-time leading scorer. His picture-perfect jump shot is on full display, including his ability to shoot off the dribble while floating to his right or fading backward. At 6-foot-4 he was tall for a guard in his era, and his shot was nearly impossible to block.

This video comes from a black and white film likely shot by a student manager standing in the “crow’s nest” in Iowa Fieldhouse. It’s not like watching a television broadcast, but you still can appreciate the content. It is broken into three segments.

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