Feb. 11, 2005
The University of Notre Dame official athletics site, www.und.com, continues its tribute today to the school’s celebration of 100 Season of Basketball. Spanning the entirety of the college basketball season, www.und.com, will update this section of the site every weekday 100 times in an effort to highlight Notre Dame’s 100th Basketball Season in 2004-05.
The updates will change between trivia questions, quick bios from Notre Dame’s all-century team, various “On this date in Notre Dame Basketball” elements and more.
Also available this season is the book 100 Seasons of Basketball, produced by the University of Notre Dame Sports Information Office and Notre Dame Sports Properties. The book is available exclusively through the Notre Dame Bookstore (call 800-647-4641 or to go www.ndcatalog.com).
#69 (Feb. 11, 2005)
Notre Dame Basketball Trivia
Notre Dame national exposure is second to none. Since the 2000-01 campaign, how many times have the Irish been featured on national television?
A. 52 times
B. 75 times
C. 28 times
D. 102 times
The answer is A. Notre Dame has appeared on national television a whopping 52 times since the 2000-01 season.
Also – on this date in Notre Dame Basketball history (including dates that fall over the upcoming weekend) –
Feb. 11, 1967 – #5 Houston, led by Elvin Hayes, falls 87-78 at the Fieldhouse as sophomore Bob Arnzen tallies 37 points. The Cougars would not lose another regular-season game until two years later.
Feb. 12, 1983 – Notre Dame wins at unranked North Carolina State 43-42, the fewest points scored by the Irish in victory in 34 years. This was the last loss for Jim Valvano’s crew en route to its miraculous NCAA tournament title more than a month later.
NEXT UPDATE:
#70 (Feb. 14, 2005)
Legend of the Hardwood – Kevin O’Shea
#68 (Feb. 10, 2005)
Academic Pride
Off the court, Notre Dame’s statistics are even more impressive. Over the last 42 years, every player (114 in all) who has entered Notre Dame on a basketball scholarship and remained in school for four years has received his degree.
That tally includes six players who have earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, including Pat Garrity who was named the men’s basketball Academic All-American of the Year in 1998. Notre Dame has produced four winners of the prestigious NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship, including 1998 recipient Garrity, John Paxson, Bob Arnzen and Gary Nowak.
Also – on this date in Notre Dame Basketball history –
Feb. 10, 1936 – In the first meeting between two future Hall of Fame coaches, Notre Dame defeats Kentucky 41-20. George Keogan would hold an amazing 7-1 head-to-head edge against Wildcats legend Adolph Rupp.
Feb. 10, 1958 – After losing 78-64 at Marquette in December, Notre Dame avenges the defeat with a 106-74 thrashing at home – the first time Notre Dame would surpass the century mark in scoring.
#67 (Feb. 9, 2005)
Fantasy Fives – the 1980s
As part of the 100 Seasons of Basketball book produced by the Notre Dame Sports Information department, a feature on `Fantasy Fives’ – the best five players from each decade – was included to highlight some of the over 700 players who have donned an Irish uniform. Today, we will look at a group of players from the 1980s.
Backcourt:
John Paxson (1979-83)
David Rivers (1984-88)
Frontcourt: Tracy Jackson (1977-81)
Kelly Tripuka (1977-81)
Orlando Woodridge (1977-81)
First-round NBA picks Paxson and Rivers were two-time All-America selections as point guards.
Tripuka, Jackson and Woolridge are the most esteemed trio from one class at Notre Dame, as they helped lead the school to the most victories (92) in a four-year period. Tripuka earned All-America accolades three times; the 6-5 Jackson was the team’s scoring and rebounding leader as a junior; and Woolridge was the number six overall pick – six spots higher than Tripuka – in the 1981 NBA draft.
Also – on this date in Notre Dame Basketball history –
Feb. 9, 2002 – The longest game in Notre Dame history ends with a 116-111 triumph at Georgetown after four overtimes. Chris Thomas plays all 60 minutes and finishes with 22 points and 10 assists. Three other Notre Dame players finish with double-doubles: Matt Carroll (30 points and 10 rebounds), Ryan Humphrey (23 points, 14 rebounds) and Harold Swanagan (11 points, 10 rebounds).
#66 (Feb. 8, 2005)
Last Unbeaten In The Joyce Center
In a preview of tonight’s big game against 20-0 Boston College (7 p.m., ESPN2), 100 Years in 100 Days looks back at the last time an unbeaten team (with at least 20 wins) visited the Joyce Center this late in the season.
It was Feb. 27, 1980, when #1 DePaul entered the ACC with a 25-0 record. In one of the most thrilling games in the ACC, the Irish earned a 76-74 double-overtime victory led by 28 points from Kelly Tripuka. Orlando Woolridge’s two free throws with 19 seconds left proved to be the game winner.
The DePaul victory came three years after #1 San Francisco entered the Joyce Center on March 5, 1977, with a 29-0 record. The Dons did not leave undefeated – as Notre Dame handed them a 93-82 victory. While the DePaul victory in ’80 was possibly more dramatic, the San Francisco game in ’77 proved just how valuable the home-court crowd could be.
The San Francisco game is, without a doubt, one of the greatest games played in the ACC (now the Joyce Center). In the final home game for seniors Toby Knight, Bill Paterno, Ray Martin and Dave Kuzmicz (freshmen on the team that snapped UCLA’s 88-game streak in ’74), the Irish posted a key victory to earn a spot on the 32-team NCAA tournament.
Notre Dame held a pep rally for the ’77 San Francisco game, where head coach Digger Phelps implored his “sixth man” to be in the stands a half hour before the game and begin a rhythmic chant pertaining to the Dons’ record: Twenty-nine (clap! clap!) – and one (clap!, clap!)…
“Our sixth man was the greatest,” Phelps said. “What people talk about and see at Duke with the Cameron Crazies – that was us in the 1970s.”
The throng assembled well before tip-off and began the “29-and-one” chant as San Francisco warmed up. When Phelps and the Irish took the court, the pandemonium reached a deafening crescendo. After the Dons took a 28-22 advantage, the student body heightened the noise level and everyone else in attendance followed its lead.
San Francisco’s final lead was 58-57, but Phelps introduced his “four to score” set – an aggressive style of the four-corner stall offense designed to isolate the best one-one-one player against one defender. Duck Williams tallied 17 of his 25 points in the final 11 minutes and the offense baffled San Francisco, as Notre Dame eventually pulled away to a 93-82 victory.
At the conclusion of the game, NBC’s Dick Enberg and Billy Packer made the unprecedented decision to award the game MVP honor to the student body.
#65 (Feb. 7, 2005)
Legend of the Hardwood – Paul Nowak
At 6-6, Paul Nowak would not be considered an exceptionally tall player by today’s basketball definitions. When Nowak suited up for the Irish in 1935, however, the game was much different and the South Bend, Ind., native was the tallest player that head coach George Keogan had ever coached.
Dominant in the paint, Nowak led Notre Dame to a 62-8-1 (.873) record during his career, averaging 7.3 points per game.
“Nowak was 6-6, which was a giant back then,” remembered classmate and former Irish assistant Ray Meyer.
“He had been out of high school for a year or so before he attended Notre Dame and he had played semi-pro ball in South Bend for the Bendix Corporation. He was their star and one of the first great big men to play the game.”
After graduating in 1938, Nowak became one of Notre Dame’s first professional basketball players, as he, John Moir and Tom Wukovits all played for the Akron Firestones in the new National Basketball League, leading Akron to the league championship in their first two years.
Also – on this date in Notre Dame Basketball history –
Feb. 7, 1970 – One of the most thrilling contests in ACC history concludes with a 96-95 double-overtime triumph against Al McGuire’s #9 Marquette Warriors. The first overtime occurs when Tom Sinnott and Mike O’Connell steal an inbounds pass with four seconds left and feed Austin Carr for a lay-up.
Previous 100 Years in 100 Days updates:
Week Eight (#50-#54) ND – UCLA ’74