1974?

[4everwarriors]

recently watched the espn 30 for 30 on Bernie and Ernie

Was kind of surprised those two came out of NYC and went to Tennessee, when MU had the NYC pipeline.  does any one know if we were in on those guys?  Bernard seemed to have amiserable time in knoxville and was arrested and ruffed up by the cops on a few occassions , couldnt help but wonder how much more happy he would have bee at Mu and how much more happy we would of been to have him

Actually, I had that discussion with Ernie during his GM tenure with the Bucks. Al, indeed, did recruit Grunfeld. They had that Long Island thing goin' on. But, in the end, the Jesuit factor came into play. Things have changed over the past 40 years, aina?

[79Warrior]

One of the criticisms of Marquette was that as an independent we played a much easier schedule than did teams from the power conferences. Whether correct or not, that was the perception.

I don't know about that. There were plenty of independents during Al's time. There was no BE. Our schedules were always decent.

[GooooMarquette]

Did we used to play an easier schedule or something? It just seams odd that we were putting up such great records and didn't make it far that often. Or were we just seeded poorly for our teams most years?

There really wasn't seeding back then - teams were placed more geographically, regardless of how stacked this made certain regions.  In '76, National #2 MU lost to National #1 IU...in the Mideast Regional Final.  And in #78, I believe we were #2 and would have played #1 UK in the Mideast Regional second round if we hadn't been hosed in the opening game against Miami.  Both IU and UK went on to win the Championship those years.

Also, "didn't make it that far" is subjective - we made it at least to the Sweet Sixteen or Elite Eight nearly every season once Al got things rolling.  Look at the finishes of Al's last seven teams:

'71:  Sweet Sixteen
'72:  Sweet Sixteen
'73:  Sweet Sixteen
'74:  National Runner up
'75:  One and done (lost to eventual national runner up UK)
'76:  Elite Eight (lost to eventual NC IU)
'77:  National Champs

[Galway Eagle]

There really wasn't seeding back then - teams were placed more geographically, regardless of how stacked this made certain regions.  In '76, National #2 MU lost to National #1 IU...in the Mideast Regional Final.  And in #78, I believe we were #2 and would have played #1 UK in the Mideast Regional second round if we hadn't been hosed in the opening game against Miami.  Both IU and UK went on to win the Championship those years.

Also, "didn't make it that far" is subjective - we made it at least to the Sweet Sixteen or Elite Eight nearly every season once Al got things rolling.  Look at the finishes of Al's last seven teams:

'71:  Sweet Sixteen
'72:  Sweet Sixteen
'73:  Sweet Sixteen
'74:  National Runner up
'75:  One and done (lost to eventual national runner up UK)
'76:  Elite Eight (lost to eventual NC IU)
'77:  National Champs

Wasn't sweet16 just winning one game back then?

[GooooMarquette]

Wasn't sweet16 just winning one game back then?

Yes, but just getting in was a much bigger deal.

[swoopem]

Actually, I had that discussion with Ernie during his GM tenure with the Bucks. Al, indeed, did recruit Grunfeld. They had that Long Island thing goin' on. But, in the end, the Jesuit factor came into play. Things have changed over the past 40 years, aina?

Any idea about Bernard King? Seems like he would have been a prototypical Al guy.

[4everwarriors]

Have no knowledge of any MU interest in Bernard. Maybe, Albert? Not for sure on that, doe.

[oldwarrior81]

wasn't Albert King the top player in the country?

If memory serves, he verbaled to 3-4 places before ending up with Lefty in Maryland.

[keefe]

wasn't Albert King the top player in the country?

In his day he was. Albert King was one of the greatest blues players ever. If Al could have signed him the pre-game Star Spangled Banner would have been surreal.

[GGGG]

The Velvet Bulldozer.

[The Love House]

So, I live in Michigan not far from Detroit and I was watching a TV commercial last night that was promoting a new network for the University of Detroit Titans basketball team.  The commercial showed a series of pictures from past teams and one in particular caught my eye. It was from 1977 and showed two UD players wearing warm-ups with nothing but the words "Beat Marquette" on them. I managed to snap a picture of it (below).  Just shows you the amount of respect that McGuire and MU had back in those days that a team would go through the trouble and expense of having custom warm-ups made for just ONE opponent.  Then I did some research and found the underlying story behind them. Looks like Dick Vitale, then coach of UD, had them made prior to playing us at the MECCA in 1977.  He believed that an NCAA birth was on the line and that he HAD to beat us to get in.  In his book "Living a Dream" he makes reference to the game, it's importance, and his relationship with Al McGuire and Larry Donald, the editor of Basketball Weekly at the time.  I pasted the text next to the picture.

Turns out the importance of the game was not lost on his players either.  They upset us on our home court in the final seconds and would later earn an NCAA bid and make it to the Sweet Sixteen in Vitale's final season as head coach.  We had the last laugh though, winning the National Championship!!

[Dawson Rental]

It was a different world then. There was no internet and no big-time recruiting services that said so and so was going to such and such university. Tweets were what birds did, not what teen-aged basketball players did when coaches expressed interest.

We discussed this once before on Scoop, but if the internet, facebook and tweets, texting and other social media existed in the 1970s, I'm not sure how Al would have been perceived.

I can only imagine a 1974 Scoop when Al took the second technical at Greensboro against NC State. It would have been vicious.

Not many care to remember but Al more than got his when he (and his wife) were roundly booed when Marquette tried to honor Al after his final home game.  Marquette had just lost its third straight home game to Wichita State which everyone figured that made it curtains for getting into the NCAA tournament that year.  Al never mentioned it, but Bill Neary never forgot - giving the finger to many fans during the national championship victory parade.

[brandx]

Not many care to remember but Al more than got his when he (and his wife) were roundly booed when Marquette tried to honor Al after his final home game.  Marquette had just lost its third straight home game to Wichita State which everyone figured that made it curtains for getting into the NCAA tournament that year.  Al never mentioned it, but Bill Neary never forgot - giving the finger to many fans during the national championship victory parade.

That wasn't the only time that Al and the Warriors were booed at home

[The Love House]

Man, looking back at that 1977 schedule it's almost surprising that we even got in the tourney at all.  Like you said, we lost 3 in row at home then faced 5 straight road games to close out the season.  Knowing that McGuire was already leaving, it's easy to see why the fan base might have been frustrated at that point.  And like Al later acknowledged, had the committee waited until after the loss to Michigan to make their decision, we would never have gotten in at all.  Fortunately, Al's lucky suit saved us!

[dgies9156]

Not many care to remember but Al more than got his when he (and his wife) were roundly booed when Marquette tried to honor Al after his final home game.  Marquette had just lost its third straight home game to Wichita State which everyone figured that made it curtains for getting into the NCAA tournament that year.  Al never mentioned it, but Bill Neary never forgot - giving the finger to many fans during the national championship victory parade.

I was there that day.

I think the booing was less for Al than for the half-hearted effort the team put out that day. We were in fact playing Wichita State and we were sucking wind all day. I have my own theories as to why but I'll keep them to myself -- it's almost 40 years later and there's no sense repeating why.

All I'll say is that Al could only work with what he had. That day, the NCAA Champions-to-be were not very good. Their effort was not up to what we had expected.

Of course we booed. And Neary flipped us off because he knew what we knew -- we were booing them that day. Not Al.

[sailwi]

IIRC correctly was Cheese Johnson the big center on Wichta St.  With that name he should have played in Wisconsin.

Didn't Al change his suit at halftime of hte Michigan game, signifying we were in?  He didn't need the lucky suit any more.

[dgies9156]

Didn't Al change his suit at halftime of hte Michigan game, signifying we were in?  He didn't need the lucky suit any more.

Yes

[4everwarriors]

Al continued to wear his lucky suit throughout the Tourney run.

[willie warrior]

In his day he was. Albert King was one of the greatest blues players ever. If Al could have signed him the pre-game Star Spangled Banner would have been surreal.

He was . But BB King is still my number 1.

[jpvegas]

I believe Bob Elmore (brother of Len Elmore) was the starting center for Wichita State and "Cheese" Johnson was a slashing guard or small forward.  He destroyed Marquette that day.  I was in the student section and heard the fans booing and was shocked that they would do that.  I knew a few players on the team and they weren't happy about it and backed Neary 100%.

I'll ask this of people that know more than me about the situation at that time.  I heard that Jim Valvano (then the coach at Iona) was interested in the Marquette, job but that the hierarchy at Marquette didn't want another brash New Yorker as coach.

[MU82]

Actually, I had that discussion with Ernie during his GM tenure with the Bucks. Al, indeed, did recruit Grunfeld. They had that Long Island thing goin' on. But, in the end, the Jesuit factor came into play. Things have changed over the past 40 years, aina?

Yeah ... Wojo knows how to recruit members of the Tribe!

[augoman]

I too was at the games-never missed a home game-and remember booing Dickie Vitale when he danced at midcourt after the Titans win.  I also remember the booing after the loss to the Shockers, believe it was directed at the players, but would have to have polled every one that was booing to know.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Al continued to wear his lucky suit throughout the Tourney run.

As should the conductor of a symphony...

http://youtu.be/owKRlgpmSa0

[Dawson Rental]

I was there that day.

I think the booing was less for Al than for the half-hearted effort the team put out that day. We were in fact playing Wichita State and we were sucking wind all day. I have my own theories as to why but I'll keep them to myself -- it's almost 40 years later and there's no sense repeating why.

All I'll say is that Al could only work with what he had. That day, the NCAA Champions-to-be were not very good. Their effort was not up to what we had expected.

Of course we booed. And Neary flipped us off because he knew what we knew -- we were booing them that day. Not Al.

I too was at the games-never missed a home game-and remember booing Dickie Vitale when he danced at midcourt after the Titans win.  I also remember the booing after the loss to the Shockers, believe it was directed at the players, but would have to have polled every one that was booing to know.

I was at the game and my memory was that the booing continued after the game during Al's retirement ceremony.

[dgies9156]

I was at the game and my memory was that the booing continued after the game during Al's retirement ceremony.

Don't think I was booing. More disappointed and kinda angry at the way things transgressed that day (kinda like how I felt last season). I loved Al then and now and so I seriously doubt I had the bad taste to boo a guy who was the closest thing I had to a sports hero.

Of course I was in college and so bad taste was in my genetic code. However, I can't see myself ever having booed Al. I didn't even scream when he got the double technicals in 1974.

As to Al's ceremony, if the booing continued, it was because we were angry at the players, not Al. And they had it coming that day -- more than any other game in the four years I was at Marquette.