RIP Joe Williams

[FurmAlum]

Checked the records. The Indiana loss in the NCAA Tourney was in '78. 63-62. Like you said. Had 'em beat,

[Davemeister]

I'm big on CBR, but those who think these are the Glory Days of Furman BB should think again.

[DungeonRealm]

I'm big on CBR, but those who think these are the Glory Days of Furman BB should think again.

While not true yet, now still has the potential to surpass then.
Only 32 conference winners got in Big dance back then, and nowhere near the media coverage of today's spectacle, so while we have not reached the summit yet, if we do as it seems we are on the cusp of (and can maintain) these will indeed become the glory days. Hope it happens!

[OL FU]

I was at FU from '72 -'76. We beat USC in the NCAA Tournament in March of 1974. N.C. State with David Thompson went on to win the National Championship in '74.

I don't remember the Indiana game. My recollection is we lost in the next round to Pittsburgh in a close game.

Indiana won in 1976.

Yep, as I suspected I got my years mixed up. We lost to Indiana by 1 in 1978. Indiana didn't win the tournament that year.

Darn

[bigpurple75]

B.Y. (furmalum), I am never wrong!!
jh

[Furmanoid]

I'm big on CBR, but those who think these are the Glory Days of Furman BB should think again.

While not true yet, now still has the potential to surpass then.
Only 32 conference winners got in Big dance back then, and nowhere near the media coverage of today's spectacle, so while we have not reached the summit yet, if we do as it seems we are on the cusp of (and can maintain) these will indeed become the glory days. Hope it happens!

After we win 3 or 4 we’ll be on the cusp.

[DungeonRealm]

I'm big on CBR, but those who think these are the Glory Days of Furman BB should think again.

While not true yet, now still has the potential to surpass then.
Only 32 conference winners got in Big dance back then, and nowhere near the media coverage of today's spectacle, so while we have not reached the summit yet, if we do as it seems we are on the cusp of (and can maintain) these will indeed become the glory days. Hope it happens!

After we win 3 or 4 we’ll be on the cusp.

3 or 4 to go along with accomplishing other things, some of which includes stuff we have already done (being ranked for first time, season wins records, 6,000+ attendance record, ect.), will far surpass those 70's days, as I stated and as you all know good and well things are on a much bigger scale nowadays then they were back then

[tya1]

I'm big on CBR, but those who think these are the Glory Days of Furman BB should think again.

While not true yet, now still has the potential to surpass then.
Only 32 conference winners got in Big dance back then, and nowhere near the media coverage of today's spectacle, so while we have not reached the summit yet, if we do as it seems we are on the cusp of (and can maintain) these will indeed become the glory days. Hope it happens!

There weren't 32 conferences back then. The first 32 team tournament wasn't until 1975. That was also the first tournament with at-large teams which is why the field was expanded to 32. The total number of conferences was in the 20s.

[DungeonRealm]

I'm big on CBR, but those who think these are the Glory Days of Furman BB should think again.

While not true yet, now still has the potential to surpass then.
Only 32 conference winners got in Big dance back then, and nowhere near the media coverage of today's spectacle, so while we have not reached the summit yet, if we do as it seems we are on the cusp of (and can maintain) these will indeed become the glory days. Hope it happens!

There weren't 32 conferences back then. The first 32 team tournament wasn't until 1975. That was also the first tournament with at-large teams which is why the field was expanded to 32. The total number of conferences was in the 20s.

Correct (about the amount of conferences) and what I was meaning to state, only the conference winners until only a small at large pool was added when it went to 32 teams. Just rushed what I was trying to get across, all the same though with regard to the amount of teams in the dance and the coverage it received at the time.

[Davemeister]

I stand by my statement, and in your heart you know I'm right.

When I was a student at Furman in those '70s we took winning the SoCon Men's Tournament for granted. Since then it's been like trying to grab the brass ring.

[apaladin]

I was at FU from '72 -'76. We beat USC in the NCAA Tournament in March of 1974. N.C. State with David Thompson went on to win the National Championship in '74.

I don't remember the Indiana game. My recollection is we lost in the next round to Pittsburgh in a close game.

Indiana won in 1976.

We did not beat NC State when David Thompson was there. The only tme we beat NC State was in 1978. Thompson graduated n 1975.

[Furmanoid]

I'm big on CBR, but those who think these are the Glory Days of Furman BB should think again.

While not true yet, now still has the potential to surpass then.
Only 32 conference winners got in Big dance back then, and nowhere near the media coverage of today's spectacle, so while we have not reached the summit yet, if we do as it seems we are on the cusp of (and can maintain) these will indeed become the glory days. Hope it happens!

After we win 3 or 4 we’ll be on the cusp.

3 or 4 to go along with accomplishing other things, some of which includes stuff we have already done (being ranked for first time, season wins records, 6,000+ attendance record, ect.), will far surpass those 70's days, as I stated and as you all know good and well things are on a much bigger scale nowadays then they were back then

I’m surprised we set an attendance record. That’s great, but people go to USC games, too. So what? And wins are just easier to come by now. Twenty wins used to be a big deal, remember that? I guess overall basketball is on a larger scale now but that means it is at least a little watered down.

And in this region basketball was a BIGGER deal back then than now. The ACC was dominant, USC was a really good independant. Furman was Furman. Newberry went to an NAIA championship and even Erskine was no joke.
HS games were packed. Percentage of kids playing basketball at some level was probably twice as high at least. (I remember all of us kids crossing ourselves like John Roche at the line even though we were Baptists and Methodists.)

I AM NOT talking trash about CBR,but we have a long, long way to go to get back to that Joe Williams level. I’m ranting I know, but I get so nostalgic for that time. It will only come back if we make a couple changes, and we aren’t going to.

[FurmAlum]

I was at FU from '72 -'76. We beat USC in the NCAA Tournament in March of 1974. N.C. State with David Thompson went on to win the National Championship in '74.

I don't remember the Indiana game. My recollection is we lost in the next round to Pittsburgh in a close game.

Indiana won in 1976.

We did not beat NC State when David Thompson was there. The only tme we beat NC State was in 1978. Thompson graduated n 1975.

I didn't say we beat the David Thompson N.C. State team. I just said they won the NC in 1974.

[FUBeAR]

I was at FU from '72 -'76. We beat USC in the NCAA Tournament in March of 1974. N.C. State with David Thompson went on to win the National Championship in '74.

I don't remember the Indiana game. My recollection is we lost in the next round to Pittsburgh in a close game.

Indiana won in 1976.

We did not beat NC State when David Thompson was there. The only tme we beat NC State was in 1978. Thompson graduated n 1975.

I didn't say we beat the David Thompson N.C. State team. I just said they won the NC in 1974.

Of course we didn’t beat David Thompson. DT was undefeated throughout his collegiate, ABA, and NBA careers.

FUBeAR was a wee basketball-crazed lad of 11 when DT, after inventing basketball in Shelby, NC, rode into FUBeAR’s hometown on a donkey, walked across the lake at Pullen Park, and began doing carpentry work in anonymity, single-handedly building Reynolds Coliseum, as an NCSU Freshman, then ineligible for Varsity play. But the knowing faithful, including a pre-teen FUBeAR, attended many of his Freshman games that season and witnessed the miracles that wider audiences would soon have the pleasure to behold.

Yes…if DT hadn’t gotten something caught in his nose causing him to fall down those stairs at that late-night church known as Studio 54 in 1984, wrecking his knee in the process, he might still be levitating on basketball courts around the world and eternally extending his lifetime record of being infallibly undefeated.

[Roundball]

Watching a great documentary on CBS Sports Network (Charter 818) about the Jacksonville run to the 1970 championship game. It comes on again at 11:30 pm on February 5 if you want to watch or record it.