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INDIANAPOLIS — When the 1976 Indiana men’s basketball team assembled in Indy this weekend, to be honored as the last undefeated team in Division I history, Todd Abernethy needed help recognizing an old friend.
It had been, Abernethy estimated, the full half-century since the last time he saw Rich Valavicius. A Hammond native, Valavicius played for IU from 1975-77, before transferring to Auburn, and Valavicius admitted Monday night he was apprehensive about rejoining his teammates for Monday’s celebration.
The moment Abernethy reconnected the face to the name, he immediately recalled what Abernethy described as a “huge, huge basket” in the national championship win over Michigan. Valavicius, it turned out, had no reason to worry.
“They opened their arms,” he said.
Living members of that team gathered Monday night at Lucas Oil Stadium, where they were honored for their achievements on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of their national title. Bob Knight, who Abernethy described as “the heart and soul of our group” was represented by his son, Pat.
Must read: Will 1975-76 IU be college basketball's last undefeated champion? Data explains odds, money has say
It was Knight’s first at Indiana, and in some ways his most impressive — the Hoosiers did not lose a Big Ten game between 1974-76, and their only loss in the 1975 season came in the regional final against Kentucky, with leading scorer Scott May injured.
The next year, Indiana opened with a win over then-No. 1 UCLA and never looked back.
“This is a blessing,” Quinn Buckner said. “I don’t know how we got here, 50 years. It’s worked out that way.”
That season saw IU endure close calls against Ohio State, Michigan and others. Indiana even trailed at halftime in the title game, against the Wolverines, prompting a speech from Knight his players still remember today.
February words: IU home to last undefeated basketball, football champions. 'Incredibly humbling,' Quinn Buckner says
“One of the comments coach Knight made was, ‘Over the next 20 minutes, boys, you have an opportunity to make history,’” Kent Benson said. “At the time, we didn’t think it was so prophetic, but now as we sit here 20, 30, 50 years later, that comment was prophetic.”
Across more than half an hour with the media, team members offered those memories, traded jokes and even offered advice both playful (Bobby Wilkerson encouraged today’s athletes to “get paid” and buy their mother a house) and serious.
“Ditch social media,” Buckner said. “I don’t say it lightly You’re looking for affirmation from people that don’t necessarily have your best interests at heart.”
Mostly, they reconnected and reminisced, on a season college basketball celebrates annually, because it hasn’t seen the likes again.
Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar's Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 1976 Indiana Hoosiers remember undefeated national championship season
Continue reading...
It had been, Abernethy estimated, the full half-century since the last time he saw Rich Valavicius. A Hammond native, Valavicius played for IU from 1975-77, before transferring to Auburn, and Valavicius admitted Monday night he was apprehensive about rejoining his teammates for Monday’s celebration.
The moment Abernethy reconnected the face to the name, he immediately recalled what Abernethy described as a “huge, huge basket” in the national championship win over Michigan. Valavicius, it turned out, had no reason to worry.
“They opened their arms,” he said.
Living members of that team gathered Monday night at Lucas Oil Stadium, where they were honored for their achievements on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of their national title. Bob Knight, who Abernethy described as “the heart and soul of our group” was represented by his son, Pat.
Must read: Will 1975-76 IU be college basketball's last undefeated champion? Data explains odds, money has say
It was Knight’s first at Indiana, and in some ways his most impressive — the Hoosiers did not lose a Big Ten game between 1974-76, and their only loss in the 1975 season came in the regional final against Kentucky, with leading scorer Scott May injured.
The next year, Indiana opened with a win over then-No. 1 UCLA and never looked back.
“This is a blessing,” Quinn Buckner said. “I don’t know how we got here, 50 years. It’s worked out that way.”
That season saw IU endure close calls against Ohio State, Michigan and others. Indiana even trailed at halftime in the title game, against the Wolverines, prompting a speech from Knight his players still remember today.
February words: IU home to last undefeated basketball, football champions. 'Incredibly humbling,' Quinn Buckner says
“One of the comments coach Knight made was, ‘Over the next 20 minutes, boys, you have an opportunity to make history,’” Kent Benson said. “At the time, we didn’t think it was so prophetic, but now as we sit here 20, 30, 50 years later, that comment was prophetic.”
Across more than half an hour with the media, team members offered those memories, traded jokes and even offered advice both playful (Bobby Wilkerson encouraged today’s athletes to “get paid” and buy their mother a house) and serious.
“Ditch social media,” Buckner said. “I don’t say it lightly You’re looking for affirmation from people that don’t necessarily have your best interests at heart.”
Mostly, they reconnected and reminisced, on a season college basketball celebrates annually, because it hasn’t seen the likes again.
Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar's Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 1976 Indiana Hoosiers remember undefeated national championship season
Continue reading...
