For those of you too young to remember this, it was the start of modern TU championship basketball. Nicely put together by Bruce Howard.
NIT Championship 1981
- Thread starter I.I.
- Start date
I was 8 then. Wife was 6.
We made up for it going or NY in 2001 though
We made up for it going or NY in 2001 though
I remember standing in line outside at the old ticket office that was on the north side of Skelly waiting to buy my NIT tickets. There was a genuine thrill among the fans. TU had some good teams during Joe Swank and Ken Hayes' tenure, but nothing like Nolan's first team. Rollin' with Nolan!
I was a senior in high school ready to start attending our family school the next year.
The South Alabama game at the Mabee Center may have been the toughest of the tournament.
And yes, the line to get those tickets was long.
The South Alabama game at the Mabee Center may have been the toughest of the tournament.
And yes, the line to get those tickets was long.
I was a junior in college that year. Jim Boeheim was such a whinner. LOL
GO TU!!!!
GO TU!!!!
I’m amazed at how young some of you are. I had 4 kids and a mortgage by then.
My first TU game was 1980 TU vs Louisville. That experience captures you for a lifetime.
I was living in Ponca City and trying to listen to the game on the radio. Later in the game, I could barely make out what the announcers were saying. I got in the car and drove to the highest point in town but that didn’t help. One of the Tulsa TV stations was providing an update from time to time. After hearing we won, I hardly slept. The next day, when I read what Digger Phelps had said about Tulsa and how he openly pulled for Syracuse, I became a Digger hater forever. The elitist SOB. How could little ole Tulsa defeat the mighty Orangemen and Boeheim. Thank God for Al Gore and the internet. lol
I can also recall some of us working late one at night at Conoco and trying to find out football scores for our parlay. One of the guys called Oregon State University to get the score of them and USC. He ended up talking to a security guard (campus cop). After about 5 minutes of discussing the weather in Corvallis and Ponca City, we finally got him to ask about the score. When he told us, we had won, we all yelled and the campus cop heard the ruckus and about flipped out. What the hell was all that yelling? Our guy said the cop sounded like he was about 80 years old. Good times.
I can also recall some of us working late one at night at Conoco and trying to find out football scores for our parlay. One of the guys called Oregon State University to get the score of them and USC. He ended up talking to a security guard (campus cop). After about 5 minutes of discussing the weather in Corvallis and Ponca City, we finally got him to ask about the score. When he told us, we had won, we all yelled and the campus cop heard the ruckus and about flipped out. What the hell was all that yelling? Our guy said the cop sounded like he was about 80 years old. Good times.
That was in the 'low coverage' era of non internet. How did we ever make through that time????
Boeheim was still new then. Not even running his patented zone yet!
I watched that one on YouTube again during the pandemic.
The first game I remember was vs Memphis State at the Fairgrounds Pavilion in 1973. We went to watch Willie Biles but Larry Kenon was just a bit better that night.
My first game was Tulsa vs Adams St. (Colo) in Dec. 1962. I was seven. TU won, 107-54. I thought TU had the best team in the world, not knowing what a cupcake Adams St. was. Jim King was TU's best player that year.
What you talking about!!! We still got the best team in the world and you wont change my mind.
Fun and interesting watch. Very enjoyable. I've always loved Nolan Richardson and his style of ball.
FYI, both TU and UNM have long histories in the NIT. The Lobos haven't ever won the title, but they made the championship game in 1964 and made the FF in 1990 (21-21 all time in the NIT). When we talk about Lobo hoops history, it doesn't actually begin until Bob King was hired in 1962. That 1964 run and the fan interest in finally having a winning program is what led the admin at the time to invest in basketball, and so it was the reason the Pit was built in 1966. Even Lobo fans tend to look down on the NIT, but our legendary arena might not even exist without it.
FYI, both TU and UNM have long histories in the NIT. The Lobos haven't ever won the title, but they made the championship game in 1964 and made the FF in 1990 (21-21 all time in the NIT). When we talk about Lobo hoops history, it doesn't actually begin until Bob King was hired in 1962. That 1964 run and the fan interest in finally having a winning program is what led the admin at the time to invest in basketball, and so it was the reason the Pit was built in 1966. Even Lobo fans tend to look down on the NIT, but our legendary arena might not even exist without it.
With a game vs New Mexico coming up, I’m surprised no one has mentioned the Justice Bowl.
