02-11-2020, 09:05 AM
Yes, 1967 Dayton in NCAA Championship. They had beat North Carolina in Final 4. They could not beat John Wooden UCLA of Lew Alcindor Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Well, who could ? NBA couldn't even stop Jabbar. Dayton went up against arguably the best NCAA team ever that night.
I don't ever expect Dayton to win it all. Too many big schools like Kentucky. This is not negative, but just realistic. Some say Dayton winning the NIT in it's day was as big as winning NCAA. If so, Dayton will always have that when they won NIT back in 1961-62 season. Dayton does have 3 NIT Championships. They have been Sweet 16 team 7 times, Elite 8 three times, Final 4 one time, Championship Game one time in loss to mighty UCLA team dynasty that nobody could beat. Winning it all is a lot for a Dayton Fan to expect.
I was 7 to 10 years old on Stonemill Road when we moved into Great Grandfathers house who died in 1962. So from 1962 to 1965 my bedroom window looked out at UD football field. Walking to school past Basketball UD Field House. Those were on campus back before 1970. So I was a kid playing near or on the campus. So of course I became a UD Fan, the campus was our neighborhood. A bunch of us Little Rascals in the alley saw a Football Homecoming Float in students back yard. We tied a rope to it and took it for a ride up and down the alley, until the College Guys & Girls caught us. The College Guys & Girls were good people in early 60's. Also a Black male speech therapist at UD taught me a White kid how to say the letter R, not W. That he did this in 1965 as Dr King and Blacks still marching for Voting Rights is never lost on me. He helped other people stop making fun of how I talked as a kid, and I am greatly forever in his debt. That this Black teacher helped me a white kid overcome those who were prejudice against me. I owe him forever.
So as much of a UD Fan as I grew up, I can't demand that this small school must WIN IT ALL. I've learned, just be happy for the good years. Also, a professor in a tavern in 1980's told me how good Kevin Conrad was in math classes. See, I had only seen how good a player he was. We forget some of these guys are Students First and basketball is just a hobby. Most of Dayton's players went to college to get an education, not to go to NBA. So this Conrad being great in College Math per the Professor IS WINNING IT ALL. Even in bad years to respect the players because few Dayton players are thinking NBA, they are STUDENT athletes, the key word being STUDENTS. Basketball will never be the Life's Career of 99 % of UD Players.
I came on here to say 21-2 Dayton is in TOP 10 and #1 in A-10. They play #2 in A-10 Rhode Island tonight February 11th on CBSSN. Most people with Direct TV or Spectrum and such get this. In my Ohio area 322 on Spectrum and 221 on Direct TV at 7:30 PM. #1 vs #2 is a Big Game. A Dayton win going to 22-2 would be HUGE. In my life, I've never seen UD with such a record and in TOP 10.
I don't ever expect Dayton to win it all. Too many big schools like Kentucky. This is not negative, but just realistic. Some say Dayton winning the NIT in it's day was as big as winning NCAA. If so, Dayton will always have that when they won NIT back in 1961-62 season. Dayton does have 3 NIT Championships. They have been Sweet 16 team 7 times, Elite 8 three times, Final 4 one time, Championship Game one time in loss to mighty UCLA team dynasty that nobody could beat. Winning it all is a lot for a Dayton Fan to expect.
I was 7 to 10 years old on Stonemill Road when we moved into Great Grandfathers house who died in 1962. So from 1962 to 1965 my bedroom window looked out at UD football field. Walking to school past Basketball UD Field House. Those were on campus back before 1970. So I was a kid playing near or on the campus. So of course I became a UD Fan, the campus was our neighborhood. A bunch of us Little Rascals in the alley saw a Football Homecoming Float in students back yard. We tied a rope to it and took it for a ride up and down the alley, until the College Guys & Girls caught us. The College Guys & Girls were good people in early 60's. Also a Black male speech therapist at UD taught me a White kid how to say the letter R, not W. That he did this in 1965 as Dr King and Blacks still marching for Voting Rights is never lost on me. He helped other people stop making fun of how I talked as a kid, and I am greatly forever in his debt. That this Black teacher helped me a white kid overcome those who were prejudice against me. I owe him forever.
So as much of a UD Fan as I grew up, I can't demand that this small school must WIN IT ALL. I've learned, just be happy for the good years. Also, a professor in a tavern in 1980's told me how good Kevin Conrad was in math classes. See, I had only seen how good a player he was. We forget some of these guys are Students First and basketball is just a hobby. Most of Dayton's players went to college to get an education, not to go to NBA. So this Conrad being great in College Math per the Professor IS WINNING IT ALL. Even in bad years to respect the players because few Dayton players are thinking NBA, they are STUDENT athletes, the key word being STUDENTS. Basketball will never be the Life's Career of 99 % of UD Players.
I came on here to say 21-2 Dayton is in TOP 10 and #1 in A-10. They play #2 in A-10 Rhode Island tonight February 11th on CBSSN. Most people with Direct TV or Spectrum and such get this. In my Ohio area 322 on Spectrum and 221 on Direct TV at 7:30 PM. #1 vs #2 is a Big Game. A Dayton win going to 22-2 would be HUGE. In my life, I've never seen UD with such a record and in TOP 10.
1968 Bengal Fan
