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Men's Basketball
100 Years Remembered In 100 Days
Jan. 28, 2005
#59 (Friday, Jan. 28, 2005) The Blizzard of `78 On the night of Jan. 25, 1978, Notre Dame defeated West Virginia and snow began to fall in South Bend. Three days later, 40 inches of snow blanketed the area, forcing much of the city to close down. The Michiana Regional Airport opened only once - to let the plane carrying the University of Maryland basketball team land. The Irish were scheduled to face the Terrapins on Jan. 29 and, with South Bend still under a snow emergency, the Joyce Center became a general-admission ballpark. Anyone that could make it to the area was admitted. A national television audience and capacity crowd saw Notre Dame defeat Maryland 69-54 behind NBC player-of-the-game Tracy Jackson, a native of Silver Spring, Md. NEXT UPDATE: #60 (Monday, Jan. 31, 2005) Legend of the Hardwood - Troy Murphy
#58 (Thursday, Jan. 27, 2005) Notre Dame Basketball Trivia
What walk-on player holds the school record for points in a single game? The answer is C. Willie Townsend. Townsend poured in 21 points vs. Western Michigan and Duquesne during the 1971-72 season. He holds the walk on records for points in a season (242 in '71-'72), and rebounds (177 in the same year). Skylard Owens (1998-2000) holds the record for games played in a season with 30. Joe Howard holds the walk-on record for assists in a single game, dishing out 12 against Pittsburgh in 1983-84. #57 (Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2005) Pipeline to the Pros - Part IV Notre Dame has sent a vast number of players into the ABA, BAA, NBL and NBA over the years. Here is a look at some of the Irish players that have appeared for professional teams (alphabetical by last name, N- R).
John (Richie) Niemiera
Paul Nowak
Thomas O'Keefe
Kevin O'Shea
John Paxson
Ron Reed
Bob Rensberger
Eddie Riska
David Rivers
Dick Rosenthal
Donald Royal
Also - on this date in Notre Dame Basketball history - Rockne's basketball coaching stint concludes with a career 1-5 record. It would take eight seasons before he lost five games in football.
#56 (Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2005) Legend of the Hardwood - John Moir During his three years on campus, John Moir helped Notre Dame to a 62-8-1 record and the 1936 Helms Foundation National Championship - and he had never picked up a basketball until he came to Notre Dame. A tremendous athlete who could score from anywhere on the court, Moir played for the Irish from 1935-38. His team routinely scored 30-60 points a game and was dubbed the `point-a-minute' team. This was the time when a center jump occurred after every made basket, so it is safe to say that the Irish were on the cutting edge of basketball at this time and Moir played a big part in the squad's development. Moir was a three-time All-American at Notre Dame, averaging 10.8 points per game (which might translate to at least 30 points a game in today's game). There was no real professional basketball league in the late 1930s, so his prowess and ability was somewhat forgotten, except by those that saw him play for the Fighting Irish.
Also - on this date in Notre Dame Basketball history - Jan. 25, 1982 - Reeling with a 4-10 record and trailing by 18 points, Notre Dame finds resolve to defeat the #8 Idaho Vandals 50-48. John Paxson's 22 points headline the effort. It marks the 10th consecutive year the Irish defeat at least one Top 10 team - and a week later the Irish do it again with a 75-66 victory vs. #7 San Francisco en route to a 10-17 finish. #55 (Monday, Jan. 24, 2005) Guiding Lights While Notre Dame's players have always been the fuel of the program's engine, it has been the coaches who have provided the guidance toward hardwood success. Here is a quick look at some of the noteworthy coaches in Notre Dame basketball history:
George Keogan (1923-24 to 1942-43) - Keogan stabilized the program when he was brought aboard by athletic director Knute Rockne. Four seasons after his arrival, the 1926-27 team won the Helms Foundation national championship and lost only two games in two seasons. Utilizing All-American big men such as John Nykios, Moose Krause and Paul Nowak, Keogan's teams, at least in part, dictated several rule changes, including the three-second violation and the 10-second backcourt call.
John Jordan (1951-52 to 1963-64) - Jordan's Chicago-area connections brought a number of talented players to the program (Jack Stephens, John McCarthy and Tommy Hawkins) and the program made its first NCAA tournament appearances under Jordan - including three trips to the Elite Eight. As Jordan's tenure progressed, the level of success dropped off and he resigned after the 1964 season.
Digger Phelps (1971-72 to 1990-91) - Phelps presided over the `Golden Age' of Notre Dame basketball, failing to make it to the postseason just three times in 20 years (including 14 NCAA tournament berths) and a Final Four appearance in 1978. Phelps' savvy and colorful style kept the Fighting Irish on television and in the headlines, while the ACC (now the Joyce Center) developed into a feared destination for opposing teams.
Mike Brey (2000-01 to present) - Brey took the Irish back to the NCAA Tournament in his first season, ending an 11-year absence by the program. His third Notre Dame team advanced to the Sweet 16 and Brey's squads have developed into a consistent contender in a challenging BIG EAST Conference. With a number of highly-recruited student-athletes in the program (Chris Thomas, Torin Francis) and even more on the way (a highly-touted recruiting class for the 2005-06 season), Brey has given the program momentum heading into the next 100 years of Irish basketball.
On this date in Notre Dame Basketball history -
Previous 100 Years in 100 Days updates: Week Eight (#50-#54) ND - UCLA '74 12 Days of a Notre Dame Basketball Christmas (#27-#39)
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