77-74 turns 20 today

[BugsyCT]

Still the best night in sports history. What a time to be a UConn fan.

 

[bazzdog]

Like it was yesterday
Being there for that game was a rush that i'll never experience again.....

 

[Deepster]

Wow. 20 years???

Then again, the only World Series win I've seen was 1986 and that's now 33 years passed.

 

[UConnNick]

That was a magical evening in St. Pete. We couldn't sleep that night. The party was on!

Tropicana Field shall remain sacred UConn Husky turf forever.

 

[Travelman6]

Best night of my sports fan life (Uconn/Duke 04 being #2).

The father (passed away a few years ago, may he RIP) of my best friend at the time went to the game. Loved hearing his stories when he came back that weekend.

 

[gsmooth]

That was a magical evening in St. Pete. We couldn't sleep that night. The party was on!

Tropicana Field shall remain sacred UConn Husky turf forever.

Oh I remember that. I was in the Holiday Inn with all the Mich St fans and cheerleaders. They treated me like one of the UConn players, like I won the championship, LOL. I was at that game. Most of Tropicana Field was pulling for UConn. I also remember the arrogant Duke fans filing out when the championship trophy presentation started.

 

[HooperScooper]

I was there and it doesn't feel like it was 20 years ago. Although with how far UConn has fallen the last few years it should feel like it was more than 20 years ago!

If you haven't read this article in the Courant then you should. I can't deny a tear or two were shed reading this.

Four of the best stories from our 1999 UConn men’s oral history and podcast and four that just missed the cut

 

[ucp990411]

Third best night of my life after the births of my two children. I told my ex wife that and let me just say that she did not understand. She had the nerve to ask if it was better than our wedding night? I had to be honest with her. Maybe that is one of the reasons why she is my EX wife! I was there and it was unbelievable. Flying home the next day we had a layover in Raleigh and I was fully perpared to talk a bunch of smack. The people in NC greeted us like heros, turns out the majority of the people in NC hate Duke as well.

 

[Deepster]

I still have that document I put together with all the articles from that run. It's buried away on some flash drive or something. I'll try to dig it up if anyone wants it.

 

[ucp990411]

I still have that document I put together with all the articles from that run. It's buried away on some flash drive or something. I'll try to dig it up if anyone wants it.

I have many newspaper articles from the days after

 

[Giscombe12]

 

[JB75]

Great insightful article in hartford courant about 99 team recently. In depth interviews. Some stuff I didn’t kno. Almost didn’t happen. Great read

 

[Travelman6]

Ya, I wrote a really long story about that a few months ago. Should have waited until the 20th year celebration of that win.

OT: - My Uconn wall of 1999.

When I was a teen in the late 90s I wanted to be a sports writer. I kind of wish I had stuck with it. I learned HTML at 18 and made a really cool college hoops site for my friends that they loved. I wish I had learned HTML a few years earlier (for 1999!). I also wrote a sports drama book when I was 17 and 18 that I learned how to bind in one of my classes and gave it to a few of my friends, never got it published but my sister was married to a guy who worked at a prominent newspaper who enjoyed it. That Uconn/Duke game 1999 brings back a lot of memories including faded dreams, like the dream of being a sports writer or publishing a book (I guess it isn't too late for #2). Sigh .

 

[Greathusky]

I remember walking Clearwater beach the next day after being up all night. I found a picture in my pocket of my friend and I at some bar with no recollection of who took it or when.

We were sitting in the nosebleed surrounded by Puke fans.

They hated us!

 

[TheChamps990411]

It was a perfect way to end a perfect decade. Oh how I miss the 90s

 

[JB75]

God. Imagine never knowing how good the big east used to be? So glad I grew up in 80s/90s. Perfect time to grow up. (In my humble opinion ) not too old/not too young. Right in the middle. Lol

 

[Fan4ever]

I remember telling our group..."Not only did we get to the Final Four this year, but we are going to win the whole F'in THING!" at the top of my lungs in a packed Knickerbockers in the Milford Mall. Unfortunately, those were the only seats I could afford at the time. Going home at 2 AM, I also recall all the road construction signs being reprogrammed to read "Congratulations to the UCONN Men's Basketball team, 1999 NCAA Champions!". Everyone was in on the party.