Happy 17th Anniversary Uconn 77 Duke 74 (3/29/99)

[ucp990411]

Why do people insist on calling Ray, Ray Ray?

 

[boog204]

Watched it in my dorm room in Shakespeare/Troy with about 24 people packed in. We had to unplug the fridge and put it in the middle of the room since it was impossible to get to it. At halftime, my buddy lit a tree on fire out of frustration. It got out of hand and almost torched our dorm. When the buzzer sounded my neighbors across the hall (football players) were butt naked and running through the hall as my pyro buddy started breaking the windows in the dorm. We then ran to the center of campus and nearly lit ourselves on fire in the various bonfires around campus. At around 3am the riot police essentially pushed back inside. Other than the birth of my daughter, it was the greatest night of my life.

 

[UConniki]

The best 76 hour (round trip of coarse) bus trip(only bus trip)that I ever took,and then bought tickets from a scalper in an alley( I thought I was gonna get robbed) to witness "THE GAME". $400 for a pr of center court tickets 8 rows up( VERY LUCKY DAY), all things considered. We even have one of the heavy vinyl pennants( that were hanging from all of the street light poles about 30ft off the ground around the dome) proudly displaced in our "UCONN ROOM" as proof that we went to the game. Lot of great memories for sure!!!! Procuring the banners required some miner acts of civil disobedience,and placing ones self at risk to do a great deal of harm ( my wife says stupid is as stupid does) physically. Nothing that most boneyarders wouldn't do imo.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I still remember that day vividly. I was so apprehensive at work that I spent half the day on the phone talking with friends and former co-workers about the game, what they thought, always throwing in my opinion that Duke would be lost once they found out we were faster and deeper than they were.

The game occurred a few weeks after a near life shattering event and in all candor, the outcome was something I needed dearly. I was so pumped after the game that I decided to create an ID on the then Courant board and spent about four hours posting about the game (as I really wanted people to talk to about it). That was the first step that eventually led me to here.

 

[Waquoit]

I remember trying to book a flight over the phone and the only Florida airport I could get was Ft. Walton Beach. Never heard of it. But I figured "It's in Florida, how friggin' far could it be?" As far away as any airport in FL including Key West. Plus I had to pick up my Dad in Venice. Well worth it. Remember "The Clamps!"

And I must admit the 17th anniversary of 77-74 is even bigger than the 40th anniversary of Silk Degrees.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

I had 7 year grandson in 1999
My youngest (the real AZHuskie) had moved out.
I had taken him to games since he was little ,we shared the Agony of 1990 together
In those days we had two land line phone
My wife had QVC on speed dial on one to the first to order NC sweatshirts
On the other line I had AZ on speed dial As time ran out I dialed when he picked up I screamed into the phone, I heard him tell his wife with me saying a word. It's only my dad going nuts
After every important UConn win my phone will ring to this day
It's it's our tradition

 

[UConn_Top_Dog]

It's such a pleasure reading everyone's personal experiences on that night. So nostalgic. I hope to share memories like this with my children one day.

I was in 8th grade that year. I remember watching the game in my parents bedroom while they were in the kitchen watching. Once the final buzzer sounded I ran into the kitchen with indescribable excitement. The next day on the school bus my friends and I kept chanting the u-c-o-n-n chant and made a sign on poster board with "Go Huskies!"on it showing all the cars behind us.

Ever since then I have been obsessed with uconn basketball and played the sport growing up every chance I got. Played 3 years in high school. Hopefully one day I have a son or daughter who wears the Husky uniform.

 

[UConn 77]

I was there. What a great night.

 

[uconnfan68]

My entire family left me alone to watch the game by myself. Prolly a good thing....I was sobbing at the end!

Thought I was going to pass out, and no drinks were imbibed. Didn't want to miss a second of play.

 

[Scoe]

I was 15 at the time I remember waking up that day normally I would have to be in bed by 10-10:30, my parents of course understood and they said to me before I even said anything "you can stay up to watch the game but you can't if your homework isn't done" I had never been so motivated to get my homework done at that age, the second I got home I went straight into my room with the door shut to finish my homework.

I remember I watched the pre game I believe Digger Phelps was the only one who picked Uconn to win. I yelled as loud as I could and ran across my yard and my neighbors heard me yelling and yelled back in excitement. I stayed up till 2 am that night I wasn't tired at all getting up early to go to school. I felt like I could fly if I got nailed in the head with a cinder block I wouldn't feel it.

I would like to know what the reactions from Duke fans were from our Uconn fans who went to the game.

 

[Waquoit]

I only have memories of Dukies pregame. This one twerp kept saying, "Too much, too much, Duke is too much. Too much Elton Brand. Too much Corey Maggette. Too much William Avery..."

 

[JonnyRI]

I can honestly say it was the 3rd happiest day of my life after the days my 2 children were born. I never understood why my ex wife had a problem with that when I told her.

Couldn't agree more. Nothing sweeter than first time on top of the mountain. Dook invitational still makes my blood boil.

 

[Shabazzkets]

Unless UConn someday goes undefeated and beats Syracuse in the final to win the national championship, this will always be my favorite basketball memory...which is saying something when you're a UConn fan. (I confess that the 2011 Big East tourney might have rivaled this moment...it's actually a close call for me. Still think that the 5 games in 5 days achievement is the greatest thing any team has achieved since Indiana went undefeated in the 70s.)

I don't like to admit this, but I went to PC for undergrad. I was watching the game with all of my buddies, all of whom knew I was UConn-obsessed and loved to needle me about it. One of my "friends" openly rooted for Duke at key points in the game, but for the most part they were cool about it and probably enjoyed watching me suffer for 40 minutes of hoops. I don't think any of them thought UConn would actually win, until we did.

Anyway, I remember falling to my knees watching those last few minutes, and then being as happy as I'd ever been in my life up to that point (I've since gotten married, had kids, etc.). My dad called me moments after the game ended, and we just didn't know what to say. Stunned, complete happiness. That really was such an amazing night.

 

[Jimbo]

I was one of the crazily screaming UConn students watching the game on the big screen at Gampel, which you can see CBS cut to a couple of times during the game broadcast. I remember feeling horrified for a fraction of a second when the whistle blew on Duke's penultimate possession, thinking at first that the refs had called a foul on Ricky, and then instant relief when it turned out to be traveling on Langdon. Then, after Khalid's two free throws and Langdon tripping and losing the ball…just complete euphoria, mixed with a crazy feeling of "did we really just pull this off?" disbelief. And to have it happen against the team that absolutely broke my 10-year-old heart back in 1990, followed by all those great UConn players and teams that kept falling short of the Final Four in the 90s, only to finally break through that year and bring it all full circle by winning the whole thing? Greatest sports night ever.

 

[pepband99]

I was there. Front row.

 

[The Viking]

Watched it in my dorm room in Shakespeare/Troy with about 24 people packed in.

Hey boog, I was in Shakespeare in 95-97. Did you take part in Christmas Caroling too?

 

[The Viking]

As for the game, saw it at the Standing Stone in Hartford (miss the endless barrell of peanut shells you could just throw to the floor), then celebrated at the good old Federal Cafe where the owner left the bar open an hour after close.
Hartford was pretty nuts that night.