The banners

[willie99]

Sitting in GP last night, we talked about the opening GP. We looked at all the banners and jerseys and accomplishments and said, "this all started with GP, Jim and Geno".Truly remarkable

Thank you Huskies.

PS: Loved seeing Jim Penders and the baseball team too.

 

[coachn]

Jim Penders involved means good things for UConn.

 

[Palatine]

Sitting in GP last night, we talked about the opening GP. We looked at all the banners and jerseys and accomplishments and said, "this all started with GP, Jim and Geno".Truly remarkable

Thank you Huskies.

PS: Loved seeing Jim Penders and the baseball team too.

What about the 76 team that made Sweet 16? Or the 64 team that made the Elite 8? The 88 NIT Champs also had a huge affect on UConn fortunes.

I was in the crowd the night Gampel opened against St. John's. The Gampel itself is a testimony to all the great basketball that came before. Yep, the Gampel has played an important role in moving the program upward and onward. But the Gampel doesn't exist without Toby and Wes. Tony Hanson. Hugh Greer. Fred Shabel. It started with decades of regional relevance. We don't get invited into the Big East without that history.

So ever now and then, when you look up at those banners, look at the names of Fitch and Dropo and Quimby because there are no Rip and Ray and Bazz without them.

 

[HuskyHawk]

What about the 76 team that made Sweet 16? Or the 64 team that made the Elite 8? The 88 NIT Champs also had a huge affect on UConn fortunes.

I was in the crowd the night Gampel opened against St. John's. The Gampel itself is a testimony to all the great basketball that came before. Yep, the Gampel has played an important role in moving the program upward and onward. But the Gampel doesn't exist without Toby and Wes. Tony Hanson. Hugh Greer. Fred Shabel. It started with decades of regional relevance. We don't get invited into the Big East without that history.

So ever now and then, when you look up at those banners, look at the names of Fitch and Dropo and Quimby because there are no Rip and Ray and Bazz without them.

Agreed. I was there that night in the student section behind the basket. But a whole lot of good basketball happened in the Field House. It doesn’t exist without Tim Coles, Cliff Robinson, Karl Hobbs and Earl Kelly either.

 

[Hoophound]

There was a good history there before my time. My first game at UConn was a game against Seton Hall in the Fieldhouse in 1983 or 84’. I was a little kid. It is a game that record books say took place in the HCC, but it didn’t. That night changed my life. I became a huge fan and was fascinated with the history of the basketball program and the campus as a whole. It is a special place.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think people were smoking in the Fieldhouse during that game. There was a cloud in there as I remember it! My friends and I also enjoyed exploring under the bleachers.

 

[August_West]

There was a good history there before my time. My first game at UConn was a game against Seton Hall in the Fieldhouse in 1983 or 84’. I was a little kid. It is a game that record books say took place in the HCC, but it didn’t. That night changed my life. I became a huge fan and was fascinated with the history of the basketball program and the campus as a whole. It is a special place.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think people were smoking in the Fieldhouse during that game. There was a cloud in there as I remember it! My friends and I also enjoyed exploring under the bleachers.

I smoked cig’s in fieldhouse. Can confirm.

 

[LIUCHusky]

What about the 76 team that made Sweet 16? Or the 64 team that made the Elite 8? The 88 NIT Champs also had a huge affect on UConn fortunes.

I was in the crowd the night Gampel opened against St. John's. The Gampel itself is a testimony to all the great basketball that came before. Yep, the Gampel has played an important role in moving the program upward and onward. But the Gampel doesn't exist without Toby and Wes. Tony Hanson. Hugh Greer. Fred Shabel. It started with decades of regional relevance. We don't get invited into the Big East without that history.

So ever now and then, when you look up at those banners, look at the names of Fitch and Dropo and Quimby because there are no Rip and Ray and Bazz without them.

Great post. So many on here think UConn basketball started with Jim Calhoun.

 

[Huskybass]

There was a good history there before my time. My first game at UConn was a game against Seton Hall in the Fieldhouse in 1983 or 84’. I was a little kid. It is a game that record books say took place in the HCC, but it didn’t. That night changed my life. I became a huge fan and was fascinated with the history of the basketball program and the campus as a whole. It is a special place.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think people were smoking in the Fieldhouse during that game. There was a cloud in there as I remember it! My friends and I also enjoyed exploring under the bleachers.

That was my first game in person too. PJ was the Seton Hall coach. It was early 84 if I recall correctly. $1 and my student ID was the price of admission...

 

[Hoophound]

That was my first game in person too. PJ was the Seton Hall coach. It was early 84 if I recall correctly. $1 and my student ID was the price of admission...

That’s it. It was 1/14/84. We won 76-68. I remember the game was close. I checked to see if we played them at the Fieldhouse in 1983 and we did. However, we won that game 78-47, so that wasn’t it.

 

[huskyharry]

There was a good history there before my time. My first game at UConn was a game against Seton Hall in the Fieldhouse in 1983 or 84’. I was a little kid. It is a game that record books say took place in the HCC, but it didn’t. That night changed my life. I became a huge fan and was fascinated with the history of the basketball program and the campus as a whole. It is a special place.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think people were smoking in the Fieldhouse during that game. There was a cloud in there as I remember it! My friends and I also enjoyed exploring under the bleachers.

Exploring under the bleachers was fun in the 70s too!

 

[Huskybass]

That’s it. It was 1/14/84. We won 76-68. I remember the game was close. I checked to see if we played them at the Fieldhouse in 1983 and we did. However, we won that game 78-47, so that wasn’t it.

What I'm shocked about is that I hadn't gone to any games before that as a freshman. I think starting in 84-85 I had season tickets every year. I graduated in 88, NIT Champs. A great building block.

 

[willie99]

What about the 76 team that made Sweet 16? Or the 64 team that made the Elite 8? The 88 NIT Champs also had a huge affect on UConn fortunes.

I was in the crowd the night Gampel opened against St. John's. The Gampel itself is a testimony to all the great basketball that came before. Yep, the Gampel has played an important role in moving the program upward and onward. But the Gampel doesn't exist without Toby and Wes. Tony Hanson. Hugh Greer. Fred Shabel. It started with decades of regional relevance. We don't get invited into the Big East without that history.

So ever now and then, when you look up at those banners, look at the names of Fitch and Dropo and Quimby because there are no Rip and Ray and Bazz without them.

I appreciate all the prior players, especially Hanson who was just a little older than me

But no, it all started with Jim Calhoun. We went from a decent regional team, decent, with an occasional run, to a national brand

My first game was vs Cuse in New Haven in the 70's. We thought we were good, we didn't really compete

We didn't even win one BET game until Calhoun. We were one and done (correction, we one 1 in the first round of the 1st year)

PS: I was on the court at MSG when we won the NIT too

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

There was a good history there before my time. My first game at UConn was a game against Seton Hall in the Fieldhouse in 1983 or 84’. I was a little kid. It is a game that record books say took place in the HCC, but it didn’t. That night changed my life. I became a huge fan and was fascinated with the history of the basketball program and the campus as a whole. It is a special place.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think people were smoking in the Fieldhouse during that game. There was a cloud in there as I remember it! My friends and I also enjoyed exploring under the bleachers.

I'd keep score on the handout program, and whenever it dropped out of my hands and fell onto the dirt beneath the bleachers, I too went exploring. I just started 21 years before you.

 

[Palatine]

I appreciate all the prior players, especially Hanson who was just a little older than me

But no, it all started with Jim Calhoun. We went from a decent regional team, decent, with an occasional run, to a national brand

My first game was vs Cuse in New Haven in the 70's. We thought we were good, we didn't really compete

We didn't even win one BET game until Calhoun. We were one and done (correction, we one 1 in the first round of the 1st year)

PS: I was on the court at MSG when we won the NIT too

Not disputing that Calhoun changed us from a regional player to a national power. But the ball was put on the tee by what came before. And what came before was pretty darn good.

There's a whole school of "JC built UConn from nothing." But that simply is not true. Calhoun didn't get us into the Big East. We were already there. We were selling out the Civic Center when they build Gampel.

I take nothing away from Calhoun. Hall of Fame. I don't understand the necessity of taking away from those who came before.

 

[CL82]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think people were smoking in the Fieldhouse during that game. There was a cloud in there as I remember it!

That cloud may not have been cigarette smoke. The old Fieldhouse would get so loud that it would shake off dust from the rafters which used to create a cloud at the top. That was a great place to see a basketball game.

 

[HuskyHawk]

What I'm shocked about is that I hadn't gone to any games before that as a freshman. I think starting in 84-85 I had season tickets every year. I graduated in 88, NIT Champs. A great building block.

Same time period for me. I think @8893 as well. There seem to be several people here who were 1984-88 or close to it. In my case I did an extra semester in fall 88, so had student season tickets (the gold ticket) that first year in Gampel.

 

[uconngb]

Same time period for me. I think @8893 as well. There seem to be several people here who were 1984-88 or close to it. In my case I did an extra semester in fall 88, so had student season tickets (the gold ticket) that first year in Gampel.

Same here. On the court for the NIT win

 

[Sibeerian]

I was in the crowd the night Gampel opened against St. John's.

I was too. We parked pretty far away and saw Hollywood style floodlights in the sky over Gampel. Walking inside and seeing that ceiling for the first time... wow. Then they just destroyed a pretty good St. Johns team. One of my favorite basketball memories.

 

[huskyjawz]

I was too. We parked pretty far away and saw Hollywood style floodlights in the sky over Gampel. Walking inside and seeing that ceiling for the first time... wow. Then they just destroyed a pretty good St. Johns team. One of my favorite basketball memories.

Yes, memorable night. Race to Ted's immediately after.

 

[CL82]

Walking inside and seeing that ceiling for the first time... wow.

That Patoni really knew his stuff.

RIP Maestro.

 

[uconngb]

Yes, memorable night. Race to Ted's immediately after.

Was helpful to be tight w Chris and Louie back then