1969–70 Jacksonville Dolphins men's basketball team

1969–70 Jacksonville Dolphins men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Runner-up
Mideast Regional Champions
National Championship Game,
L 69–80 vs. UCLA
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 5
APNo. 4
Record27–2
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Tom Wasdin (4th season)
  • Bill Coulthart (1st season)
Home arenaJacksonville Coliseum
1969–70 NCAA University Division men's basketball independents standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 4 –   – 27 – 2   .931
No. 5 New Mexico State –   – 27 – 3   .900
No. 8 Marquette –   – 26 – 3   .897
No. 3 St. Bonaventure –   – 25 – 3   .893
No. 11 Florida State –   – 23 – 3   .885
No. 12 Houston –   – 25 – 5   .833
Army –   – 22 – 6   .786
No. 17 Niagara –   – 22 – 7   .759
No. 16 Utah State –   – 22 – 7   .759
Villanova –   – 22 – 7   .759
No. 9 Notre Dame –   – 21 – 8   .724
St. John's –   – 21 – 8   .724
Georgetown –   – 18 – 7   .720
Duquesne –   – 17 – 7   .708
Dayton –   – 19 – 8   .704
Manhattan –   – 18 – 8   .692
Hardin–Simmons –   – 17 – 9   .654
Holy Cross –   – 16 – 9   .640
Long Island –   – 16 – 9   .640
Georgia Tech –   – 17 – 10   .630
Creighton –   – 15 – 10   .600
Seattle –   – 15 – 10   .600
Boston University –   – 14 – 10   .583
Butler –   – 15 – 11   .577
Oklahoma City –   – 17 – 13   .567
Fairleigh Dickinson –   – 13 – 10   .565
Southern Illinois –   – 13 – 10   .565
Colgate –   – 14 – 11   .560
Providence –   – 14 – 11   .560
Denver –   – 13 – 11   .542
Loyola (IL) –   – 13 – 11   .542
Penn State –   – 13 – 11   .542
Rutgers –   – 13 – 11   .542
Saint Peter's –   – 13 – 11   .542
Northern Illinois –   – 13 – 12   .520
Air Force –   – 12 – 12   .500
Fairfield –   – 12 – 12   .500
Iona –   – 12 – 12   .500
NYU –   – 12 – 12   .500
Pittsburgh –   – 12 – 12   .500
Saint Francis (PA) –   – 12 – 12   .500
Syracuse –   – 12 – 12   .500
DePaul –   – 12 – 13   .480
West Texas State –   – 12 – 13   .480
Loyola (LA) –   – 12 – 14   .462
Boston College –   – 11 – 13   .458
Virginia Tech –   – 10 – 12   .455
St. Francis (NY) –   – 9 – 12   .429
West Virginia –   – 11 – 15   .423
Canisius –   – 9 – 13   .409
Fordham –   – 10 – 15   .400
Seton Hall –   – 10 – 15   .400
Marshall –   – 9 – 14   .391
Miami (FL) –   – 9 – 17   .346
Centenary –   – 8 – 16   .333
Pan American –   – 8 – 16   .333
Detroit –   – 7 – 18   .280
Tulane –   – 5 – 18   .217
Xavier –   – 5 – 20   .200
Navy –   – 4 – 19   .174
Portland –   – 4 – 22   .154
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1969–70 Jacksonville Dolphins men's basketball team represented Jacksonville University during the 1969–70 NCAA University Division basketball season. The independent Dolphins were led by sixth-year head coach Joe Williams and played their home games at the Jacksonville Coliseum.

The sixth-ranked Dolphins finished the regular season at 23–1 (.958) and were invited to the NCAA tournament. In the Mideast regional, they defeated Western Kentucky, No. 7 Iowa, and No. 1 Kentucky to advance to the Final Four; through 2021, it remains the program's only trip. The Dolphins defeated No. 3 St. Bonaventure to advance to the national championship game against second-ranked UCLA; the Bruins won their fourth straight NCAA title, and Jacksonville ended the season at 27–2 (.931) overall.[1]

Previous season

Jacksonville finished the 1968–69 season at 17–7 (.708).[2]

Season summary

The Dolphins were led by 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) center Artis Gilmore. A two-time All-America honoree (in 1969–70 and 1970–71), Gilmore led the nation in rebounding both seasons. He finished his career with 1,312 points (24.3 average) and 1,224 rebounds (22.7).[3][4][5]

The game against Georgetown on December 18 was stopped with 1:23 remaining in the first half following successive brawls between players from both teams and fans.[6][7] Georgetown head coach Jack Magee pulled his team from the court and Jacksonville was awarded the win.[6][8]

The Dolphins lost the national championship game to UCLA despite taking an early lead.[9][10] UCLA narrowed the lead and took over with 1:20 left in the first half. The Bruins never trailed again as they pulled away for the 80–69 win.[9]

Roster

1969–70 Jacksonville Dolphins men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
G Rusty Baldwin 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
—
So
F Mike Blevins 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
—
PF 42 Pembrook Burrows 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
—
Jr
Chip Dublin
—
—
Jr
C 53 Artis Gilmore 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Jr Chipley, Florida
G Dan Hawkins 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
—
Sr
F Curtis Kruer 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
—
So
G Rod McIntyre 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
—
Sr
G 24 Rex Morgan 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Charleston, Illinois
F Gregg Nelson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
—
Jr
Ken Selke
—
—
Sr
G Vaughn Wedeking 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
—
Jr Evansville, Indiana
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Source[11]

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
December 1, 1969*
East Tennessee State
Sunshine Classic semifinal
W 92–74  1–0
  –      –      –    Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum 
Jacksonville, FL
December 2, 1969*
Morehead State
Sunshine Classic championship
W 117–63  2–0
  –      –      –    Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum 
Jacksonville, FL
December 9, 1969*
Mercer W 102–62  3–0
  –     32 – Gilmore    –    Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum 
Jacksonville, FL
December 13, 1969*
St. Thomas (FL)
Sunshine Classic championship
W 130–65  4–0
  –     30 – Gilmore    –    Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum 
Jacksonville, FL
December 18, 1969*
No. 18 Georgetown W 41–26  5–0
  –      –      –    Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum 
Jacksonville, FL
December 22, 1969*
No. 18 Harvard W 103–64  6–0
  –      –      –    Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum 
Jacksonville, FL
December 26, 1969*
No. 13 vs. Arizona
Evansville Invite semifinal
W 104–72  7–0
  –      –      –    Roberts Municipal Stadium 
Evansville, IN
December 27, 1969*
No. 13 vs. Evansville
Evansville Invite championship
W 100–70  8–0
  –      –      –    Roberts Municipal Stadium 
Evansville, IN
January 2, 1970*
No. 10 at Hawaii W 100–78  9–0
  –      –      –    Neal S. Blaisdell Center 
Honolulu, HI
January 5, 1970*
No. 10 at Hawaii W 63–58  10–0
  –      –      –    Neal S. Blaisdell Center 
Honolulu, HI
January 9, 1970*
No. 7 Richmond W 113–77  11–0
  –      –      –    Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum 
Jacksonville, FL
January 10, 1970*
No. 7 Miami W 121–87  12–0
  –      –      –    Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum 
Jacksonville, FL
January 16, 1970*
No. 6 Virgin Islands W 114–66  13–0
  –      –      –    Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum 
Jacksonville, FL
January 27, 1970*
No. 6 at No. 18 Florida State L 83–89  13–1
  –      –      –    Tully Gymnasium 
Tallahassee, FL
January 30, 1970*
No. 6 Saint Peter's W 121–101  14–1
 46 – Gilmore   30 – Gilmore    –    Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum 
Jacksonville, FL
February 2, 1970*
No. 8 Iona W 110–75  15–1
  –      –      –    Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum 
Jacksonville, FL
February 5, 1970*
No. 8 at East Carolina W 111–94  16–1
  –      –      –    Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum 
Greenville, NC
February 6, 1970*
No. 8 at Richmond W 88–49  17–1
  –      –      –    Richmond Arena 
Richmond, VA
February 13, 1970*
No. 7 at Oklahoma City W 103–83  18–1
  –      –      –    Frederickson Fieldhouse 
Oklahoma City, OK
February 14, 1970*
No. 7 at Loyola (LA) W 96–75  19–1
  –      –      –    The Field House 
New Orleans, LA
February 18, 1970*
No. 6 No. 18 Florida State W 85–81  20–1
  –      –      –    Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum 
Jacksonville, FL
February 24, 1970*
No. 6 Oklahoma City W 77–75  21–1
  –      –      –    Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum 
Jacksonville, FL
February 26, 1970*
No. 6 at Georgia Tech W 86–81  22–1
  –      –      –    Alexander Memorial Coliseum 
Atlanta, GA
March 2, 1970*
No. 6 at Miami W 108–97  23–1
  –      –      –    Miami Beach Convention Center 
Miami, FL
NCAA Tournament
March 7, 1970*
No. 6 vs. No. 12 Western Kentucky
Regional Quarterfinal
W 109–96  24–1
 30 – Gilmore   19 – Gilmore    –    University of Dayton Arena 
Dayton, OH
March 12, 1970*
No. 4 vs. No. 7 Iowa
Regional semifinal
W 104–103  25–1
 30 – Gilmore   17 – Gilmore    –    St. John Arena 
Columbus, OH
March 14, 1970*
No. 4 vs. No. 1 Kentucky
Regional final
W 106–100  26–1
 28 – Morgan   20 – Gilmore    –    St. John Arena 
Columbus, OH
March 19, 1970*
7:40 pm
No. 4 vs. No. 3 St. Bonaventure
National semifinal
W 91–83  27–1
 29 – Gilmore   21 – Gilmore    –    Cole Fieldhouse (14,380)
College Park, MD
March 21, 1970*
4:00 pm
No. 4 vs. No. 2 UCLA
National Championship Game
L 69–80  27–2
 19 – Gilmore   16 – Gilmore    –    Cole Fieldhouse (14,380)
College Park, MD
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
ME=Mideast.
All times are in Eastern time.
Source:[12][13]

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre12345678910111213Final
AP—181813107666876664
Coaches—20-т1919107766876665

Awards and honors

Team players in the 1970 NBA draft

Round Pick Player NBA Club
2 21 Rex Morgan Boston Celtics

[14]

References

  1. ^ "Fourth straight for Bruins". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 22, 1970. p. 1, sports.
  2. ^ "1968-69 Jacksonville Dolphins Schedule and Results". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  3. ^ "Jacksonville University". Archived from the original on February 23, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  4. ^ "1969-70 Jacksonville Dolphins Roster and Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  5. ^ "Jacksonville Dolphins Men's Basketball Stat Sheet" (PDF). Jacksonville University. 1970. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 28, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  6. ^ a b "Desert Sun 19 December 1969 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  7. ^ "Georgetown Five Forfeits Game as Fight Halts Play (Published 1969)". The New York Times. December 19, 1969. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  8. ^ "Georgetown flees cage 'battle'". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 19, 1969. p. 3B.
  9. ^ a b "4TH CROWN IN ROW". The New York Times. March 22, 1970. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  10. ^ Jares, Joe (March 30, 1970). "Victory by mystique". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  11. ^ "1969-70 Jacksonville Dolphins Roster and Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  12. ^ "1969-70 Jacksonville Dolphins Schedule and Results". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  13. ^ "1969-70 Men's Basketball Schedule". Jacksonville University. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  14. ^ "1970 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved December 8, 2019.