This week in MU basketball history. 26 years ago Majerus resigns

[Mutaman]

Does anyone remember that Bobby Knight accepted the job at Wisconsin- on the condition that no one say anything so he could go back to West Point and tell his players. Well some farmer on the Board of Regents went into a bar and started shooting his mouth off. The press heard the story and broke it, Knight withdrew his acceptance, and John Powless was hired.

[Hoopaloop]

Wow. In short order Marquette dropped from the #2 basketball program in the country  (much higher than our current spot) to a place several rungs BELOW the SLUs of the world?  No freakin way. Absolutely impossible! And I'm sure if there had been an internet in the 80s, Hoop would have told us so.

1)   MU's commitment at the time had dropped, really dropped not just pretend dropped by a bunch of tinfoil hats on message board from 50 and 60 somethings that don't know what they are talking about.  No weight room, salaries were low, conferences were forming and they wanted to stay independent, the commitment wasn't there. 

Despite the panic comments from you and others that we would not be able to recruit JUCO students, the budgets would be slashed, Buzz wasn't going to be happy, etc, none of that appears to be the case in reality.  We just signed a top JUCO player, forked over big dollars for an assistant coach, scheduling stronger than ever.  Pretend lack of commitment vs real lack of commitment.

2)     If MU continues to have the #2 budget overall, remains in the Big East, allows the recruiting of kids that may not get in everywhere else, but has three straight hires like what MU did after Al, then you can expect MU to drop as well.    MU never should have hired Hank in that position, same for Rick, same for Dukiet. 

That is why MU dropped, bad hires and lack of commitment.

How that is remotely close to what is currently happening with MU only you and a few others here will have to explain to us.

[dgies9156]

1)   MU's commitment at the time had dropped, really dropped not just pretend dropped by a bunch of tinfoil hats on message board from 50 and 60 somethings that don't know what they are talking about.  No weight room, salaries were low, conferences were forming and they wanted to stay independent, the commitment wasn't there. 

Despite the panic comments from you and others that we would not be able to recruit JUCO students, the budgets would be slashed, Buzz wasn't going to be happy, etc, none of that appears to be the case in reality.  We just signed a top JUCO player, forked over big dollars for an assistant coach, scheduling stronger than ever.  Pretend lack of commitment vs real lack of commitment.

2)     If MU continues to have the #2 budget overall, remains in the Big East, allows the recruiting of kids that may not get in everywhere else, but has three straight hires like what MU did after Al, then you can expect MU to drop as well.    MU never should have hired Hank in that position, same for Rick, same for Dukiet. 

That is why MU dropped, bad hires and lack of commitment.

How that is remotely close to what is currently happening with MU only you and a few others here will have to explain to us.

Thanks Hoopalong. Any of us who were fans of the Warriors in the 1980s knew that was the dark period in Marquette athletics. By the end of the decade, even I stopped going because I felt in watching them that nobody cared.

I have spoken of basketball as the Golden Goose many times. The Jesuits saw that it was laying golden eggs that converted into classrooms, professors, scholarships. When Dukiet was fired, I suspect that someone at O'Hara Hall had about all he could take. Without basketball, we were slowly becoming irrelevant and while a wonderful theology department is a bonus, it sure does not pay the bills the way basketball does.

[GGGG]

Does anyone remember that Bobby Knight accepted the job at Wisconsin- on the condition that no one say anything so he could go back to West Point and tell his players. Well some farmer on the Board of Regents went into a bar and started shooting his mouth off. The press heard the story and broke it, Knight withdrew his acceptance, and John Powless was hired.

Wisconsin also passed on Bo Schembechler as its football coach, and instead hired John Coatta, who prompty went 3-26-1. 

[Lennys Tap]

1)   MU's commitment at the time had dropped, really dropped not just pretend dropped by a bunch of tinfoil hats on message board from 50 and 60 somethings that don't know what they are talking about.  No weight room, salaries were low, conferences were forming and they wanted to stay independent, the commitment wasn't there. 

Despite the panic comments from you and others that we would not be able to recruit JUCO students, the budgets would be slashed, Buzz wasn't going to be happy, etc, none of that appears to be the case in reality.  We just signed a top JUCO player, forked over big dollars for an assistant coach, scheduling stronger than ever.  Pretend lack of commitment vs real lack of commitment.

2)     If MU continues to have the #2 budget overall, remains in the Big East, allows the recruiting of kids that may not get in everywhere else, but has three straight hires like what MU did after Al, then you can expect MU to drop as well.    MU never should have hired Hank in that position, same for Rick, same for Dukiet. 

That is why MU dropped, bad hires and lack of commitment.

How that is remotely close to what is currently happening with MU only you and a few others here will have to explain to us.

Your hindsight is 20/20, but back then I'm sure you would have been soundind the "all clear" since the president, AD and BOT were all "smart people".

[dgies9156]

He might have but there's no way I would have gone that route -- and I said so at the time.

Hank was a wonderful man who raised an outstanding family and was a huge asset to our university and basketball program. He wasn't a head coach. He was passed over when Al was hired in 1964.

We needed to honor Hank the way North Carolina honored Bill Guthridge. But neither Hank nor Bill were head coaching material for a national program seeking to maintain themselves at the top of the NCAA. In our case, the rise of DePaul should have been a shot across the bow and the emergence of the Big East was a shot we could not sustain without new blood. No matter what we did, we needed to spend money and maintain a high-profile coach. At that time, neither Hank nor Rick was the guy who would lead us back to McGuireland. That's not hind site. We knew it in the 1980s and we knew when the best recruit post-Rivers Hank could get was Terrell Schlundt that we were in trouble.

Unfortunately, we got new blood, when Kevin O'Neill was hired. Ten years after he should have been. Maybe when everyone wakes up, we'll erect at least a statue to the KO as the man who saved Marquette basketball from the guys at O'Hara Hall.

Without KO there would be no Tom Crean. Without Tom Crean, there's no DWade and there's no Final Four and No Buzz.

Without all of this, we'd be in the same boat as Loyola of Chicago. Great Jesuit School, great tradition, Irrevelant Basketball Program, Horizon League also-ran.

[Blackhat]

He might have but there's no way I would have gone that route -- and I said so at the time.

Hank was a wonderful man who raised an outstanding family and was a huge asset to our university and basketball program. He wasn't a head coach. He was passed over when Al was hired in 1964.

We needed to honor Hank the way North Carolina honored Bill Guthridge. But neither Hank nor Bill were head coaching material for a national program seeking to maintain themselves at the top of the NCAA. In our case, the rise of DePaul should have been a shot across the bow and the emergence of the Big East was a shot we could not sustain without new blood. No matter what we did, we needed to spend money and maintain a high-profile coach. At that time, neither Hank nor Rick was the guy who would lead us back to McGuireland. That's not hind site. We knew it in the 1980s and we knew when the best recruit post-Rivers Hank could get was Terrell Schlundt that we were in trouble.

Unfortunately, we got new blood, when Kevin O'Neill was hired. Ten years after he should have been. Maybe when everyone wakes up, we'll erect at least a statue to the KO as the man who saved Marquette basketball from the guys at O'Hara Hall.

Without KO there would be no Tom Crean. Without Tom Crean, there's no DWade and there's no Final Four and No Buzz.

Without all of this, we'd be in the same boat as Loyola of Chicago. Great Jesuit School, great tradition, Irrevelant Basketball Program, Horizon League also-ran.

Our vocal fan base and support for the program is what drives our success in the long run.  Plus a guy like Dick Strong ensured a rise in profile.  Thanks again Dick!

[Dr. Blackheart]

In the past 45 years since Al's first NIT run, MU has had four losing seasons, under eight separate coaches. 50% of those were under Billy Joel.  In the past five seasons, DePaul has had five losing seasons. MU's commitment has been the difference.

[Blackhat]

eight coaches in 4 losing seasons.   Was Trump running the show?

j/k four losing seasons through eight coaches is pretty good.  Recently, standards changed as we became a high major and more cream puffs below us formed.

[hoops12]

Rick was one shooter away from having three NCAA tournament teams. They lost so many close games while he was there, but they really lacked a shooter. Rick Olson had given a verbal, and then backed out because of the pressure that was put on him from UW and the local community. While Doc Rivers was there, everyone was playing a zone against Marquette. We couldn't shoot the ball! Olson could have been a difference maker. Also, Wolf could have been a huge get for the program, but even without those two, we were a couple of victories from the NCAA Tournament each season under Rick Majerus. These were all regular season losses. Rick has always been a great mind of the game, but everyone wanted the "Al success" and that wasn't going to come as easy as it once did. The Big East and other factors changed how Marquette did things.

1983 -84 (17-13)
Loss by 5 @  Clemson
Loss by 4 @  Providence
Loss by 6 vs. Wake Forest
Loss by 1 vs. Northern Illinois
Loss by 1 vs. Missouri
Loss by 4 vs. Colorado
Loss by 1 @  Marshall
Loss by 4 @  Loyola


1984-85 (20-11)
Loss by 1 vs. Kansas State
Loss by 8 @ Minnesota
Loss by 6 vs. Gonzaga
Loss by 8 vs. Texas A&M
Loss by 1 vs. Notre Dame
Loss by 6 @  Notre Dame

1985-86 (19-11)
Loss by 1 @  Wisconsin
Loss by 2 vs. Bradley
Loss by 6 @  N. Illinois
Loss by 1 @  Kansas State
Loss by 2 vs. North Carolina
Loss by 5 @  VCU
Loss by 2 @  Notre Dame
Loss by 6 vs. Xavier
Loss by 8 @  Notre Dame
Loss by 8 @  DePaul

[Dr. Blackheart]

eight coaches in 4 losing seasons.   Was Trump running the show?

j/k four losing seasons through eight coaches is pretty good.  Recently, standards changed as we became a high major and more cream puffs below us formed.

Looked up DePaul. The Blue Demons had 14 losing seasons in the past 45....over 6 different coaches. Only Leitao did NOT have a losing season.  All rougly under the same schedules and conferences by comparison to MU.

[dgies9156]

Rick was one shooter away from having three NCAA tournament teams. They lost so many close games while he was there, but they really lacked a shooter. Rick Olson had given a verbal, and then backed out because of the pressure that was put on him from UW and the local community.  Rick has always been a great mind of the game, but everyone wanted the "Al success" and that wasn't going to come as easy as it once did. The Big East and other factors changed how Marquette did things.

Yes, you're right but in basketball like in life, you're judged by your wins. I like Rick and still feel bad he didn't get Marquette to the Final Four. His teams drove me crazy because we were always one step away -- that's what drove O'Hara Hall crazy and ultimately drove the fan base crazy.

That North Carolina game in 1985-1986 is a case in point. Here was a chance on a national stage for Marquette to re-establish itself. The game was at our place so Dean Smith could let Joe Wolf have a game near his home (he did that with his schedule for his players back then). We were rocking and there was a strong championship feel in the air.

Perhaps things would have been different if we won, but we couldn't close the deal and we didn't win. People went away saying this wasn't same old Marquette.

I was concerned for awhile a year ago that Buzz was headed down the same path. But then we went to the Sweet 16 and beat Xavier and Syracuse and all was well with the world! The Xavier and Syracuse games in the 2011 tournament were Buzz's North Carolina. But this time Marquette came through and followed it up in 2012 with another good tournament run.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Your hindsight is 20/20, but back then I'm sure you would have been soundind the "all clear" since the president, AD and BOT were all "smart people".

You are 100% correct.

This also gives me hope because anybody at MU can plainly see when hoops is down, $ is down, and everything gets effected. We have a real life example from the 80's. 

Also, just to be fair to the previous regime(s), the opposite approach would have been to create a SMU-like culture and done whatever was necessary to stay on top (post Al). This would have been far worse in the long run.

MU should never accept or expect mediocrity, but winning and generating revenue isn't worth the price that SMU paid either.

Everybody has their own "line".