Massimino was also angry, as if Plansky had violated the groups collective omerta. Time heals all wounds. Several of McLains teammates used that expression in describing their relationship with their point guard. He will always be Giz. We have a great administration, great assistant coaches. Hes still one of our brothers, and we love him dearly. Yet McLain often drops off their collective grid for long periods and when this happens, they worry together. (Asked recently if that silence still remains, Martin said, I talked to Horace a few days ago. --By 1983, with football in limbo, only 700 of Villanovas most loyal former students were there for homecoming. Eighty-three was the best team we ever had, says Massimino. There were tears and hugs all around, and kisses on the bare noggin of 74-year-old trainer Jake Nevin, who, suffering from Lou Gehrigs disease, was confined to a wheelchair and had become the teams emotional touchstone.Ive never felt closer to a bunch of people in my life, recalls Jensen. Dont hesitate to shoot the ball. I was a difficult kid, and he was incredible., On the decisive play in the Dayton game, Jensen had the ball in the middle of the floor, far from the basket. He went to Albany, where Denise was a partner at Coopers & Lybrand. We played fine, says Ewing now. The Big East prospered in large part through media friendliness and access, but Georgetown was the exception. Marbach says, I did not set out with a master plan. From Jan. 27 to March 8, Villanova went 6-7, culminating in an 89-74 loss to St. John's in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. I wear the ring and the watch from 85, he says. The Wildcats began celebrating on the floor with a minute to play when Tar Heels coach Dean Smith chose not to challenge the ball (for which Massimino is eternally grateful). See terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Whats more, said Craig Miller, Wildcat sports publicist, Season ticket sales are up from 800 in 1980, the year before we dropped football, to 7,000 now.. 1985 Chicago Bear Super Bowl Team Ring Fan Men Gift American Football Souvenir. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, May 1, 6:49AM. In a game that was tight and tense throughout, Ewing and the Hoyas played toughand roughbut Villanovas deliberate tempo and sensational shooting put the underdog in position to win. We even have pregame pasta meals. Massimino had a pacemaker installed a few years ago, but remains the last member of the 85 team still actively involved in college basketball. We present them here for purely educational purposes. It was incredibly moving, says Jensen. Daly, who as the head coach at Penn once hired Massimino as an assistant, needles his old protg, saying hell sign on any day with Palm Beach Community College. NCAA Tournament: They all want to talk about the bad stuff. Day 2 | Friday, Apr. And then I took it. It was like we were in 1985 all over again.), (This still holds; no champion since 85 has come close to Nova's average. Every coach has a gimmick. A little of the first half, a little of the second, but never the whole game and never the finish. The 1984-85 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University. Villanova played a "light"[2] schedule against four NCAA Division III opponents and the United States Naval Academy JV team. Massimino, ever the patriarch, was happy to push his guys into jobs. Won National Semifinal (52-45) versus #2 Memphis Ed Pinkney added 37 minutes, 16 points, and 6 rebounds to being named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. But when you look at it, we were playing in the Big East, where you could lose six or seven games a year, and then youve got four games in the Big Five. 27. (Actually, there would be another). Like Sunday dinner at the Massiminos, says Everson. Gary was unbelievable. Three starters, Dwayne McClain, Harold Pressley, and Gary McLain played all 40 minutes in the Championship. Do you have a sports website? When: April 27-30. As the elevator hummed upward, Riley, a master motivator, turned to Pinckney and said, Someday youve got to tell me what Massimino said at halftime of that game.), (In 2013, Everson attended the NCAA Tournament games at Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. 1980 NCAA Division I-A independents football records, "Defense holds fort in Villanova's 176 win over VMI", "Villanova Rolls Past Penn, 34-3, to Prove a Point", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1980_Villanova_Wildcats_football_team&oldid=1123512788, 1980 NCAA Division I-A independents football season, Pages using CFB schedule with named parameters, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 24 November 2022, at 04:30. He was hurt and angry at Plansky. This year, in anticipation of the games 30th anniversary, I returned again to the subject and conducted fresh interviews with many of the principals. It gave us a sense of calm, almost in a meditative way. His teams have a 245-61 record in nine years. Many people in the 85 family felt that Marbach had purposely thrown Massimino and Lappas together in an attempt to force them to mend fences. They played their home games at Villanova Stadium in Villanova, Pennsylvania. But I wouldnt change anything.), In 1987 Marbach was hired at Canisius, dragging his pregnant wife, Denise, with him, even though her CPA career was blossoming. Pressley doesnt make that steal, Jensen doesnt get to the goal, theres no history, says Lappas. Massimino calls it one of the most memorable experiences my wife and I will ever have. Harold Pressley, a starting forward on the championship team, says, From the time I got off the plane until the time I got back on, it was nonstop laughs. Massimino began shouting, Great job, Chuck, great job. And then to the whole team: They are not giving that intimidation s--- to us. Not rah-rah, like were going to run over these guys. The NCAA Tournament saw a tough road for the Cats in the Southeast Region. But Gary is a family member and hes had problems. Join our linker program. Watch this complete national championship game from 1985, when one of the original Cinderella stories, Villanova, marched its way to the championship game ag. 1985 VILLANOVA WILDCATS National Cnampionship Replica Ring, US SHIP! Or a roar after a touchdown. Its a very tough business at times.. He just finished a 10-19 season in his third year at Massachusetts. Offensively, says Massimino, we just tweaked a few things to make sure we got the ball to Eddie. Villanova vs. Georgetown: 1985 National Championship | FULL GAME Watch on Following their Villanova playing days, six players from the team were selected in subsequent NBA Drafts. The Wildcats are 4-20 vs. FBS foes, with the last win coming at Temple to open the 2018. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino & resort (KS). He has done few interviews in the last 19 years, but he has agreed to talk to SI because life is beautiful right now, and I want everyone to understand who I am today and that theres a bigger story to my life than one article. The article appeared in Sports Illustrated two years after that magical night in Lexington, under the byline Gary McLain, as told to Jeffrey Marx. At the time Marx was an investigative reporter with the Lexington Herald-Leader, in Kentucky, and he had shared a 1986 Pulitzer Prize for a series of articles exposing corruption in the Kentucky basketball program. Plansky and Jensen chat all the time. Numerous members of the Cinderella squad were at Novas trip to the Final Four in 2009, at the 2016 National Championship in Houston, and in San Antonio for Villanovas third National Championship in 2018. In April 1981 the Villanova University Board of Trustees announced the discontinuation of football effective immediately. That could be schtick. They sure have. Unbelievable! he says, recounting the swift climb. We laughed together, we cried together. (As always, McLain was the complex exception. Georgetown didnt have players like that, except Patrick. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. and Mrs. Plansky, its not your sons fault. Very hard on himself. It was a low pass, Martin says. (#10 seed in Southeast)Won Southeast First Round (71-62) versus #7 Virginia Tech Heres why they decided against it, Kentucky Derby draw finds favorite Forte in a nice spot in the middle, Lakers-Warriors series: Plenty of story lines, but LeBron vs. Steph is No. Harold Jensen who added 34 minutes and 14 points was named to the All-Tournament alongside McClain and McLain. But one incident doesnt determine who I am., And there is this, from somewhere deep in his soul: I am incredibly thankful to Coach Mass for the way he ran that program. I dont think there was a living ass in the country who didnt think we were the better team.. Roster Layout: Choose A Season: Sort By: We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list. But the sophomore swingman would come up big in the tournament. The 1972 Villanova Wildcats football team represented the Villanova University during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. 1 seed, yet lost to North Carolina State in their second tournament game.) There was just so much trust., On the first Thursday in March the Wildcats beat Pittsburgh, 69-61, in the first round of the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden, a win that ensured them an NCAA bid. With his team trailing Pittsburgh 40-23 at the half in Pitts Fitzgerald Field House, Massimino told his starters at halftime, Youve got two minutes to show me something, or youre coming out. He gave them three before yanking them for good. I had to take it., Massimino says, That story is not true. He says that Gillen should have taken the job, and since he didnt, John Olive, another former Villanova assistant, should have gotten it. Thats a prestigious conference in the East., Said Villanova publicist Eugene Ruane: One thing we like about it is that theres a greater respect for academic values in I-AA football., Talley, the only undefeated I-AA coach in the country, said: What I like about it is that this division has a national championship game every year. Future NFL Hall of Famer Howie Long was a senior nose guard on the team. Sure, I knew that. Tim, I got your text, McLain said, exuberantly, as if he remembered me and was anxious to talk. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Im sure they were expecting us to hold for the last shot, says Jensen. Come to Villanova to play basketball, and youll be part of a family. UNLV bought out the remaining three years of his contract for $1.9 million. Despite long-tenured NBA playing and coaching careers, the main story that Villanova critics quickly recall is the admission by Gary McLain that he played the National Semifinal game against Memphis high on cocaine. Football does create an end-of-the-week social focus for students and alumni, said Burke, who heads the schools honors program. The demand was overwhelming., He added, after checking the record book: I think weve set a record. (The banner was hoisted in 2005. 1972 Villanova Wildcats football team roster Players Coaches Offense. I have been humbled in this life, says McLain. Said Boda: Receipts in the lower divisions dont match expenditures for coaches salaries, players uniforms, travel, publicity, promotion, etc.. The head coach was Dick Bedesem, coaching his sixth season with the Wildcats. They beat the best team in the country.. Villanova advanced to the Elite Eight with wins over Dayton (51-49), No. When he got his own reins, it was mass chaos. Buonaguro resigned under pressure after the 1990-91 season. After losing to St. Johns in the Big East semifinals, Villanova was made the No. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. The victory set up the all BIG EAST National Championship game between the Wildcats and the Hoyas; their third matchup of the season. [1] It was the program's first season since 1980, as the team had been discontinued for four years due to perceived lack of financial resources to compete at the Major College (now Football Bowl Subdivision) level. Here's the schedule and how you can watch all the college events. (Since 2008, Marbach, 61, has been working as a sales rep for Ampro Sports in Philadelphia. He wished he hadnt said those things about Buonaguro and he wished I hadnt written them. The decision was highly controversial and triggered efforts resulting in the restoration of football at the Division I-AA level in 1985. Im clean today. (He told AP in 2014 that he was using drugs up until 2005.) Why at Villanova, which had played football for 87 years on its campus in suburban Philadelphia, did the authorities first abolish, then shortly afterward restore the game? Youre good enough. That is not happening. Not a day passes when somebody doesnt ask him about 1985, and just last month a security guard gave him a yellowed copy of the Philadelphia Daily News from April 2, 1985. The perception in 1981 was that this is a sport that has become far too costly to maintain, said Athletic Director Ted Aceto. That he had changed. The goal, says Lappas, was to make Georgetown run a zone offense while we were playing man-to-man, and they wouldnt realize it. They also dropped a guard down to double-team Ewing, but from his blind side, which they had not done in the regular season. Massimino, a master motivator in games and practice, liked to say that the members of the Villanova basketball program formed a family. In between those last two national championships, Roland Vincent Massimino passed away at the age of 82 in the summer of 2017, when many of the Villanova Family (& all college basketball in general) came to celebrate his life. Im afraid well lose. (Massimino says he still hasnt watched the finish. The players started softly chuckling, until the tension was sucked out of the room. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Many of them are on the north side of 50, when anger takes too much effort to hold.) Jimmy Valvano warned me that would happen, says Massimino. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. (Chuck Daly died five years later at age 79). I can see that now. That old wound is slowly healing. The official Football news stories archives for the Villanova University Wildcats On the first day of April in 1985, it wasnt April Fools; the 8th seeded Villanova Wildcats upset the top-ranked Georgetown Hoyas to win the 1985 National Championship. He has been divorced for six years, but his 11-year-old daughter, Jade Alexis McLain, lives nearby in Florida and stays with McLain every other weekend. Villanova University/Collegiate Images/Getty Images. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Massimino pulled a chair into the center of the room. Read more about our data coverage. Villanova experienced very little roster turnover after the 1983-84 season. Do you have a sports website? Shapland died at age 57 in April of 2013. The Hoyas had beaten Villanova 52-50 in overtime at the Spectrum in Philadelphia and 57-50 in Landover, Md. Do you have a blog? Not because of [how good] we were, says UMass coach Steve Lappas, a first-year college assistant on the 85 Villanova staff, but because we were Rollie Massiminos assistant coaches. The profession would not be kind to any of them. A year later the Wildcats went 19-12 and lost to Illinois in the second round. ), (This section of the original story caused problems 11 years ago. Among the other prospective recruits at the camp were McLain, a Long Island native living with his high school coach in southeastern Massachusetts; McClain, a willowy 6' 6" forward from Worcester, Mass. One of their big guys swatted at it, but he missed and it went in. Dayton couldnt answer and Villanova advanced. Marbach sold real estate and did radio commentary on Siena games for five years. Villanova basketball teams, for instance, have made the Final Four three times and won the national championship a year ago. Of course, you never know. Villanova's 10-3 record included four victories over Top 25 opponents, including No. It is the universitys view of football that has changed. There was also no three-point shot until the 1986-87 season). It was a daunting assignment and would require the game of his life. ), Sherman Oaks Notre Dame receives No. Once like father and son, Massimino and Lappas have not spoken since. The discipline. (including this year's edition of the Wildcats, who were awarded a No. All rights reserved. During our run, there wasnt a lot of talking on the court. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Nothing the rest of the year takes the place of a long football weekend.. Find out more. Old students miss all that when you dont have football. Though Massimino would remain at the school for another seven years before moving unexpectedly to UNLV, the win over Georgetown would be the highpoint of his career at Villanova. Coach Mass helped me through it. The Family atmosphere that Massimino created in the 1980s is the bedrock of Jay Wrights team in the 2020s. Massimino left coaching only last March, when he resigned after seven years at Cleveland State. Bad matchups, bad history, everything. And Villanova got its wish: The Hoyas won easily, 75-59. We spent a lot of time crying together, says Jensen. On Dec. 28, at Wrights urging, Massimino and his extended family attended Villanovas game against North Carolina-Greensboro at The Pavilion. Eleven years ago I wrote a . A couple of days ago I heard from eight players in one day, he says. They were co-champions of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) and advanced to the National Championship game where they defeated Montana, 23-21. "The demand was overwhelming." He added, after. Division I-AA football is respectable, and well be in the Yankee Conference starting next year. And Mitch and I are good now.), (Since 2008, Marbach, 61, has been working as a sales rep for Ampro Sports in Philadelphia. Intense, glowering and, at 6' 10", truly larger-than-life, John Thompson cut a very different figure than Massimino. Even so, football is expensive there, or anywhere. I saw him a few years ago at a Georgetown function. Have they ever talked about the turnover? The peak, 685, was reached in 1948 with the deluge of GI bill federal funds. 24 Holy Cross. It came to mean something quite different, says Asher. Many others arrive by 10:30 Saturday morning and spend up to seven or eight hours on campus, talking with old friends, meeting key alumni, visiting the bookstore, tailgating, cheering the home team. Four minutes! Why the 1985 Villanova team is the ultimate March Madness cinderella, Exclusive: 4* Christian Bliss (24) talks Nova, VU Hoops Tommy Godin sat down with George School standout Christian Bliss to discuss his recruitment, trip to Villanova, and more. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Massiminos three top assistants would quickly become head coaches. We had 667 four-year colleges playing intercollegiate football last year, NCAA spokesman Steve Boda said. All the guys are tired of it. But like we know them, and we can play with them.. His next four teams averaged 20 losses. Did what they needed to do.. Mitch was an unbelievable game coach and Rollie needed somebody like that. I do look back sometimes. The Villanova Wildcats football program represents Villanova University in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-AA). But the NCAA Tournament expanded from 53 to 64 . He came in, lounged around with my mother, seemed real comfortable. Call (800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelpline.ma.org (MA), Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Just go out and play. As Massimino left the locker room, the Reverend John Stack, a Catholic priest and Villanova dean of students, who was in the locker room, grabbed Massiminos arm. If youre going to win championships, youve got to catch those. So we stuck with what we did, and added a couple of little wrinkles. The Wildcats would play their array of zone defenses and, on Georgetowns first pass, would often switch to a matchup or man-to-man. In reality we were nine for nine.), And McLain? 1 activity in drawing the community together, he said, meaning faculty, administration, students and former students. Ferrante led the Wildcats to a 7-1 record against a challenging CAA Football schedule to mark the fifth season since 1988 in which the team had no more than one loss in conference play. Buonaguro, now 62, was fired. The top-5 players of all time for Villanova football *Villanova joined the FCS in 1985. Close your eyes and picture yourself playing this game to win. That season, that tournament was a turning point in my life beyond the sport, says Jensen. The memory of the game moves many of the 85s to the edge of tears. Massimino, here speaking to his players before the Georgetown game, would deliver a memorable halftime speech in the same locker room, one that fired up the Wildcats for their epic second half. If you dont know what that means, look it up, and then well talk about it. Well, it means to purify, which I took to mean make whiter. A very, very intense guy, says Plansky. And then Coach Mass and Gary came out, arm in arm and we went out and had a little pasta. Even this reconciliation has been tenuous, though not hostile. Mitch is a great Xs-and-Os guy and a great recruiter, says Plansky, but a woeful manager. Since the program was reborn in 1985, none of Villanova's professional football players were big-time recruits, but they became stars on the Main Line and made it to the professional ranks. 1984-85 Villanova Wildcats Men's Roster and Stats Previous Season Next Season Record: 25-10 (9-7, 4th in Big East MBB ) Coach: Rollie Massimino PS/G: 68.7 (161st of 282) More School Info NCAA Champion Villanova (Men's) School History Roster & Stats Polls, Schedule & Results On this page: Roster Per Game Team and Opponent Stats Per Game Totals The Villanova Programs mantra of We play for those who came before us is passed down from class to class. When Massiminos name was announced, he received a standing ovation. It was Reggie Williams. And effective. As a result, few state-supported colleges anywhere exist without football. The spaghetti speech, says McClain. Villanova has traditionally played an FBS opponent once each year since becoming an FCS program in 1985. That was a university decision, says Massimino. On the Saturday of Final Four weekend Villanovas befuddling array of defenses humbled Memphis State, and the Wildcats advanced to the title game with a 52-45 win. I felt bad. The stall lasted less than half a minute before Martins hard pass bounced off Broadnaxs shin near the sideline in front of the Georgetown bench. --In 1984, when the school was gearing up for football again with 85 walk-ons, 20,000 were on campus, and, for the first intra-squad game of Talleys regime, the stadium was sold out at $10 a head. 2000 Villanova Wildcats football team From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The 2000 Villanova Wildcats football team represented the Villanova University during the 2000 NCAA Division I-AA football season. It was a family that came together like never before in that final run of 1985. Last November Villanovas basketball team hosted Northwood University, where 85 head coach Rollie Massimino is the 80-year-old head coach, and turned the weekend into a celebration of the 85 teams 30-year anniversary. He has worked since October for a company that places doctors in temporary positions. And I slept fine that night.), Ewing says, One turnover cost us the game, but I dont blame anybody. It worked. Photo Illustration by Erica Cotten; Nycretoucher/Getty Images (money). Coach Thompson wasnt going to change much for us, we knew that, says Buonaguro, who was responsible for preparing the championship game scouting report. [1] Schedule [ edit] [6] Roster [ edit] The 1980 Villanova Wildcats football team represented the Villanova University during the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season.The head coach was Dick Bedesem, coaching his sixth season with the Wildcats.The team played their home games at Villanova Stadium in Villanova, Pennsylvania. We can talk then. McLain did not call after 5 p.m. and did not answer subsequent calls or texts. The players themselves found this coverage hilarious. Lexington, KY was the host of the National Semifinals as the country saw matchups between the Wildcats and Memphis State in one game and Georgetown against St. Johns in the second. Today its no less costly than before, Aceto said. Its a nice icebreaker around Philadelphia.), (Eleven years later, Maker says, I was still very angry then. It absolutely gutted Rollie, says veteran NBA coach and TV analyst Mike Fratello, an early Massimino assistant and longtime confidante. On April 14, 1981 the team was officially disbanded due to monetary . Nineteen (Thirty) years, yet this game hasnt loosened its grip. It was nothing complicated, says McClain. Georgetown stayed in a passive 1-3-1 zone, allowing Villanova to hold the ball. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? A taut battle of wills left Dayton in possession with the game tied 49-49 with less than two minutes to play.
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