Planksy called me, seeking relief. Very hard on himself. However, he won just two NCAA tournament games and left under fire after the 2000-01 season. I should never have gone. His teams went 49-94 in five seasons, and he was fired after the 91-92 season. Mitch is a great Xs-and-Os guy and a great recruiter, says Plansky, but a woeful manager. At the time, Buonaguro was desperately hoping to get one last chance to run his own program and he felt that being described by a member of the fabled 85 Villanova team as a woeful manager, would damage his chances. But its gotten better as the season has gone along. There was just so much trust., On the first Thursday in March the Wildcats beat Pittsburgh, 69-61, in the first round of the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden, a win that ensured them an NCAA bid. Coaches everywhere were instantly and forever given license to dream aloud, inspiring their teams to do the impossible: Boys, let me tell you a story about a basketball game back in 1985. Georgetown was the better team, but anyone close to the programs, or the Big East, expected a fight. It was built in 1932 and renamed in 1985 after longtime Villanova athletic trainer Jake Nevin. 24 Holy Cross. We have a great administration, great assistant coaches. Here are the 1985 NCAA tournament leaders (number of games in parentheses): Individual scoring Kenny Walker, Kentucky (3): 25.0 points per game Individual rebounding Karl Malone, Louisiana Tech. He would tell me, Youre here for a reason. The chemistry in those two weeks was incredible, and I still dont know what triggered it. That could be schtick. Personally, I would have caught it. Broadnax says, A lot of people said it was a tough pass. Ive had a real roller coaster since Villanova, he says. In 1985, they were the games reigning champions, and seemingly ready to forge a dynasty. Villanova experienced very little roster turnover after the 1983-84 season. ), (In Georgetowns stall, Jackson was supposed to receive a return pass from Broadnax, but was denied by the Villanova defense, forcing Broadnax to pass to Martin and, subsequently, the pass that led to the critical turnover. And they were going to the Final Four. BIG EAST Conference/Collegiate Images/Getty Images. Talk about a standout: The lanky Ed Pinckney would finish the championship game with 16 points, six rebounds, and a new status heading into the NBA draft. He has been divorced for six years, but his 11-year-old daughter, Jade Alexis McLain, lives nearby in Florida and stays with McLain every other weekend. Along the way he lost his marriage and his naivet, yet continues to live the life of a bench soldier. They had been to two Sweet 16s and fought tons of Big East battles. Pinckney, McClain, McLain and the junior Pressley had been joined in the starting lineup by junior shooting guard Dwight Wilbur from Paterson, N.J. Jensen would back up Wilbur, while the hulking Everson and Mark Plansky, a 6' 7" freshman sapling from the Boston area, would get frontline minutes off the bench. His first team went 24-7 and played in the NCAA tournament. Carlesimo, who was then the head coach at Seton Halland insisting that success hadnt made him a different man. Although a recent poll suggested that some 98% of Villanovas students were in favor of restoring football, another poll showed that two-thirds of the faculty were against it. $7.99 shipping. Eleven years later, Plansky says, Those things happened. We played fine, says Ewing now. Four years later, at the age of 24, Jensen and a partner started Showtime Enterprises, a marketing company that now employs 125 people in six offices (Showtime was subsequently acquired by Sparks Marketing Group, for which Jensen is an Executive Vice President.) The leaves are turning, a frost is in the air, the familiar sound is a punted ball. He wanted to be a member of the family again, and of course I accepted that, Massimino said in mid-March. Close your eyes and picture yourself playing this game to win. The Wildcats unexpected presence in the championship game took their fans (and cheerleaders) to new heights in Rupp Arena. The youngest child of an immigrant shoemaker who had a sixth-grade education, Massimino would have five children of his own, and they would give him 16 (17 now) grandchildren. The decision was highly controversial and triggered efforts resulting in the restoration of football at the Division I-AA level in 1985. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. He wished he hadnt said those things about Buonaguro and he wished I hadnt written them. He has worked since October for a company that places doctors in temporary positions. Villanova basketball teams, for instance, have made the Final Four three times and won the national championship a year ago. The team played its home games at Villanova Field House in Villanova, Pennsylvania, and was a member of the Big East Conference. I called him to gauge his interest in my son playing for him at Savannah State. Broadnax has been head coach at Division I Savannah State since 2005. Pinkney, McClain, and McLain were all selected in 1985. The McLain story would scar him terribly. Massimino cant get out three sentences without dropping the names of half a dozen former players or assistant coaches, each of whom is referred tosincerely, it seemsas a dear friend. Some go back as far as days coaching high school in Hillside, N.J. During a two-hour interview he gets three calls on his cellphone, all from former players. Ive got to get open to get that ball back, says Jackson. How long did it take me to get over it? Massimino says. The top-5 players of all time for Villanova football *Villanova joined the FCS in 1985. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list. If I saw him right now Id put a fist through the back of his head, says Maker. That incident just swept the whole team into the locker room on a wave, says Marty Marbach, one of the assistant coaches. I wear the ring and the watch from 85, he says. Plansky and Jensen chat all the time. The lack of a clock played to Massiminos strength, and he used slow tempo like a billy club, mixing up the 55 defensive sets in the Villanova scheme (Massimino still has them at home in a playbookmultiples, he called them) and working each offensive possession as if a missed shot would lead to incarceration. The championship elevated spidery 6'9 1/2" center Ed Pinckney to the 10th pick in the NBA draft, launched a workmanlike 12-year professional career and eventually steered him back to Villanova, where he is now a first-year assistant coach under Jay Wright. Ive got nothing but love and respect for Villanova University. ), Unlike all of his players from the miracle team, Massimino has never watched the entire championship game tape. If its that important to them, its that important to the university., At the alumni office, Capone, the former coach who recruited Raider end Howie Long for Villanova, said: Compared to the total budget at any college, the football budget isnt that bad.. Very bad.. My strength is coming back now, but Ill tell you. He shakes his head, describing the intensity of the scare. Void in ONT. And it was real. Jensen says, I was recruited by Providence, Syracuse, UCLA and South Carolina. Buonaguro, who had joined Massiminos staff in 1977 when he was 24, was hired at Fairfield shortly after the 85 title game. Why at Villanova, which had played football for 87 years on its campus in suburban Philadelphia, did the authorities first abolish, then shortly afterward restore the game? At the end of the day, its me and coach with the kids and I say to coach, Okay, Gary is over there in a room and he wants to talk to you. Coach says, I will kill you for this. And I said, Look, this ends here. The Flyers held for the last shot, but Pressley stole a pass, and Villanova spread the floor in a variation of North Carolina coach Dean Smiths notorious four corners offense, a setup that could be used to control a game for minutes on end if executed properly. Read our privacy guidelines, your California privacy rights, and ad choices. The emphasis on the sport isnt unanimously endorsed at Villanova, whose pastoral campus adjoining the village of Bryn Mawr is a showplace on Philadelphias suburban Main Line. VILLANOVA'S HISTORIC UPSET OF GEORGETOWN in the 1985 NCAA championship game remains one of college basketball's most memorable and compelling moments. Its a nice icebreaker around Philadelphia.), Lappas was the last to leave Villanova. UNLV bought out the remaining three years of his contract for $1.9 million. For years after the article came out, there were a whole lot of times when I said, Damn, man, I wish I didnt write that article. Here he often plays 27 holes or more a day and lunches with roundball cronies like Chuck Daly and Billy Cunningham. Do they think were going to lie down for them? Where: Franklin Field in . I just wanted our program to be respected. McCaffrey left after the 2009-10 season to become head coach at Iowa. 21 Richmond and No. [1] It was the program's first season since 1980, as the team had been discontinued for four years due to perceived lack of financial resources to compete at the Major College (now Football Bowl Subdivision) level. Eligibility restrictions apply. Record: 23-14(10-6, 4th in Big East MBB), NCAA Tournament: Marty and Denise Marbach invited both Massimino and Lappas and seated them, with their wives, at the same table. Visit ESPN to view the Villanova Wildcats team roster for the current season They had a great team: Chris Mullin, Mark Jackson, guys who had long NBA careers. And Mitch and I are good now.), (Since 2008, Marbach, 61, has been working as a sales rep for Ampro Sports in Philadelphia. Its the rallying point. It gets the old grads back and keeps them interested.. Villanova slunk home to Philadelphia with an 18-9 record, firmly on the NCAA bubble, even from the most powerful conference in the country. As he walked toward his seat, he heard his name shouted. They struggled throughout the regular season. He was telling me that I was playing soft, and I took serious offense at that. [1] Future NFL Hall of Famer Howie Long was a senior nose guard on the team. They were co-champions of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) and advanced to the National Championship game where they defeated Montana, 23-21. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. A year later the Wildcats went 19-12 and lost to Illinois in the second round. His next four teams averaged 20 losses. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. Top AV: Howie Long (95) Colleges Index. Call (800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelpline.ma.org (MA), Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). With the NCAA still permitting teams to play in their home arenas during the tournament, Villanova was shipped out to play in Dayton. We spent a lot of time crying together, says Jensen. The memory of the game moves many of the 85s to the edge of tears. And 52 of the 54 club presidents returned to campus the day we urged (the authorities) to reconsider.. The chemistrythat senior year, it just wasnt happening. A soft early schedule and some nice wins got the Wildcats to 13-3 heading into a January nonleague game at Marylands Cole Field House. The NCAA Tournament saw a tough road for the Cats in the Southeast Region. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. All rights reserved. Georgetown stayed in a passive 1-3-1 zone, allowing Villanova to hold the ball. Ive thought about this a lot through the years, says Pinckney. The 1980 Villanova Wildcats football team represented the Villanova University during the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. Guys just suddenly knew what other guys were going to do before they did it. Today its no less costly than before, Aceto said. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. We all wanted the Big East, and we knew with a point guard, a small forward and a big man, maybe we could do something.. Villanova Univeristy Athletics #GONOVA Main Navigation Menu Main Content Section All-Time Roster More History 100 Moments Fan Memories Uniforms Shop Ad Blocker Detected Thanks for visiting villanova.com! Massimino, a master motivator in games and practice, liked to say that the members of the Villanova basketball program formed a family. The team played their home games at Villanova Stadium in Villanova, Pennsylvania. I should have stayed at Villanova, Massimino says. Amusing capacity crowds each week, the Wildcats, a Division I-AA entry, beat five straight Division III opponents in an unusual abbreviated schedule approved by the NCAA. College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. Ive had some challenges, some health challenges, not life-threatening, but difficult times in my life, he says, And I called upon the perseverance I learned back in that season.). "The demand was overwhelming." He added, after. Former UNLV president Robert Maxson, who cut the deal with Massimino, insisted that it was done ethically, and Massimino agrees. Unbelievable! he says, recounting the swift climb. The official Football news stories archives for the Villanova University Wildcats The head coach was Rollie Massimino. 27. It was an ignominious finish to his career, and 85 seemed ever more distant. Hes still one of our brothers, and we love him dearly. Yet McLain often drops off their collective grid for long periods and when this happens, they worry together. Dont hesitate to shoot the ball. I was a difficult kid, and he was incredible., On the decisive play in the Dayton game, Jensen had the ball in the middle of the floor, far from the basket. The Wildcats had 17 turnovers (to Georgetowns 11). There was one more stop. ), The Wildcats built a 53-48 advantage with six minutes to play, but Georgetown ran off six straight points to take the lead, forced a Villanova turnover and went into a four corners in an attempt to coax Villanova into a man-to-man defense. But still. Bad matchups, bad history, everything. And Villanova got its wish: The Hoyas won easily, 75-59. Nothing takes the place of football, said a Wildcat alumnus, Charlie Johnson, an industrial sales company vice president in York, Pa. Its in the fall that your thoughts go back to your old college. Record: 6-5 (59th of 138) (Schedule & Results). I had to take it., Massimino says, That story is not true. He says that Gillen should have taken the job, and since he didnt, John Olive, another former Villanova assistant, should have gotten it. Rollie Massiminos preferred mode of transportation is the golf cart he drives to meet a visitor at the front gate of the Jupiter Hills Club in Tequesta, Fla. 1986-87 Villanova Wildcats Men's Roster and Stats Previous Season Next Season Record: 15-16 (6-10, 6th in Big East MBB ) Coach: Rollie Massimino PS/G: 72.3 (150th of 289) PA/G: 72.2 (148th of 288) SRS: 7.36 (59th of 290) SOS: 7.33 (31st of 290) Villanova (Men's) School History Roster & Stats Polls, Schedule & Results On this page: Roster Nova opened up on the road with a 2-point win against the 9-seed University of Dayton in Dayton. Jensen alone had six. I took two dribbles and laid it up. Won National Final (66-64) versus #1 Georgetown, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, May 1, 12:49AM. For all, the fall sport is a money-eating loss leader. Pinkney,. Villanova advanced to the Elite Eight with wins over Dayton (51-49), No. And then I took it. He was hurt and angry at Plansky. The 1984-85 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University. You cant be friends with everybody., Stack says, People say Rollie changed when he won the title. (This section of the original story caused problems 11 years ago. 28. We called him Norman Bates because he had this snappability; he could just go nuts. Last November Villanovas basketball team hosted Northwood University, where 85 head coach Rollie Massimino is the 80-year-old head coach, and turned the weekend into a celebration of the 85 teams 30-year anniversary. I said things, and I paid the price for saying them. (In a 2014 interview with the Associated Press, McLain said of the SI story, It hurts me that I hurt people.) He has had numerous jobs in the last 17 years, with a few of what he calls employment gaps. He once lived on a horse farm in rural Florida and once was in a relationship with a woman who ran an escort service. Everson stays in touch with everybody. ), (Massimino says he still hasnt watched the finish. During the 85 Final Four newspapers were stuffed with stories detailing the Hoyas being sequestered in Louisville, while the other teams partied in Lexington. And I slept fine that night.), Ewing says, One turnover cost us the game, but I dont blame anybody. Print. (In 2004, arranging an interview with Massimino was problematic. The title game, stolen from Georgetown, deprived coach John Thompson's hard-ass Hoyas of their second consecutive national championship and status as a mini-dynasty. McCaffreys 2008-09 team was a No. A taut battle of wills left Dayton in possession with the game tied 49-49 with less than two minutes to play. Football is a unique college activity that has the strong support of the alumni and the schools other friends. The Wildcats and Pirates are long-time rivals, with the series dating back to the 1985 season. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Sports fans generally understand why football seems important to such schools as Michigan, USC and Texas. All rights reserved. He came back again four years ago, when the team was inducted, en masse, into the Villanova sports hall of fame. Massiminos image shone even brighter when, in the summer following the title, he turned down a lucrative offer to coach the New Jersey Nets, endearing him even more to the Villanova community and college basketball purists.) Locker room is closed! An interview could end in mid-question, or answer. John Thompson, a 6'10", 300-pound former backup center to Bill Russell, took over the Hoyas program in 1972 and transformed a midsized Catholic university with a respected, albeit ancient, basketball tradition into a national powerhouse. And in 1985, that might have been the best team I had. Hes still a part of the family. Massiminos former players remain disappointed that he hasnt been elected into the Hall of Fame, like his Big East brethren Jim Boeheim, Jim Calhoun, Lou Carnesecca and John Thompson. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Massimino had his wish. ), (Chuck Daly died five years later at age 79), (As always, McLain was the complex exception. Nineteen (Thirty) years later, a viewing of the game yields two nuggets. Jimmy Valvano warned me that would happen, says Massimino. I felt badly, too, but I also felt that Plansky had been honest in his original assessment, and he never pulled back from that. The Hoyas played for the national title three times in his four years and won the schools only national championship, in 1984. I felt badly, too, but I also felt that Plansky had been honest in his original assessment, and he never pulled back from that. They were an unusually close group of players and resistant to common obstacles. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Some of his former players have made a tradition of visiting Massimino on Super Bowl weekend and attending a Northwood game. A family portrait was snapped, on the floor, before the game. Just talking about it, right now, the hair is standing up on the back of my neck, says Wyatt Maker, a reserve sophomore center on the championship team, who sat on the bench during the title game, clutching the hand of junior teammate Chuck Everson, twin seven-footers willing balls into the basket like schoolgirl cheerleaders. In 1981, when Villanova dropped, there were three additions, he said, naming Buffalo State, West Georgia, and Western New England. You have to forgive. (The banner was hoisted in 2005. If you dont know what that means, look it up, and then well talk about it. Well, it means to purify, which I took to mean make whiter. A couple of days ago I heard from eight players in one day, he says. Next year, says Stack, a banner will be raised to the rafters in his honor, long overdue. We were physical, and we were aggressive. We could not beat St. Johns, says Pinckney. "It was painful," says Thompson, but I would be disappointed as hell if the sum total of any of our guys lives was that loss to Villanova. And yet the memory lingers for them, as well. Now he was the traitor who besmirched the Cinderella story. Among the other prospective recruits at the camp were McLain, a Long Island native living with his high school coach in southeastern Massachusetts; McClain, a willowy 6' 6" forward from Worcester, Mass. There is a pause, and Massiminos eyes dance like old. Reporters seeking postgame comment from Hoya players were subjected to a narrow window, with a publicists countdown from 10 minutes: Seven minutes! Pos. In between those last two national championships, Roland Vincent Massimino passed away at the age of 82 in the summer of 2017, when many of the Villanova Family (& all college basketball in general) came to celebrate his life. He occasionally goes on phoning binges with old teammates and then seems to disappear. The last sweep in this series came back in . Many of them are still without punts and passes on the intercollegiate level, but many have brought football back--and they have typically come back with Division II or III teams. 1984-85 Georgetown Hoyas Men's Roster and Stats Previous Season Next Season Record: 35-3 (14-2, 2nd in Big East MBB ) Rank: 1st in the Final AP Poll Coach: John Thompson More School Info Big East Tourney Champ Georgetown (Men's) School History Roster & Stats Polls, Schedule & Results On this page: Roster Per Game Team and Opponent Stats Per Game Whats more, said Craig Miller, Wildcat sports publicist, Season ticket sales are up from 800 in 1980, the year before we dropped football, to 7,000 now.. He will always be Giz. Even so, football is expensive there, or anywhere. Got to. He has never discussed the play with Martin. Were the largest university with the longest (football) tradition to drop football and bring it back since the University of Chicago.. But still.) He returned to the band in 1996 and again in 2006. That could be schtick. The 1985 squad remains tight to this day. We dont talk every day or anything like that, but were fine.). (It remains a tight group. Is he kidding? As Villanova traveled to Birmingham, AL for the Regional Semifinals, the Cats defeated 5th seed Maryland by three and then the Southeasts #2 seed North Carolina by six to reach the Final Four. By the time the 7-foot 240-pound Ewing arrived for the 81-82 season, Georgetown had reached the NCAA tournament five times in seven years, but it was with Ewing that the bar was raised. On the first day of April in 1985, it wasnt April Fools; the 8th seeded Villanova Wildcats upset the top-ranked Georgetown Hoyas to win the 1985 National Championship. State of the Nova Nation: Bamba, Dunleavy and Moore. Would I have bet my golf clubs that Gary McLain was using cocaine? It was a daunting assignment and would require the game of his life. We had a Mass before every game, he says, and nobody ever complained about going. In his 13 years at Georgetown, Thompson had built the Hoyas into a powerhouse. I wear the ring and the watch from 85, he says. Pinckney has loaned McLain money on several occasions. 1 seed, yet lost to North Carolina State in their second tournament game. The Wildcats were led by 16th-year head coach Andy Talley played their home games at Villanova Stadium in Villanova, Pennsylvania Why the 1985 Villanova team is the ultimate March Madness cinderella, Exclusive: 4* Christian Bliss (24) talks Nova, VU Hoops Tommy Godin sat down with George School standout Christian Bliss to discuss his recruitment, trip to Villanova, and more. Not a day passes when somebody doesnt ask him about 1985, and just last month a security guard gave him a yellowed copy of the Philadelphia Daily News from April 2, 1985. The Wildcats began celebrating on the floor with a minute to play when Tar Heels coach Dean Smith chose not to challenge the ball (for which Massimino is eternally grateful). But I wouldnt change anything.), In 1987 Marbach was hired at Canisius, dragging his pregnant wife, Denise, with him, even though her CPA career was blossoming. His battles with the church arent over, How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! The victory set up the all BIG EAST National Championship game between the Wildcats and the Hoyas; their third matchup of the season. He loved to play against Patrick. One other thing they would do: Put the ball in McLains hands and let him beat Georgetowns swarming, 94-foot defense with his skills, his head and his heart. These were heavy days in the Big East, and among Villanovas nine regular-season defeats were two each to Georgetown (both close, a fact that would be widely overlooked at the Final Four in Lexington) and St. Johns, teams that volleyed the No. 1 heading into the NCAA tournament. The meal was customarily a time for family fun. Then Massimino took a deep breath. We present them here for purely educational purposes. And damn, I was a champion., (McLain remains mecurial. Do you have a blog? And he played great. We laughed together, we cried together. (As always, McLain was the complex exception. With two sentences McLain brought every player on the national championship team under suspicion: Some of my teammates and guys in my dorm knew I did drugs. In 2005, his boss at North Carolina-Greensboro, Fran McCaffrey, was hired as the head coach at Siena, outside Albany, N.Y. McCaffrey brought Buonaguro with him and Siena took off on the most successful period in the programs Division I history. The team played their home games at Villanova Stadium in Villanova, Pennsylvania. Massimino cinderella team relied on a tight-knit group of players. 2022 Football Roster. (Pinckney stayed at Villanova until 2007, spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves and since 2010 has been an assistant with the Chicago Bulls.) Division I-AA football is respectable, and well be in the Yankee Conference starting next year. ), The beige suits and yellow power ties have been swapped for Bermuda shorts and golf shirts. A little of the first half, a little of the second, but never the whole game and never the finish. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Buonaguro, now 62, was fired. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Villanova University/Collegiate Images/Getty Images. Won Southeast Regional Final (56-44) versus #2 North Carolina We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. The game is worth watching again just for the way Gary played. Also: Jensen shot 5 for 5, and Pinckney, playing with the flu, had 16 points and six rebounds to Ewings 14 and five. Nobody wants to talk about how Im recovered and helping people., His 85 brothers consider McLain back in the fold, and for this, theyre happy. I was wondering if I could really make it at this level of basketball. Gary was unbelievable. At the time, Buonaguro was desperately hoping to get one last chance to run his own program and he felt that being described by a member of the fabled 85 Villanova team as a woeful manager, would damage his chances.
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