San Francisco Dons men's basketball
Encyclopedia
The San Francisco Dons basketball team represents the University of San Francisco
in National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) Division I men's college basketball
. The Dons compete in the West Coast Conference
, in which they have won sixteen regular season and one conference tournament championships. They play home games at the War Memorial Gymnasium
. The men's basketball teams have won three national titles: the 1949 NIT
under Pete Newell
, and the 1955
and 1956
NCAA championships
. The latter two were under Phil Woolpert, and led by player and National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Russell
.
USF retained its status as a basketball powerhouse into the 1970s and early 1980s, holding the distinction of being a "major" program in a "mid-major" conference (the WCC having declined somewhat in stature since the 1960s). It held the number one spot in the polls on numerous occasions. In 1977, led by All-American center Bill Cartwright, the Dons went 29–0 and were regarded as the #1 team in the nation in both major polls before dropping their last two games. The Dons remain the only program in the West Coast Conference
to have earned a #1 national ranking, having done so on multiple occasions.
The San Francisco Dons men's basketball program has been rated the 29th "Greatest College Basketball Program of All-Time" by Street & Smith's magazine, 49th by NBC Sports
"Greatest Programs of All-Time", and 75th by the ESPN
/Sagarin
All-Time College Basketball Rankings, higher in all three rankings than any other West Coast Conference
school and many schools from BCS
Conferences (Pac-12, Big 10, Big 12, Big East, Southeastern Conference
).
, still a major rival, by scores of 38–31 and 22–13.
from 1942 to 1946, Pete Newell was appointed head men's basketball coach at the University of San Francisco in 1946. During his four-year tenure at USF, Newell compiled a 70–37 record and coached the Dons to the 1949 National Invitation Tournament
(NIT) championship, beating his alma mater, Loyola. (At the time, the NIT was nearly as prestigious as the NCAA tournament.) This was the team of All-American Don Lofgran
, Joe McNamee, captain John Benington, Ross Giudice, Frank Kuzara and a baby-faced guard named Rene Herrerias who often was thought to be the team's ball boy. New York
's Madison Square Garden
crowds were notoriously tough to please. Lofgran, Herrerias and company had them cheering in the aisles. In 1950, he accepted an appointment as head coach at Michigan State University
, where he stayed until 1954. He later led the University of California to the 1959 NCAA men's basketball championship
, and a year later coached the gold medal-winning U.S. team at the 1960 Summer Olympics
. After his coaching career ended he ran a world-famous instructional basketball camp and served as a consultant and scout for several National Basketball Association
(NBA) teams. He is often considered to be one of the most influential figures in the history of basketball.
to succeed Newell. He assumed both the posts of men's basketball coach and athletic director.
During his tenure at USF, Woolpert posted a 153–78 record, including a 60-game win streak that at the time was the longest in college basketball (surpassed later by John Wooden's 88 straight wins at UCLA.). His teams, anchored by Bill Russell, K.C. Jones, Eugene Brown and Mike Farmer
, were known for their defense and held opponents below 60 points on 47 different occasions. USF won the national championship in 1955 and 1956, and finished third in 1957. At the time the youngest college basketball coach to win a national championship, Woolpert also won Coach of the Year honors in 1955 and 1956.
Bill Russell was ignored by college scouts and did not receive a single letter of interest until Hal DeJulio from the local University of San Francisco (USF) watched him in a high school game. DeJulio was not impressed by Russell's meager scoring and "atrocious fundamentals", but sensed that the young center
had an extraordinary instinct for the game, especially in clutch
situations. When DeJulio offered Russell a scholarship, the latter eagerly accepted. Sports journalist John Taylor described it as a watershed in Russell's life, because Russell realized that basketball was his one chance to escape poverty and racism; as a consequence, Russell swore to make the best of it.
At USF, Russell became the new starting center for coach Phil Woolpert. Woolpert emphasized defense and deliberate half-court play, concepts that favored defensive standout Russell. Woolpert was unaffected by issues of skin color. In 1954, he became the first coach of a major college basketball squad to start three African American
players: Russell, K.C. Jones and Hal Perry
. In his USF years, Russell used his relative lack of bulk to develop a unique style of defense: instead of purely guarding the opposing center, he used his quickness and speed to play help defense against opposing forwards and aggressively challenge their shots. Combining the stature and shot-blocking skills of a center with the foot speed of a guard, Russell became the centerpiece of a USF team that soon became a force in college basketball. After USF kept Holy Cross
star Tom Heinsohn scoreless in an entire half, Sports Illustrated
wrote, "If [Russell] ever learns to hit the basket, they're going to have to rewrite the rules."
However, the games were often difficult for the USF squad. Russell and his African American teammates became targets of racist jeers, both at USF and on the road. In one notable incident, hotels in Oklahoma City
refused to admit Russell and his black teammates while they were in town for the 1954 All-College Tournament. In protest, the whole team decided to camp out in a closed college dorm, which was later called an important bonding experience for the group. Decades later, Russell explained that his experiences hardened him against abuse of all kinds. "I never permitted myself to be a victim," he said.
On the hardwood, his experiences were far more pleasant. Russell led USF to NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956, including a string of 55 consecutive victories. He became known for his strong defense and shot-blocking skills, once denying 13 shots in a game. UCLA
coach John Wooden
called Russell "the greatest defensive man I've ever seen". During his college career, Russell averaged 20.7 points per game
and 20.3 rebounds per game. Besides basketball, Russell represented USF in track and field
events. He competed in the 440 yard (402 m) race, which he could complete in 49.6 seconds. He also participated in the high jump
; Track & Field News
ranked him as the seventh-best high jumper in the world in 1956. That year, Russell won high jump titles at the Central California AAU
meet, the Pacific AAU meet, and the West Coast Relays. One of his highest jumps occurred at the West Coast Relays, where he achieved a mark of 6 feet 9¼ inches (2.06 m).
After his years at USF, the Harlem Globetrotters
invited Russell to join their exhibition
basketball squad. Russell, who was sensitive to any racial prejudice, was enraged by the fact that owner Abe Saperstein
would only discuss the matter with Woolpert. While Saperstein spoke to Woolpert in a meeting, Globetrotters assistant coach Harry Hanna tried to entertain Russell with jokes. The USF center was livid after this snub and declined the offer: he reasoned that if Saperstein was too smart to speak with him, then he was too smart to play for Saperstein. Instead, Russell made himself eligible for the 1956 NBA Draft
.
USF retained its status as a basketball powerhouse into the 70's and early 80's, holding the distinction of being a "major" program in a "mid-major
" conference. It held the number one spot in the polls on numerous occasions. In 1977, led by All-American center Bill Cartwright, the Dons went 29-0 and were regarded as the #1 team in the nation in both major polls. Sports Illustrated highlighted the 1977 team with a cover story titled "The Dandy Dons."
The situation finally came to a head in December 1981, when All-American guard Quintin Dailey
assaulted a female student. During the subsequent investigation, Dailey admitted taking a no-show job at a business owned by a prominent non-sports USF donor. The donor had also paid Dailey $5,000 since 1980. Combined with other revelations, school president Rev. John LoSchiavo announced on July 26 that he was shutting down the basketball program--the first time a school had shut down a major sport under such circumstances. The move was widely applauded by several members of the coaching fraternity , as the Dailey matter revealed a program that was, in the words of San Francisco Chronicle
sportswriter Glenn Dickey, "totally out of control."
, who quickly returned the program to respectability. He was not able to reach postseason play, however, and resigned in 1995. Three years later USF went to the 1998 NCAA tournament under Phil Mathews and they had a 2005 NIT berth under former coach Jessie Evans
.
The program regressed the next few years, and Jessie Evans was granted a request for a 'leave of absence' on December 27, 2007. Legendary basketball coach Eddie Sutton
took over on an interim basis, needing 2 wins for a personal milestone of 800 career coaching victories. At the time, Bob Knight was the only other Division I men's coach to have accomplished the feat. After months of speculation, Evans was finally officially fired by USF on March 20, 2008. A national coaching search was launched which included a four-man committee of Chuck Smith
, vice chair of the USF Board of Trustees and former president and CEO of AT&T West, former player and coach Jim Brovelli; Walt Gmelch, dean of the USF School of Education, and Mario Prietto, rector of the USF Jesuit Community and a member of the USF Board of Trustees.
On March 29, 2008, USF hired a executive search consultant company, DHR International to help spearhead their efforts in hiring the next Dons' head coach. Among the possible candidates named, former UCLA Bruins Head Coach Steve Lavin
, former USF All-American and current New Jersey Nets
Assistant Coach Bill Cartwright, former NBA player and current Golden State Warriors
Shooting Coach Sidney Moncrief
, current Cal Bears Assistant Head Coach Louis Reynaud, former Golden State Warriors
and Sacramento Kings
Head Coach Eric Musselman
, and former Kansas Jayhawks All-American and FAU Head Coach Rex Walters
.
Rex Walters was named as the Dons' head coach on April 14, 2008. In 2010, the USF Dons went to the quarterfinals of the postseason CIT tournament.
has had 24 players go on to play in the NBA
.
Winford Boynes
1978-80 •
Wallace Bryant
1983-85 •
Bill Cartwright 1979-94 •
John Cox
1982 •
Pete Cross
1970-72 •
Quintin Dailey
1982-91 •
Joe Ellis
1966-73 •
Mike Farmer
1958-65 •
Eric Fernsten
1975-83 •
James Hardy
1978-81
K.C. Jones 1958-66 •
Fred Lacour 1960-62 •
Dave Lee 1967-68 •
Don Lofgran
1950-53 •
Joe McNamee
1950-51 •
Erwin Mueller
1966-73
Paul Napolitano 1948 •
Marlon Redmond 1978-79 •
Billy Reid
1980 •
Kevin Restani
1974-81 •
Bill Russell
1956-68 •
Fred Scolari
1946-54
Phil Smith
1974-82 •
Ime Udoka
(Finished NCAA Career at Portland State) 2003-Present •
Guy Williams 1984-85 •
University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...
in National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA) Division I men's college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
. The Dons compete in the West Coast Conference
West Coast Conference
The West Coast Conference is an NCAA collegiate athletics conference consisting of nine member schools across the states of California, Oregon, Utah and Washington....
, in which they have won sixteen regular season and one conference tournament championships. They play home games at the War Memorial Gymnasium
War Memorial Gymnasium
The War Memorial Gymnasium in San Francisco, California is an athletic venue on the University of San Francisco campus. It currently serves as home for the USF men's and women's basketball teams as well as the women's volleyball team. It also houses athletic department offices and training...
. The men's basketball teams have won three national titles: the 1949 NIT
1949 National Invitation Tournament
The 1949 National Invitation Tournament was the 1949 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition.-Selected teams:Below is a list of the 12 teams selected for the tournament.-Brackets/Results:Below is the tournament bracket....
under Pete Newell
Pete Newell
Peter Francis Newell was an American college men's basketball coach and basketball instructional coach. He coached for 15 years at the University of San Francisco, Michigan State University and the University of California, Berkeley, compiling an overall record of 234 wins and 123 losses...
, and the 1955
1955 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
-West region:-National Championship:-External links:* on Shrp Sports * , source for much of the information on this page....
and 1956
1956 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
-Midwest Region:-West Region:-Far West Region:-Final Four:-Notes:* Canisius's first-round victory over the second-ranked North Carolina State Wolfpack, considered by many to be among the top ten upsets in tournament history, set a record for most overtime periods in a Division I Men's tournament...
NCAA championships
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
. The latter two were under Phil Woolpert, and led by player and National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Russell
Bill Russell
William Felton "Bill" Russell is a retired American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association...
.
USF retained its status as a basketball powerhouse into the 1970s and early 1980s, holding the distinction of being a "major" program in a "mid-major" conference (the WCC having declined somewhat in stature since the 1960s). It held the number one spot in the polls on numerous occasions. In 1977, led by All-American center Bill Cartwright, the Dons went 29–0 and were regarded as the #1 team in the nation in both major polls before dropping their last two games. The Dons remain the only program in the West Coast Conference
West Coast Conference
The West Coast Conference is an NCAA collegiate athletics conference consisting of nine member schools across the states of California, Oregon, Utah and Washington....
to have earned a #1 national ranking, having done so on multiple occasions.
The San Francisco Dons men's basketball program has been rated the 29th "Greatest College Basketball Program of All-Time" by Street & Smith's magazine, 49th by NBC Sports
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC television network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NHL, MLS, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others...
"Greatest Programs of All-Time", and 75th by the ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
/Sagarin
Jeff Sagarin
Jeff Sagarin is an American sports statistician well-known for his development of a methodology for ranking and rating sports teams in a variety of sports...
All-Time College Basketball Rankings, higher in all three rankings than any other West Coast Conference
West Coast Conference
The West Coast Conference is an NCAA collegiate athletics conference consisting of nine member schools across the states of California, Oregon, Utah and Washington....
school and many schools from BCS
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
Conferences (Pac-12, Big 10, Big 12, Big East, Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
).
History
Basketball got its start at USF, then known as St. Ignatius College, in 1910. The original coach was Orno Taylor, whose subsequent achievements were lost to history. The scores had grown since 1895 but the writing was as florid as ever. The College Annual reported that "the entire team did nobly in the season just finished and the student body as a unit thanks them for their loyalty and devotion." The results weren't bad either. The St. Ignatius team won six of its seven games, losing only to Pacific (then located in San Jose) by a mere three points. Included in the victories was a sweep of Santa ClaraSanta Clara Broncos
The Broncos are various sports teams of Santa Clara University. The athletic program currently has 19 varsity sports, 9 men's sports and 10 women's. Additionally there are 18 club sports teams that compete intercollegiately. The school colors are red and white...
, still a major rival, by scores of 38–31 and 22–13.
Pete Newell era
After serving in the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
from 1942 to 1946, Pete Newell was appointed head men's basketball coach at the University of San Francisco in 1946. During his four-year tenure at USF, Newell compiled a 70–37 record and coached the Dons to the 1949 National Invitation Tournament
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
(NIT) championship, beating his alma mater, Loyola. (At the time, the NIT was nearly as prestigious as the NCAA tournament.) This was the team of All-American Don Lofgran
Don Lofgran
Donald "Don" Lofgran was an American basketball player who was a Consensus Second Team All-American in 1950 while at the University of San Francisco...
, Joe McNamee, captain John Benington, Ross Giudice, Frank Kuzara and a baby-faced guard named Rene Herrerias who often was thought to be the team's ball boy. New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
crowds were notoriously tough to please. Lofgran, Herrerias and company had them cheering in the aisles. In 1950, he accepted an appointment as head coach at Michigan State University
Michigan State Spartans men's basketball
The Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represents Michigan State University and competes in the Big Ten Conference of NCAA Division I. The team currently plays at the Breslin Student Events Center...
, where he stayed until 1954. He later led the University of California to the 1959 NCAA men's basketball championship
1959 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1959 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 23 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball in the United States. It began on March 7, 1959, and ended with the championship game on March 21 in Louisville,...
, and a year later coached the gold medal-winning U.S. team at the 1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
. After his coaching career ended he ran a world-famous instructional basketball camp and served as a consultant and scout for several National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA) teams. He is often considered to be one of the most influential figures in the history of basketball.
Phil Woolpert and the 'Russell Era'
Upon Pete Newell's departure for Michigan State University, the University of San Francisco hired Phil WoolpertPhil Woolpert
Phil Woolpert was an American college basketball coach. He is best known for coaching the University of San Francisco Dons to two straight national championships in 1955 and 1956....
to succeed Newell. He assumed both the posts of men's basketball coach and athletic director.
During his tenure at USF, Woolpert posted a 153–78 record, including a 60-game win streak that at the time was the longest in college basketball (surpassed later by John Wooden's 88 straight wins at UCLA.). His teams, anchored by Bill Russell, K.C. Jones, Eugene Brown and Mike Farmer
Mike Farmer
Don Michael Farmer is a retired American professional basketball player and coach. A 6'7" forward, he was selected with the 3rd pick in the 1958 NBA Draft by the New York Knickerbockers, after a college career at the University of San Francisco...
, were known for their defense and held opponents below 60 points on 47 different occasions. USF won the national championship in 1955 and 1956, and finished third in 1957. At the time the youngest college basketball coach to win a national championship, Woolpert also won Coach of the Year honors in 1955 and 1956.
Bill Russell was ignored by college scouts and did not receive a single letter of interest until Hal DeJulio from the local University of San Francisco (USF) watched him in a high school game. DeJulio was not impressed by Russell's meager scoring and "atrocious fundamentals", but sensed that the young center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
had an extraordinary instinct for the game, especially in clutch
Clutch (sports)
In American sports terminology, "clutch" means performing well under extreme pressure. It often refers to high levels of production in a critical game, such as Game 7 of a best-of-seven series, the last hole of a Major Championship golf tournament, or the final minute in a close match...
situations. When DeJulio offered Russell a scholarship, the latter eagerly accepted. Sports journalist John Taylor described it as a watershed in Russell's life, because Russell realized that basketball was his one chance to escape poverty and racism; as a consequence, Russell swore to make the best of it.
At USF, Russell became the new starting center for coach Phil Woolpert. Woolpert emphasized defense and deliberate half-court play, concepts that favored defensive standout Russell. Woolpert was unaffected by issues of skin color. In 1954, he became the first coach of a major college basketball squad to start three African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
players: Russell, K.C. Jones and Hal Perry
Hal Perry
Harold L. "Hal" Perry was an American basketball player and attorney famous for being a starter on the University of San Francisco back to back NCAA championship teams of 1955 and 1956....
. In his USF years, Russell used his relative lack of bulk to develop a unique style of defense: instead of purely guarding the opposing center, he used his quickness and speed to play help defense against opposing forwards and aggressively challenge their shots. Combining the stature and shot-blocking skills of a center with the foot speed of a guard, Russell became the centerpiece of a USF team that soon became a force in college basketball. After USF kept Holy Cross
Holy Cross Crusaders men's basketball
The Holy Cross Crusaders men's basketball team represents the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, in NCAA Division I competition. The team competes in the Patriot League and plays their home games in the Hart Center...
star Tom Heinsohn scoreless in an entire half, Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
wrote, "If [Russell] ever learns to hit the basket, they're going to have to rewrite the rules."
However, the games were often difficult for the USF squad. Russell and his African American teammates became targets of racist jeers, both at USF and on the road. In one notable incident, hotels in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
refused to admit Russell and his black teammates while they were in town for the 1954 All-College Tournament. In protest, the whole team decided to camp out in a closed college dorm, which was later called an important bonding experience for the group. Decades later, Russell explained that his experiences hardened him against abuse of all kinds. "I never permitted myself to be a victim," he said.
On the hardwood, his experiences were far more pleasant. Russell led USF to NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956, including a string of 55 consecutive victories. He became known for his strong defense and shot-blocking skills, once denying 13 shots in a game. UCLA
UCLA Bruins men's basketball
The UCLA Bruins men's basketball program, established in 1920, owns a record 11 Division I NCAA championships. UCLA teams coached by John Wooden won 10 national titles in 12 seasons from 1964 to 1975, including 7 straight from 1967 to 1973. UCLA went undefeated a record 4 times, in 1964, 1967,...
coach John Wooden
John Wooden
John Robert Wooden was an American basketball player and coach. Nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood", he won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period — seven in a row — as head coach at UCLA, an unprecedented feat. Within this period, his teams won a record 88 consecutive games...
called Russell "the greatest defensive man I've ever seen". During his college career, Russell averaged 20.7 points per game
Points per game
Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the average number of points scored by a player per game played in a sport, over the course of a series of games, a whole season, or a career. It is calculated by dividing the total number of points by number of games. The terminology is often used in...
and 20.3 rebounds per game. Besides basketball, Russell represented USF in track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
events. He competed in the 440 yard (402 m) race, which he could complete in 49.6 seconds. He also participated in the high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
; Track & Field News
Track & Field News
Track & Field News is a magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson & Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field.The magazine provides coverage of athletics in the U.S.A. from the high school to national level as well as covering the sport on an international bases. The magazine...
ranked him as the seventh-best high jumper in the world in 1956. That year, Russell won high jump titles at the Central California AAU
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
meet, the Pacific AAU meet, and the West Coast Relays. One of his highest jumps occurred at the West Coast Relays, where he achieved a mark of 6 feet 9¼ inches (2.06 m).
After his years at USF, the Harlem Globetrotters
Harlem Globetrotters
The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater and comedy. The executive offices for the team are currently in downtown Phoenix, Arizona; the team is owned by Shamrock Holdings, which oversees the various investments of the Roy E. Disney family.Over...
invited Russell to join their exhibition
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
basketball squad. Russell, who was sensitive to any racial prejudice, was enraged by the fact that owner Abe Saperstein
Abe Saperstein
Abraham M. Saperstein was an owner and coach of the Savoy Big Five, which later became the Harlem Globetrotters...
would only discuss the matter with Woolpert. While Saperstein spoke to Woolpert in a meeting, Globetrotters assistant coach Harry Hanna tried to entertain Russell with jokes. The USF center was livid after this snub and declined the offer: he reasoned that if Saperstein was too smart to speak with him, then he was too smart to play for Saperstein. Instead, Russell made himself eligible for the 1956 NBA Draft
1956 NBA Draft
The 1956 NBA Draft was the 10th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on April 30, 1956 before the 1956–57 season. In this draft, eight NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players...
.
60s and 70s Dominance
The Dons continued to dominate NCAA Division 1 College Basketball after its 2 national championships and 1 final four in the 1950s. The team added four more elite eight appearance to its strong resume (1964, 1965, 1973, 1974).USF retained its status as a basketball powerhouse into the 70's and early 80's, holding the distinction of being a "major" program in a "mid-major
Mid-major
Mid-major is a term used in American Division I college sports, to refer to athletic conferences that are not among the major six conferences...
" conference. It held the number one spot in the polls on numerous occasions. In 1977, led by All-American center Bill Cartwright, the Dons went 29-0 and were regarded as the #1 team in the nation in both major polls. Sports Illustrated highlighted the 1977 team with a cover story titled "The Dandy Dons."
1980s Suspension (Self-imposed) for NCAA Violations
The Dons' prominence in the 1970s came at a price, however. The NCAA slapped the Dons with probation two times in the late 1970s. Galliard was forced out as coach due to the first investigation, and an in-house inquiry after the second resulted in Belluomini's ouster. It was also well-known that basketball players got special treatment; many of them were marginal students at best, and at least one instance where a player threatened another student was swept under the rug by school officials. It was also common for "tutors" to take tests and write papers for players.The situation finally came to a head in December 1981, when All-American guard Quintin Dailey
Quintin Dailey
Quintin "Q" Dailey was an American professional basketball player. A 6'3" guard who played collegiately at the University of San Francisco, he later went on to a career in the NBA, playing for the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers, and Seattle SuperSonics over the course of his 10-year tenure in...
assaulted a female student. During the subsequent investigation, Dailey admitted taking a no-show job at a business owned by a prominent non-sports USF donor. The donor had also paid Dailey $5,000 since 1980. Combined with other revelations, school president Rev. John LoSchiavo announced on July 26 that he was shutting down the basketball program--the first time a school had shut down a major sport under such circumstances. The move was widely applauded by several members of the coaching fraternity , as the Dailey matter revealed a program that was, in the words of San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
sportswriter Glenn Dickey, "totally out of control."
Reinstatement of Dons Basketball
LoSchiavo resurrected the program in 1985 under former star Jim BrovelliJim Brovelli
Jim Brovelli is the former University of San Francisco Dons men's basketball head coach and hall of fame player.-Biography:As a player Brovelli was a three-year letterman for USF, helping lead the Dons to the NCAA Western Regional in 1963 and 1964. He earned All-WCC honorable mention honors in 1964...
, who quickly returned the program to respectability. He was not able to reach postseason play, however, and resigned in 1995. Three years later USF went to the 1998 NCAA tournament under Phil Mathews and they had a 2005 NIT berth under former coach Jessie Evans
Jessie Evans
Jessie Evans is the former head men's basketball coach at the University of San Francisco. He was replaced by Eddie Sutton on December 26, 2007. He previously held the same position at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.-References:...
.
The program regressed the next few years, and Jessie Evans was granted a request for a 'leave of absence' on December 27, 2007. Legendary basketball coach Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton is an American former college head coach with 36 years of Division I basketball coaching experience at Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma State , and the University of San Francisco...
took over on an interim basis, needing 2 wins for a personal milestone of 800 career coaching victories. At the time, Bob Knight was the only other Division I men's coach to have accomplished the feat. After months of speculation, Evans was finally officially fired by USF on March 20, 2008. A national coaching search was launched which included a four-man committee of Chuck Smith
Chuck Smith (businessman)
Charles H. "Chuck" Smith is an African-American businessman who is the retired President and CEO of AT&T West, a Fortune 500 company. Smith has a life-long interest in the Boy Scouts of America ....
, vice chair of the USF Board of Trustees and former president and CEO of AT&T West, former player and coach Jim Brovelli; Walt Gmelch, dean of the USF School of Education, and Mario Prietto, rector of the USF Jesuit Community and a member of the USF Board of Trustees.
On March 29, 2008, USF hired a executive search consultant company, DHR International to help spearhead their efforts in hiring the next Dons' head coach. Among the possible candidates named, former UCLA Bruins Head Coach Steve Lavin
Steve Lavin
Steve Lavin is an American basketball coach and former player. He is currently the head men's basketball coach at St. John's University in Queens, New York. Lavin previously served as the head coach for UCLA....
, former USF All-American and current New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
Assistant Coach Bill Cartwright, former NBA player and current Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
Shooting Coach Sidney Moncrief
Sidney Moncrief
Sidney A. Moncrief is a retired American professional basketball player. As an NCAA college basketball player from 1975–1979, Moncrief led the University of Arkansas Razorbacks trio known as "The Triplets" to the 1978 Final Four, which ended in a win in the NCAA Consolation Game versus #6 Notre Dame...
, current Cal Bears Assistant Head Coach Louis Reynaud, former Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and Sacramento Kings
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
Head Coach Eric Musselman
Eric Musselman
Eric P. Musselman is an American basketball coach and the former head coach of the NBA's Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors...
, and former Kansas Jayhawks All-American and FAU Head Coach Rex Walters
Rex Walters
-External links:...
.
Rex Walters was named as the Dons' head coach on April 14, 2008. In 2010, the USF Dons went to the quarterfinals of the postseason CIT tournament.
All-Americans
| All-Americans | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | |
| 1928 | Forest Ray Maloney | |
| 1930 | Rene Barielles | |
| 1948 | Don Lofgran Don Lofgran Donald "Don" Lofgran was an American basketball player who was a Consensus Second Team All-American in 1950 while at the University of San Francisco... |
|
| 1948 | Don Lofgran Don Lofgran Donald "Don" Lofgran was an American basketball player who was a Consensus Second Team All-American in 1950 while at the University of San Francisco... |
|
| 1955 | Bill Russell Bill Russell William Felton "Bill" Russell is a retired American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association... |
|
| 1956 | Bill Russell Bill Russell William Felton "Bill" Russell is a retired American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association... |
|
| 1956 | K.C. Jones | |
| 1958 | Mike Farmer Mike Farmer Don Michael Farmer is a retired American professional basketball player and coach. A 6'7" forward, he was selected with the 3rd pick in the 1958 NBA Draft by the New York Knickerbockers, after a college career at the University of San Francisco... |
|
| 1964 | Ollie Johnson Ollie Johnson (basketball, born 1942) Oliver "Ollie" Johnson is a retired American basketball player. He was an All-American forward at the University of San Francisco and a first round draft pick in the National Basketball Association in 1965.... |
|
| 1965 | Ollie Johnson Ollie Johnson (basketball, born 1942) Oliver "Ollie" Johnson is a retired American basketball player. He was an All-American forward at the University of San Francisco and a first round draft pick in the National Basketball Association in 1965.... |
|
| 1974 | Phil Smith Phil Smith Philip Arnold Smith was an American professional basketball player who played for 9 seasons in the National Basketball Association .- Collegiate career :... |
|
| 1977 | Bill Cartwright | |
| 1977 | James Hardy James Hardy (basketball) James Percivell Hardy is a retired American professional basketball player. Hardy played the forward position in the NBA from 1978 to 1982. He played collegiately at the University of San Francisco... |
|
| 1977 | Winford Boynes Winford Boynes Winford Gladstone Boynes III is a retired American professional basketball player. He was a 6'6" 185 lb guard and played collegiately at the University of San Francisco from 1975–1978.Boynes was the 13th selection in the 1978 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets... |
|
| 1978 | Bill Cartwright | |
| 1978 | Winford Boynes Winford Boynes Winford Gladstone Boynes III is a retired American professional basketball player. He was a 6'6" 185 lb guard and played collegiately at the University of San Francisco from 1975–1978.Boynes was the 13th selection in the 1978 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets... |
|
| 1979 | Bill Cartwright | |
| 1982 | Quintin Dailey Quintin Dailey Quintin "Q" Dailey was an American professional basketball player. A 6'3" guard who played collegiately at the University of San Francisco, he later went on to a career in the NBA, playing for the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers, and Seattle SuperSonics over the course of his 10-year tenure in... |
|
Dons in the NBA
The University of San FranciscoUniversity of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...
has had 24 players go on to play in the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
.
Winford Boynes
Winford Boynes
Winford Gladstone Boynes III is a retired American professional basketball player. He was a 6'6" 185 lb guard and played collegiately at the University of San Francisco from 1975–1978.Boynes was the 13th selection in the 1978 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets...
1978-80 •
Wallace Bryant
Wallace Bryant
Wallace Gordon Bryant Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA. A 7’0”, 245 pound center, Bryant attended Emerson High School in Gary, Indiana before playing at the University of San Francisco. He was than drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1982...
1983-85 •
Bill Cartwright 1979-94 •
John Cox
Chubby Cox
John Arthur "Chubby" Cox III , is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6'2" guard, Cox attended Roxborough High School in Philadelphia...
1982 •
Pete Cross
Pete Cross
Peter Michael Cross was an American basketball player.A 6'9" center from the University of San Francisco, Cross was selected by the Kentucky Colonels in the 1970 American Basketball Association draft and by the Seattle SuperSonics in the second round of the 1970 NBA Draft.Cross played three...
1970-72 •
Quintin Dailey
Quintin Dailey
Quintin "Q" Dailey was an American professional basketball player. A 6'3" guard who played collegiately at the University of San Francisco, he later went on to a career in the NBA, playing for the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers, and Seattle SuperSonics over the course of his 10-year tenure in...
1982-91 •
Joe Ellis
Joe Ellis
Joseph Franklin Ellis is a retired American basketball player. He played eight seasons in the NBA all for the Warriors franchise; the first five seasons were with the then San Francisco Warriors and the last three when the franchise relocated to Oakland and became the Golden State Warriors.He...
1966-73 •
Mike Farmer
Mike Farmer
Don Michael Farmer is a retired American professional basketball player and coach. A 6'7" forward, he was selected with the 3rd pick in the 1958 NBA Draft by the New York Knickerbockers, after a college career at the University of San Francisco...
1958-65 •
Eric Fernsten
Eric Fernsten
Eric Robert Fernsten is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6'10" center from the University of San Francisco, Fernsten played in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics, and New York Knicks...
1975-83 •
James Hardy
James Hardy (basketball)
James Percivell Hardy is a retired American professional basketball player. Hardy played the forward position in the NBA from 1978 to 1982. He played collegiately at the University of San Francisco...
1978-81
K.C. Jones 1958-66 •
Fred Lacour 1960-62 •
Dave Lee 1967-68 •
Don Lofgran
Don Lofgran
Donald "Don" Lofgran was an American basketball player who was a Consensus Second Team All-American in 1950 while at the University of San Francisco...
1950-53 •
Joe McNamee
Joe McNamee
John Joseph McNamee was an American professional basketball player.A 6'6" forward/center from the University of San Francisco, McNamee played two seasons in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Rochester Royals and Baltimore Bullets...
1950-51 •
Erwin Mueller
Erwin Mueller
Erwin L. Mueller is a retired American basketball player. A 6'8" forward/center,he attended the University of San Francisco where he was All-Coast, All Conference & All-America and was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the 1966 NBA Draft.During his first season, Mueller...
1966-73
Paul Napolitano 1948 •
Marlon Redmond 1978-79 •
Billy Reid
William Reid (basketball coach)
William A. Reid was an American basketball coach and administrator. As a high school player he led his team to a state title and then played in two sports in Colgate University. He returned to Colgate as a basketball coach and coached the team from 1919 to 1928 with a record of 135-52...
1980 •
Kevin Restani
Kevin Restani
Kevin Gilbert "Big Bird" Restani was an American professional basketball player from San Francisco, California....
1974-81 •
Bill Russell
Bill Russell
William Felton "Bill" Russell is a retired American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association...
1956-68 •
Fred Scolari
Fred Scolari
Fred J. Scolari was an American professional basketball player. At 5'10", he played the guard position....
1946-54
Phil Smith
Phil Smith
Philip Arnold Smith was an American professional basketball player who played for 9 seasons in the National Basketball Association .- Collegiate career :...
1974-82 •
Ime Udoka
Ime Udoka
Ime Sunday Udoka is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player who last played for the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA. He plays internationally with the Nigeria national basketball team....
(Finished NCAA Career at Portland State) 2003-Present •
Guy Williams 1984-85 •