"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity." - Martin Luther King Jr.

Cancel-culture considerations resulted in condemning an estimated 100 statues and monuments to white-guilt reparations rubble. Facing reality, such arcane activist analysis could be the only way for self-absorbed progressive outposts to stop superior Southern universities from dominating college football after former Confederacy institutions captured 16 of the last 18 gridiron national crowns (primarily with in-state recruits). After all, shouldn't the SEC and ACC be sanction shamed by self-loathing social scholars, if not disbandment purge, insofar as the first season Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Kentucky and South Carolina featured an African-American on their varsity basketball rosters wasn't until 1970-71 (two years after MLK was assassinated in Memphis)?

Could Auburn have been ranked #1 nationally two seasons ago a whopping half century beforehand? Truth be told, racially hung-up SEC and ACC incurred self-imposed performance penalties by failing to recruit regal in-state black prospects until Dixie denizens were finally tired of monumental hardwood horror. Pearl-of-wisdom memo to Auburn: The following droughts describe authentic self-regulation. It seems inconceivable but segregation-shackled Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech (won in 1960), LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State (W in 1963), Tennessee, Texas A&M (W in 1969) and Virginia combined for a paltry three NCAA playoff victories during 22-year tourney famine from 1954 through 1975. Moreover, Arkansas, Clemson, Florida (1967), Georgia, Georgia Tech (1960), LSU, Ole Miss, Texas Tech (1961) and Virginia Tech collaborated for an anemic total of three final AP Top 20 finishes in 20-season span from 1954-55 through 1973-74. Even colossus UK didn't win an NCAA Tournament title in 19-year span from 1959 through 1977.

For the record, ACC members in North Carolina all included black players on their varsity teams by end of the 1960s. There is a relatively simple explanation for why Auburn, Clemson, Florida and Georgia failed to participate in the NCAA playoffs until the 1980s. Despite excluding much of the ACC, a trip into the what-if world of hoopdom can be fascinating. What might have been for principally football-dominated Southern schools if they weren't so narrow-minded waiting until the early 1970s to treat in-state African-American hoopers as equals? If not judged by color of skin, consider the following possible "started living (in basketball)" promised-land scenarios:

Power-Conference Schools	Consequences for Shunning African-American Players	What Might Have Been for Southern Schools?
Alabama (1970-71 was first season for black on varsity roster) and Auburn (1969-70)	Alabama (no appearances from inception of NCAA tourney in 1939 until 1975) and Auburn (no appearances until 1984) were outsiders in regard to the NCAA playoffs. Each school managed only one AP Top 20 finish until the mid-1970s.	Bama, after losing final 15 games in 1968-69, and Auburn wouldn't have combined for losing records in 1969-70 and 1970-71 if in-state All-American products Artis Gilmore (Jacksonville FL), Travis Grant (Kentucky State) and Bud Stallworth (Kansas) were on their rosters.
Arkansas (1969-70)	No NCAA playoff victory in 28-year span from 1950 through 1977. No AP Top 20 finish until 1977.	Hogs would have been much better than posting mediocre 13-11 record in 1962-63 if they boasted inside-outside combination of All-Americans Jim Barnes (Texas Western) and Eddie Miles (Seattle).
Florida (1971-72)	The Gators had no NCAA tourney appearances until 1987. Only one AP Top 20 finish until 1994.	UF would have far exceeded an 11-15 record in 1970-71 if Howard Porter (Villanova) and Truck Robinson (Tennessee State) manned forward positions.
Georgia (1970-71) and Georgia Tech (1971-72)	Georgia (no appearances until 1983) and Georgia Tech (only one NCAA playoff appearance and victory until 1985) were non-factors in national postseason play. Only one AP Top 20 finish for either school until mid-1980s.	Georgia and Georgia Tech wouldn't have incurred double digits in defeats in 1969-70 if they fortified frontline with Gar Heard (Oklahoma), Elmore Smith (Kentucky State) and Joby Wright (Indiana).
Louisiana State (1971-72)	No NCAA playoff appearance or AP Top 20 finish in 24-year span from 1955 through 1978.	Bayou Bengals wouldn't have compiled non-winning records in 1962-63 and 1963-64 if their frontcourt included Luke Jackson (Pan American), Bob Love (Southern LA), Cincy Powell (Portland) and/or Willis Reed (Grambling). LSU's initial campaign post-Pistol Pete Maravich in 1970-71 would have been much better than 14-12 if backcourt was buttressed by Fred Hilton (Grambling) and/or James Silas (Stephen F. Austin State).
Mississippi (1971-72) and Mississippi State (1972-73)	Ole Miss (no appearances until 1981) and MSU (only two NCAA playoff appearances and one victory until 1995). Ole Miss didn't have an AP Top 20 finish until 1998.	Doubtful both schools would have compiled losing records each season from 1967-68 through 1969-70 if frontcourters E.C. Coleman (Houston Baptist), Mike Green (Louisiana Tech), Spencer Haywood (Detroit), George T. Johnson (Dillard LA), Earnest Killum (Stetson FL) and Sam Lacey (New Mexico State) competed for them at some point during that subterranean span.
Clemson (1970-71) and South Carolina (1970-71)	Clemson (no NCAA playoff appearances until 1980) and USC (no NCAA playoff appearances until 1971). Clemson had only one AP Top 20 finish through 1986.	Teams could have thrived with inside-outside combination of Art Shell (Maryland-Eastern Shore) and Kenny Washington (UCLA) in mid-1960s and frontcourt featuring Gene Gathers (Bradley) and Clifford Ray (Oklahoma) in 1969-70 and 1970-71.
Tennessee (1971-72)	Winless in NCAA playoff competition until 1979. Only one AP Top 10 finish in 20th Century.	Paul Hogue (Cincinnati), Les Hunter (Loyola of Chicago) and Vic Rouse (Loyola of Chicago) were standouts for NCAA titlists the first half of 1960s. The Volunteers could have featured one of the finest frontcourts in NCAA history with James Johnson (Wisconsin), Charlie Paulk (Tulsa/Northeastern Oklahoma State), Rick Roberson (Cincinnati) and Bingo Smith (Tulsa) in 1966-67 and 1967-68. Rocky Top could have boasted one of the top backcourts in NCAA history in 1970-71 with Richie Fuqua (Oral Roberts) and Ted McClain (Tennessee A&I).
Texas (1969-70), Texas A&M (1971-72) and Texas Tech (1969-70)	UT (only two NCAA Tournament appearances in 24-year span from 1948 through 1971), A&M (only one NCAA playoff victory until 1980) and TT (only two NCAA playoff victories until 1976) were inconsequential in postseason play for extended period. No AP Top 10 finish among trio until 1996.	How potent of frontlines could SWC members have had from 1961-62 through 1964-65 choosing among Zelmo Beaty (Prairie View A&M), Nate Bowman (Wichita), Mitchell Edwards (Pan American), Eddie Jackson (Oklahoma/OCU), McCoy McLemore (Drake), John Savage (North Texas State), Dave Stallworth (Wichita), Gene Wiley (Wichita) and John Henry Young (Midwestern State)?
Virginia (1971-72) and Virginia Tech (1969-70)	UVA (no NCAA playoff appearances until 1976) and VT (only one NCAA playoff appearance until 1976) had little impact on postseason play until mid-1970s. No AP Top 20 finish for VT until 1996.	College class of '69 could have been one of premier in-state recruiting groups of all-time with Charles Bonaparte (Norfolk State), Bob Dandridge (Norfolk State), Bill English (Winston-Salem State NC) and Skeeter Swift (East Tennessee State).

Fred Hoiberg is known as the "Mayor" in many basketball circles after two-time All-Big Eight Conference selection for Iowa State in the mid-1990s coached his alma mater to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 2011-12 through 2014-15. In fact, as a Cyclones player he received some write-in votes in the 1993 mayoral election.

Following a four-year stint in the NBA coaching the Chicago Bulls, he has been striving to pump some life into Nebraska's moribund program, where his grandfather, Jerry Bush, was coach for nine losing campaigns from 1954-55 through 1962-63. A 16-point victory by the Huskers over top-ranked Purdue recently opened some eyes. By the end of this month, we should know whether they are bound for the NCAA playoffs for only the second time in 21st Century. If the Big Red do go dancing and then earn its first-ever national tourney triumph, Hoiberg will likely become "Mayor" of two Midwest college towns. Until then, following is an alphabetical list of former college hoopers who became authentic mayors:

HENRY "SCOTTY" BAESLER, Kentucky
Mayor of Lexington, Ky., for 10 years before representing Kentucky's Sixth District in the U.S. House of Representatives after getting more than 60 percent of the vote in 1992. The Democrat ran for governor in 1994 and narrowly lost against Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning for a Senate seat in 1998. . . . The 5-11, 180-pound guard averaged 8.4 points per game in three varsity seasons (1960-61 through 1962-63). He scored 26 points as a junior against Southern California. Senior captain hit 16-of-17 foul shots in a game against Vanderbilt en route to leading the Wildcats in free-throw accuracy (85.5%). Played for NCAA Tournament regional runner-up teams as a sophomore and junior before pacing UK in assists his final season with 4.3 per game. Sketch in school guide: "Typifies the 'we ain't scared of nothing' attitude of 'Fearless Five.' The self-made man type that sportswriters like to laud in success stories."

C. DAVID BAKER, UC Irvine
Former mayor of Irvine became commissioner of the Arena Football League in November, 1996. He played professionally in Europe before graduating from Pepperdine University School of Law, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Law Review. . . . The 6-8, 220-pound post player from 1972-75 is the Anteaters' all-time leading rebounder (926) and second-leading scorer (1,601 points). UCI competed in the NCAA Division II Tournament West Regional his freshman and senior seasons. He grabbed a career-high 21 rebounds against Chicago State his freshman year.

JOHN BELK, Davidson
Noted retailer (president of Belk Brothers Co. and Belk Stores Services, Inc.) is former Mayor of Charlotte. He is listed in Who's Who in America. . . . Davidson's basketball arena and men's MVP award are both named for him. The four-year starter was senior co-captain of the Wildcats' 1942-43 squad compiling an 18-6 record and defeating North Carolina, N.C. State, Clemson and South Carolina.

DAVE BING, Syracuse
Democrat served as Detroit's 74th Mayor from 2009 through 2013. . . . Two-time All-American was the second pick overall in NBA draft after averaging 24.8 ppg and 10.3 rpg with the Cuse from 1963-64 through 1965-66.

BILL BONER, Middle Tennessee State
Flamboyant Democratic politician gained notoriety in 1990 because of his relationship with country crooner Traci Peel. State legislator from 1971 was elected to Congress in 1978 and as Mayor in his hometown of Nashville in 1987. He served in the House of Representatives after winning largely because the incumbent died following the filing deadline. In the mid-1980s, the Justice Department investigated him for alleged financial wrongdoing, but no indictment was sought. . . . The 5-10, 155-pound guard averaged 14.6 ppg for MTSU's freshman squad in 1963-64. After sitting out a season, he averaged 3.5 ppg in one campaign of varsity basketball in 1965-66.

GERALD "GERRY" CALABRESE SR., St. John's
Democrat was Mayor of Cliffside Park, N.J., continuously for 51 years from 1965 to 2015. . . . Averaged 10.2 ppg from 1946-47 through 1949-50 (runner-up in scoring for back-to-back NIT teams under coach Frank McGuire) before becoming 24th pick overall in NBA draft.

TOM CALABRESE, St. John's
Succeeded his father, Gerry, as Mayor of Cliffside Park, N.J. . . . Averaged 5.2 ppg from 1975-76 through 1978-79 under coach Lou Carnesecca (led NCAA playoff team in assists with four per game as a sophomore).

VIC CARSTARPHEN, Cincinnati/Temple
Camden City Councilman prior to becoming Mayor of his hometown in 2021. . . . Averaged 3.8 ppg and 1.5 apg for UC in 1988-89 before transferring to Temple, where he averaged 8.7 ppg, 2 rpg, 3.2 apg and 1.5 spg from 1990-91 through 1992-93 under coach John Chaney.

JOHN CASTILE, Furman
Hired as City Manager of Greenville, S.C., in the summer of 2011. . . . Averaged 9.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.6 apg and 1.1 spg from 1984-85 through 1987-88, earning All-Southern Conference first-team honors as a senior.

GEORGE CHANDICK, Baldwin-Wallace (Ohio)
Mayor of Seven Hills, Ohio, from 1988 to 1993. . . . Played college basketball during 1949-50 season.

C. FRANK DAVIS, Furman
Served as the Mayor of Morristown, Tenn., from the mid-1950s into the next decade. . . . Hoops letterman as a guard in 1927 was more prominent in baseball and football.

DALE DOVER, Harvard
Served as first African-American Mayor of Falls Church, Va., in the early 1990s. Former employee in the U.S. State Department. . . . Averaged 16 ppg and 5.4 rpg from 1968-69 through 1970-71. He led the Crimson in scoring as sophomore and junior before pacing team in assists as a senior.

JOUNI EHO, Davidson
Elected Mayor in 2018 of one of Finland's most ancient towns (Phytaa - founded in 1347 - about 45 minutes from the Russian border). . . . Averaged 2.9 ppg and 1.6 rpg from 2000-01 through 2003-04 under coach Bob McKillop. Member of 2002 NCAA tourney team but did not play in opening-round setback against Ohio State.

RAY FLYNN, Providence
Mayor of Boston from 1984 to 1993 disagreed with President Clinton on the abortion issue while serving as U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican. Lost Democratic 8th district congressional bid in 1998 to try to succeed Joe Kennedy. Flynn was president of Catholic Alliance in 2000 when he endorsed George W. Bush for president. . . . Averaged 12.5 ppg and 2.3 rpg as a 6-0 guard in his three varsity seasons with the Friars from 1960-61 through 1962-63. As a senior captain, he tied with John Thompson Jr. for team scoring honors with an average of 18.9 ppg. Member of two NIT championship teams won the NIT Most Valuable Player award in 1963 after leading tourney in scoring with 83 points in three games. Selected by the Syracuse Nationals in the fourth round of 1963 NBA draft. Sketch in school guide: "One of the fiercest competitors and greatest outside shooters in Providence history. Admired by his teammates for his intense devotion to basketball, manifested by his constant effort to improve."

ROBERT FOLSOM, Army/Southern Methodist
Former Dallas Mayor (1977-81) was instrumental in building Reunion Arena, the home of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks. Folsom was chairman of the board of Folsom Investments, Inc., which specialized in real estate developments. He owned the Dallas Chaparrals (now the San Antonio Spurs) and was among the SMU officials who joined Gov. Bill Clements in the decision to continue illegal payments to Mustang football players after the school was placed on probation in 1985. . . . Folsom was a letterman with SMU's basketball squad for coach Doc Hayes' first team in 1947-48 when he scored 49 points in 14 games. Previously, Folsom was Army's third-leading scorer in 1945-46 (7.4 ppg) and 1946-47 (5.8 ppg).

MARK FUNKHOUSER, Thiel (Pa.)
Mayor of Kansas City from 2007 to 2011 before becoming the first K.C. mayor since 1924 not to serve at least two terms. The Independent candidate wore an orange tie during the campaign as reference to the Ukraine Orange Revolution and as a symbol for change. A controversy surrounding him involved the meddling of his wife (Gloria Squitiro) in his administration. . . . The 6-8 Funkhouser was a varsity letterman with Thiel in the 1970s.

CARL GERLACH, Kansas State
Overland Park, Kan., Mayor for 16 years from 2006 through 2021. . . . Averaged 8.2 ppg and 6.4 rpg from 1972-73 through 1975-76 under coach Jack Hartman.

GARY GILLMOR, Santa Clara
Santa Clara Mayor from 1969 to 1977 before getting into the real estate business. . . . Averaged 9.7 ppg and 4.1 rpg from 1955-56 through 1957-58.

JERRY GREER, Northwestern
Wood Dale, Ill., Mayor for 20 years. . . . Averaged 1.3 ppg and 2 rpg from 1957-58 through 1959-60.

MULIUFI "MUFI" HANNEMANN, Harvard
Elected twice as Mayor of Honolulu (2004 and 2008). Lost elections for Governor of Hawaii and U.S. House of Representatives (fell in primary to Tulsi Gabbard). . . . The 6-7 Hannemann averaged 4.8 ppg and 2.6 rpg from 1973-74 through 1975-76.

RUPERT "VANCE" HARTKE, Evansville
Mayor of Evansville before serving as U.S. Senator from Indiana (1959-77). Democrat ran for President in 1972 as an anti-war candidate, finishing as high as fifth in the New Hampshire Primary. He wrote four books, including "The American Crisis in Vietnam." . . . Basketball player was in the class of '40.

WILLIE HERENTON, LeMoyne-Owen (Tenn.)
Democrat was first African-American elected Mayor of Memphis, serving from 1991 to 2009. . . . College teammate of eventual NCAA Division I head coach David "Smokey" Gaines.

KEVIN JOHNSON, California
Democrat served as Mayor of Sacramento from 2008 to 2016. . . . Two-time All-Pac-10 Conference choice averaged 14 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 4.4 apg and 1.3 spg from 1983-84 through 1986-87 before becoming an NBA draft first-round selection.

CALVIN KELLER, St. Lawrence (N.Y.)
Republican was Mayor of Niagara Falls for two terms from 1956 through 1962. . . . Last four-sport letterman in history of St. Lawrence (class of '29).

ANTHONY "TONY" MASIELLO, Canisius
Democratic Mayor of Buffalo from 1994 to 2005. . . . Averaged 15.1 ppg and 8.9 rpg in three varsity seasons (1966-67 through 1968-69). The 6-4, 190-pound forward led Canisius in scoring and rebounding as a junior (18.2 ppg, 10.5 rpg) and senior (19.9 ppg, 9.3 rpg). He culminated his college career with 35 points in an 83-79 victory over Calvin Murphy-led Niagara. Excerpt from school guide: "Became captain of the Golden Griffins through concentrated team play and aggressive individual performance. Backbone of the team."

JAMIE MAYO, Louisiana-Monroe
Four-term Mayor of Monroe, La., is a Democrat who was an unsuccessful candidate for state's 5th congressional district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. . . . Teammate of All-American Calvin Natt averaged 7.4 ppg from 1975-76 through 1978-79, leading club in assists and steals as a junior.

BILLY McKINNEY III, Northwestern
Elected Mayor of his hometown (Zion, Ill.) in 2019. . . . Averaged 18 ppg, 3 rpg and 2.3 apg from 1973-74 through 1976-77 under coach Tex Winter, leading the Wildcats in scoring all four seasons. All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection as a senior.

GEORGE MOSCONE, Pacific
Many San Franciscans were outraged by what they believed was the legal system breaking down when there was a ludicrously light sentence for the murderer of their Democratic Mayor. Moscone, 49, and Supervisor Harvey Milke, 48, were brutally killed in their city hall offices in 1978 by a former city supervisor. A legacy of the killings was the early parole for the murderer, whose attorney pursued the so-called Twinkies defense, arguing that the criminal was in a "diminished mental capacity" caused in part by eating too much junk food. A lenient jury bought the line and produced a verdict of voluntarily manslaughter rather than murder. Under California's determinant sentencing law, that judgment carried a maximum term of seven years and eight months. Milke became a martyred pioneer of gay politics and a recognized trail blazer of the out-of-the-closet activism that is now both a force and a fashion in the city. U.S. Senator-to-be Dianne Feinstein, who was president of the board of supervisors, automatically succeeded Moscone as mayor. . . . Moscone, a junior college transfer, averaged 5.8 ppg for UOP in 1951-52.

MARCUS MUHAMMAD, DePaul
Formerly known as Marcus Singer, he became Mayor of Benton Harbor, MI, in 2016. . . . The 6-6 Singer averaged 6.5 ppg and 2 rpg from 1993-94 through 1996-97 under coach Joey Meyer.

CLAUDE RETHERFORD, Indiana/Nebraska
Appointed Mayor of Tulare, Calif., in 1992 and served in that capacity until he died of a heart attack in June, 1998. . . . Leading scorer in the Big Seven Conference with 12 ppg in 1948-49 when Nebraska claimed its only regular-season league championship. Two-time all-league swingman went on to compile a 17-34 coaching record for Idaho State in three seasons from 1965-66 to 1967-68.

JIM RITCHIE, West Virginia
Served a term as Mayor of Point Marion, Pa. . . . Averaged 8.6 ppg and 6.1 rpg from 1958-59 through 1960-61.

BRAD SELLERS, Wisconsin/Ohio State
Elected to his first term as Mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio, in November 2011. He dropped out of race for Cuyahoga County executive in early 2022 following reports of him approving a property tax abatement for himself after years of delinquency. . . . Averaged 15.2 ppg, 8.6 rpg and 2 bpg for UW in 1981-82 and 1982-83 before transferring to OSU, where he averaged 17.8 ppg, 10.8 rpg and 3 bpg in 1984-85 and 1985-86. Sellers, who led his Big Ten Conference teams in rebounds and blocked shots all four seasons, was an all-league first-team selection as a senior prior to becoming a first-round selection in NBA draft.

DAVID SIBLEY, Baylor
Republican Mayor of Waco in the late 1980s. . . . The 6-5 Sibley averaged 8.1 ppg and 4.1 rpg from 1967-68 through 1969-70.

MARTY SMALL SR., Richard Stockton College (N.J.)
Democrat was selected as Mayor of Atlantic City, N.J., in fall of 2019. . . . The 6-4 Small averaged 11.7 ppg and 7.5 rpg from 1993-94 through 1996-97, participating in three NCAA Division III tournaments. He led the team in rebounding each of his last three seasons.

THOMAS SMITH, St. Peter's
Mayor of Jersey City is remembered as a colorful politician who made an unsuccessful run for governor of New Jersey and also boxed an exhibition against Muhammad Ali when "The Greatest" was still an active fighter. Smith is author of a book "The Powerticians," which is considered an excellent chronicle of big-city machine politics. . . . Played in one game for the New York Knicks in 1951-52 after being their fifth pick in the NBA draft (ahead of Al McGuire). Scored 1,304 college points, which still ranks among the top 20 all-time scorers in school history. He averaged 24.8 ppg in 1950-51.

HANS TANZLER JR., Florida
Democratic Mayor of Jacksonville in his hometown from 1967 through 1978. . . . Averaged 12.2 ppg in his four-year career from 1946-47 through 1949-50. He led the Gators in scoring as a sophomore (13.2 ppg). Tanzler was captain of the team as a senior when he was a third-team All-SEC AP selection.

KYLE TESTERMAN, Tennessee
Republican served two terms as Knoxville Mayor (1972-75 and 1984-87), spearheading bringing the 1982 World's Fair to the city. . . . The 6-3 forward played in six games for the Volunteers in 1953-54 and 1954-55. He overcame childhood polio and finished his college experience on a tennis scholarship.

RICHARD VINROOT, North Carolina
Re-elected to a second term as Mayor of Charlotte in 1993 with 67% of the vote. His accomplishments included the construction of a community center, development of summer jobs program, and creation of a public transit center. Unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for governor of North Carolina in 1996 and 2004. . . . The 6-7, 210-pound center played briefly for the Tar Heels in coach Dean Smith's first two seasons (1961-62 as a sophomore and 1962-63 as a junior). He scored one point and grabbed two rebounds in nine games. Excerpt from school guide: "Diligent worker. President of junior and senior classes."

WELLINGTON WEBB, Colorado State College
Became the first African-American Mayor of Denver in 1991 and went on to serve three terms. Webb had a long track record in state and federal government as a legislator, governor's cabinet member and federal administrator, presiding during what is arguably the best economic period that Denver and Colorado has ever seen. A sharp drop in reported burglaries, successful economic development initiatives and his leadership in solving a variety of local problems boosted the Democrat's popularity to unprecedented levels. . . . Played for the Bears' 1964 NCAA College Division Tournament team as a senior. He had his best season the previous year when he averaged 6.6 ppg and 5.6 rpg for a school now known as Northern Colorado.

GEORGE "SMEDES" YORK, North Carolina State
Mayor of Raleigh, N.C., from 1979 until 1983 was one of the city's most successful businessmen (property developer) and civic leaders. . . . The 6-4 1/2, 200-pounder played briefly for the Wolfpack as a sophomore and junior (1961-62 and 1962-63).

Someone has to be first but the odds will be stacked against Purdue if it loses again as the nation's top-ranked team. The Boilermakers, after losing at Northwestern and Nebraska while ranked #1 this season, face an uphill battle reaching the Final Four, let alone capturing their first NCAA championship. Last year, Purdue became the 22nd team to lose at least three times atop the national polls in the same campaign and subsequently fail to win the national title.

Did you know that Northwestern (defeating Vanderbilt in 2017 and Boise State in 2023) and Nebraska (winless in seven tourney contests) have combined for an anemic total of two NCAA playoff victories in their power-league histories? If Purdue succumbs again as a #1, the Boilers will be the first school to endure back-to-back campaigns losing three times as the nation's top-ranked club.

Only four of the first 22 squads in this category reached the Final Four (including Michigan '65 and Georgetown '85 succumbing in national final). Following is a chronological look at NCAA playoff progress for schools with at least three defeats as the nation's top-ranked team in a single season:

Season	#1 Three-Time Loser	Opponents Beating Same #1 Team	What Happened to #1?
1951-52	Kentucky	Minnesota/St. Louis/St. John's	UK lost in regional final
1953-54	Indiana	Oregon State/Northwestern/Notre Dame	IU lost in regional semifinals
1964-65	Michigan*	Nebraska/St. John's/Ohio State/UCLA	UM lost in national final
1973-74	UCLA	Notre Dame/Oregon State/Oregon	UCLA lost in national semifinals
1983-84	North Carolina	Arkansas/Duke/Indiana	UNC lost in regional semifinals
1984-85	Georgetown	St. John's/Syracuse/Villanova	Hoyas lost in national final
1985-86	North Carolina	Virginia/Maryland/North Carolina State	UNC lost in regional semifinals
1989-90	Kansas	Missouri (twice)/Oklahoma	KU lost in NCAA second round
1992-93	Indiana	Kansas (twice)/Ohio State	IU lost in regional final
1993-94	North Carolina*	UMass/Georgia Tech (twice)/Boston College	UNC lost in NCAA second round
1997-98	Duke	Michigan/North Carolina (twice)	Duke lost in regional final
1997-98	North Carolina	Maryland/North Carolina State/Utah	UNC lost in national semifinals
1999-00	Cincinnati	Xavier/Temple/Saint Louis	UC lost in NCAA second round
2000-01	Stanford	UCLA/Arizona/Maryland	Stanford lost in regional final
2001-02	Duke	Florida State/Maryland/Indiana	Duke lost in regional semifinals
2002-03	Arizona	Louisiana State/Stanford/UCLA	UA lost in regional final
2005-06	Duke	Georgetown/Florida State/North Carolina	Duke lost in regional semifinal
2012-13	Indiana	Butler/Illinois/Minnesota	IU lost in regional semifinal
2016-17	Villanova	Butler/Marquette/Wisconsin	Nova lost in NCAA second round
2018-19	Duke*	Gonzaga/Syracuse/north Carolina/Michigan State	Duke lost in regional final
2021-22	Gonzaga	Duke/Saint Mary's/Arkansas	GU lost in regional semifinal
2022-23	Purdue*	Rutgers/Indiana/Northwestern/Fairleigh Dickinson	Purdue lost in NCAA first round

*Michigan '65, North Carolina '94, Duke '19 and Purdue '23 are the only teams to lose four times in a single season when ranked #1.

What usually happens to a team encountering a head coaching departure in mid-season such as a pair of South Carolina schools - Charleston Southern (Barclay Radebaugh/2-5 record) and Coastal Carolina (Cliff Ellis/3-5))? Maryland transitioned from Mark Turgeon two seasons ago despite ranking #4 in the country only four years ago. A total of 40 different schools in the previous 27 seasons (including Charlotte twice in previous nine years) had a coach relieved of his duties, retire or pass away after the start of the season but before the second half of the campaign. Last year, Texas' Rodney Terry (22-8) became only the ninth "successor" coach piloting a club more than half of a campaign since the NCAA playoffs expanded to at least 64 entrants in 1985 to post a winning record the remainder of the season. Terry joined Jeff Dittman (10-8 with Sam Houston State in 1988-89), Dave Fehte (9-8 with Saint Mary's in 1990-91), Greg Gard (15-8 with Wisconsin in 2015-16), Max Good (13-9 with UNLV in 2000-01), Ray Harper (11-8 with Western Kentucky in 2011-12), Mike Perry (10-9 with Georgia State in 2002-03), Brad Soderberg (16-10 with Wisconsin in 2000-01) and Derek Waugh (14-8 with Stetson in 2000-01). Gard, Harper, Soderberg and Terry guided the squads they inherited to an NCAA playoff berth.

This season also marked the fifth time this decade a power-league member pulled the plug on a head coach by mid-January when DePaul, in the throes of missing NCAA playoffs for the 20th consecutive campaign, dismissed Tony Stubblefield. At the power-conference level, Beard joined Turgeon and Stubblefield along with John Brady (Louisiana State in 2007-08), Lou Campanelli (California in 1992-93), Gale Catlett (West Virginia in 2001-02), Jim Dutcher (Minnesota in 1985-86), Dennis Felton (Georgia in 2008-09), Larry Glass (Northwestern in 1968-69), Mark Gottfried (Alabama in 2008-09), Joe Harrington (Colorado in 1995-96), Bob Knight (Texas Tech in 2007-08), Ward "Piggy" Lambert (Purdue in 1945-46), Shelby Metcalf (Texas A&M in 1989-90), Kevin O'Neill (Southern California in 2012-13), Charlie Parker (Southern California in 1995-96), Steve Patterson (Arizona State in 1988-89) and Quin Snyder (Missouri in 2005-06) to comprise the list of coaches departed in mid-season when their tenures ended for one reason or another. There is no consensus as to whether the timing of their dismissals was fairer than "biased" jury fore-person amid numerous gutless wonders demonstrating self-righteous vindictiveness in Roger Stone trial.

It's a shame self-absorbed Sen. Mitt "Pierre Defecto" Romney, perhaps disoriented by Mormon underwear being on too tight, couldn't have received a "you're fired" notice from Utah patriots in mid-term instead of him wandering off at his pleasure. Following is an alphabetical list of universities in the pre-midseason coaching turnover category since the start of national postseason competition and the records of their coaches that season:

NCAA Division I School	Season	Successor/Interim (Mid-Year Record)	Departing Coach (Record)
Appalachian State	1974-75	Russ Bergman (2-12)	Peter "Press" Maravich (1-11)
Boise State	1972-73	Doran "Bus" Connor (6-7)	Murray Satterfield (5-8)
Boston College	2020-21	Scott Spinelli (1-3)	Jim Christian (3-13)
Brigham Young	1996-97	Tony Ingle (1-25)	Roger Reid (1-6)
Buffalo	1999-00	Reggie Witherspoon (3-20)	Tim Cohane (2-3)
Cal Poly	2000-01	Kevin Bromley (3-12)	Jeff Schneider (5-7)
Centenary	1977-78	Tommy Canterbury (6-9)	Riley Wallace (4-8)
Central Connecticut State	1987-88	C.J. Jones (8-15)	Bill Detrick (2-3)
Charlotte	2014-15	Ryan Odom (8-11)	Alan Major (6-7)
Charlotte	2017-18	Houston Fancher (3-17)	Mark Price (3-6)
Chicago State	1996-97	Phil Gary (4-17)	Craig Hodges (0-6)
The Citadel	1939-40	Ben Parker (4-5)	Absalon "Rock" Norman (4-4)
Colgate	1997-98	Paul Aiello (10-12)	Jack Bruen (0-6)
Connecticut	1946-47	Hugh Greer (12-0)	Blair Gullion (4-2)
Connecticut	1962-63	George Wigton (11-4)	Hugh Greer (7-3)
Dartmouth	1966-67	Dave Gavitt (2-15)	Alvin "Doggie" Julian (5-2)
Dartmouth	2009-10	Mark Graupe (2-13)	Terry Dunn (3-10)
Denver	1948-49	Hoyt Brawner (11-6)	Ellison Ketchum (6-9)
DePaul	2009-10	Tracy Webster (1-15)	Jerry Wainwright (7-8)
DePaul	2023-24	Matt Brady (TBD)	Tony Stubblefield (3-15)
Detroit	1987-88	John Mulroy (7-20)	Don Sicko (0-3)
Detroit	2007-08	Kevin Mondro (3-13)	Perry Watson (4-10)
East Carolina	2017-18	Michael Perry (8-16)	Jeff Lebo (2-4)
Eastern Kentucky	1961-62	Jim Baechtold (6-3)	Paul McBrayer (4-3)
Eastern Michigan	1985-86	Ben Braun (5-10)	Jim Boyce (4-8)
Fordham	2009-10	Jared Grasso (1-22)	Dereck Whittenburg (1-4)
Fordham	2020-21	Mike DePaoli (1-5)	Jeff Neubauer (1-7)
Georgetown	1998-99	Craig Esherick (8-10)	John Thompson Jr. (7-6)
Georgia State	1984-85	Mark Slonaker (1-24)	Tom Pugliese (1-2)
Georgia State	2002-03	Mike Perry (10-9)	Charles "Lefty" Driesell (4-6)
Howard University	1999-00	Billy Coward (1-18)	Kirk Saulny (0-9)
Idaho State	1967-68	Dan Miller (10-12)	Claude Retherford (3-1)
Idaho State	2011-12	Deane Martin (7-13)	Joe O'Brien (2-8)
Iowa	1949-50	Frank "Bucky" O'Connor (6-5)	Lawrence "Pops" Harrison (9-2)
Jacksonville	1996-97	Buster Harvey (5-17)	George Scholz (0-6)
Kent State	1977-78	Mike Boyd (5-11)	Rex Hughes (1-10)
Long Island	2001-02	Ron Brown (5-13)	Ray Martin (0-9)
Louisville	1970-71	Howard Stacey (12-8)	John Dromo (8-1)
Louisville	2021-22	Mike Pegues (7-11)	Chris Mack (6-8)
Maryland	2021-22	Danny Manning (10-14)	Mark Turgeon (5-3)
Monmouth	1986-87	Ron Krayl (7-13)	Ron Kornegay (1-6)
UNC Greensboro	2011-12	Wes Miller (11-11)	Mike Dement (2-8)
North Carolina State	1964-65	Peter "Press" Maravich (20-4)	Everett Case (1-1)
UNC Wilmington	2019-20	Rob Burke (5-8)	C.B. McGrath (5-14)
Northern Illinois	2000-01	Andy Greer (4-16)	Brian Hammel (1-6)
Oral Roberts	1982-83	Dick Acres (11-9)	Ken Hayes (3-5)
Penn	2009-10	Jerome Allen (6-15)	Glen Miller (0-7)
Portland	2020-21	Ben Johnson (0-4)	Terry Porter (6-11)
Princeton	1944-45	Leonard Hattinger (5-8)	William Logan (2-4)
Princeton	1960-61	Jake McCandless (9-6)	Franklin "Cappy" Cappon (9-2)
St. John's	2003-04	Kevin Clark (4-17)	Mike Jarvis (2-4)
Saint Mary's	1990-91	Dave Fehte (9-8)	Paul Landreaux (4-9)
Sam Houston State	1988-89	Jeff Dittman (10-8)	Gary Moss (2-8)
San Francisco	1970-71	Bob Gaillard (10-12)	Phil Vukicevich (0-4)
San Francisco	2007-08	Eddie Sutton (6-13)	Jessie Evans (4-8)
South Alabama	1994-95	Judas Prada (8-15)	Ronnie Arrow (1-3)
South Carolina	1942-43	Rex Enright (10-6)	Frank Johnson (2-0)
South Florida	1979-80	Gordon Gibbons (2-13)	Hunter "Chip" Conner (4-8)
Southeast Missouri State	2008-09	Zac Roman (0-18)	Scott Edgar (3-9)
Southeastern Louisiana	1987-88	Leo McClure (4-12)	Newton Chelette (3-9)
Southern California	2004-05	Jim Saia (11-15)	Henry Bibby (2-2)
Stetson	2000-01	Derek Waugh (14-8)	Murray Arnold (4-4)
Tennessee State	1984-85	Ed Meyers (6-13)	Ed Martin (3-6)
Tennessee State	2002-03	Hosea Lewis/Teresa Phillips (0-20)	Nolan Richardson III (2-5)
Tennessee Tech	1988-89	Frank Harrell (8-17)	Tom Deaton (2-3)
Texas	2022-23	Rodney Terry (22-8)	Chris Beard (7-1)
Texas-El Paso	2017-18	Phil Johnson (10-15)	Tim Floyd (1-5)
Tulsa	2004-05	Alvin "Pooh" Williamson (7-15)	John Phillips (2-5)
UCLA	2018-19	Murry Bartow (10-10)	Steve Alford (7-6)
UNLV	2000-01	Max Good (13-9)	Bill Bayno (3-4)
Western Kentucky	2011-12	Ray Harper (11-8)	Ken McDonald (5-11)
Wisconsin	2000-01	Brad Soderberg (16-10)	Dick Bennett (2-1)
Wisconsin	2015-16	Greg Gard (15-8)	William "Bo" Ryan (7-5)
Wofford	2022-23	Dwight Perry (12-12)	Jay McAuley (5-4)

"We will either find a way or make one." - Hannibal, Carthaginian military commander

UCLA, in a stellar 10-year stretch from 1963-64 through 1972-73 ruling the scene much like Hannibal, accounted for four of only 12 major-college squads to go undefeated since the start of national tournament postseason competition in the late 1930s. Houston, James Madison and Mississippi each incurred its first loss on the road in early January, falling far short of becoming Unbeaten Team #13.

Kentucky was soundly whipped by undefeated LIU in 1938-39 prior to the Wildcats going unbeaten themselves 15 years later. The average number of defeats the previous year for the first 12 unbeaten teams was five. The only time in major-college history two undefeated major colleges met in a national postseason tournament was the 1939 NIT final between Loyola of Chicago and Long Island University. LIU (23-0) defeated Loyola (21-1), 44-32.

In a seven-year span, all-time greats Lew Alcindor (UCLA in 1966-67), Bill Walton (UCLA in 1971-72) and David Thompson (North Carolina State in 1972-73) weren't freshmen but they were in their first season of varsity eligibility when leading their unbeaten teams in scoring. Alcindor (29 ppg), Lennie Rosenbluth (28 ppg with North Carolina in 1956-57) and Thompson (24.7 ppg) tallied the three highest-scoring averages among these undefeated squads.

Each of the dozen unbeaten major universities had at least one outing decided by fewer than eight points. Following is chronological list of schedules and team statistics for the 12 squads, including last one to achieve feat in 1975-76 (Indiana won five regular-season games by fewer than five points or in overtime), to emerge undefeated since the start of national tournament postseason competition:

Long Island (23-0 in 1938-39)
Coach: Clair Bee (eighth of 18 seasons with Blackbirds)

1938-39 LIU Opponents	Score	LIU's High Scorer
Newark University (N.J.)	64-14	George Newman 14
Panzer College	41-35	Daniel Kaplowitz 15
Princeton/Seminary	82-37	John Bromberg/Irv Torgoff 10
McGill University (Quebec)	77-39	Irv Torgoff 12
Montclair Teachers College (N.J.)	63-40	Irv Torgoff 10
East Stroudsburg Teachers (Pa.)	63-33	John Bromberg 14
Southern California	33-18	Daniel Kaplowitz 12
Kentucky	52-34	John Bromberg 12
Marquette	41-34	Arthur Hillhouse 14
New York Athletic Club	64-43	Arthur Hillhouse 15
Toledo	46-39	Irv Torgoff 18
Geneva College (Pa.)	48-39	Irv Torgoff 15
Duquesne	48-31	John Bromberg 13
Scranton (Pa.)	65-53	Daniel Kaplowitz 16
Canisius	62-50	Myron Sewitch 15
St. Francis (N.Y.)	61-20	Ossie Schechtman 13
St. Bonaventure	70-31	Irv Torgoff 12
University of Baltimore	52-34	Daniel Kaplowitz 9
John Marshall College	65-25	Irv Torgoff 11
at La Salle	28-21	Daniel Kaplowitz 7
New Mexico State (NIT)	52-45	Irv Torgoff 14
Bradley (NIT)	36-32	John Bromberg 12
Loyola of Chicago (NIT)	44-32	Irv Torgoff 12

NOTES: La Salle game technically played on a neutral court (Philadelphia Convention Hall). . . . NIT games played at Madison Square Garden.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS FOR LIU REGULARS

Player	Pos.	Class	G.	PPG
Irv Torgoff	F	Sr.	23	9.5
Daniel Kaplowitz	F	Sr.	23	8.1
*Arthur Hillhouse	C	Sr.	12	7.1
John Bromberg	G	Sr.	23	6.6
Oscar "Ossie" Schechtman	G	Soph.	22	4.8
Seymour "Cy" Lobello	C	Soph.	22	4.4
**Dolly King	C	Soph.	10	4.0
Myron Sewitch	C	Sr.	21	3.9
Solomon Schwartz	G	Soph.	22	3.8
George Newman	G	Sr.	23	3.5
Joseph Shelly	G	Soph.	20	3.5
Irving Zeitlin	G	Soph.	18	1.7
Maxwell Sharf	G-F	Soph.	16	1.4

*Hillhouse completed eligibility at the end of the first semester.
**King became eligible at the start of the second semester.

Seton Hall (19-0 in 1939-40)
Coach: John "Honey" Russell (fourth of 18 seasons with Pirates)

1939-40 Seton Hall Opponents	Date	Score	Pirates High Scorer
Alumni	D8	45-29	Nick Parpan 12
Mount St. Mary's	D18	58-32	Ed Sadowski 13
Tulane	D20	53-25	Bob Davies 9
Florida	D28	43-41	Bob Davies/Ed Sadowski 13
William & Mary	J6	51-35	Ed Sadowski 17
at Scranton	J12	48-32	Ed Sadowski 17
Becker	J17	69-29	Ed Sadowski 14
at Kutztown (Pa.)	J24	42-34	Ed Sadowski 15
Loyola (Md.)	F2	50-40	Ed Sadowski 13
at St. Peter's	F3	55-27	Bernie Coyle 13
at Brooklyn	F5	51-34	Bob Fischer 13
Rider	F9	44-32	Bob Davies/John Ruthenberg 8
St. Francis (Pa.)	F14	48-36	Bob Davies 17
St. Bonaventure	F17	46-41	Bob Davies 19
Kutztown (Pa.)	F21	53-33	Bob Davies 15
Canisius	F23	52-46	Bob Davies 17
Catholic (D.C.)	F26	53-27	Edward Ryan 13
Brooklyn	F28	43-41	Frank Delany 16
Scranton (Pa.)	M1	68-39	Bob Davies 16

NOTE: Seton Hall played its home games at five different arenas - East Orange High School, Elizabeth Armory, Orange Armory, Orange High School and Dickinson High School (Jersey City).

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS FOR SETON HALL REGULARS

Player	Pos.	Class	G.	PPG
Ed Sadowski*	C	Sr.	9	12.2
Bob Davies	F	Soph.	18	11.8
Bob Fischer	F	Soph.	18	4.9
John Ruthenberg	G-C	Soph.	19	4.7
Bob Holm	G	Soph.	17	4.2
Frank Delany	G-F	Sr.	19	3.8
Bernie Coyle	G-F	Sr.	18	3.7
Nick Parpan	G-F	Jr.	14	3.4
Ken Pine	C	Soph.	16	3.2
Ray Studwell	F-G	Soph.	18	1.2

*Sadowski missed the second half of the season because of a broken kneecap.

Army/U.S. Military Academy (15-0 in winter of 1944)
Coach: Ed Kelleher (first of two seasons with Cadets)

1943-44 Army Opponents	Score	Army's High Scorer
Swarthmore (Pa.)	80-29	Bob Faas 20
Colgate	69-44	Dale Hall 18
St. John's	49-36	Dale Hall 21
at Columbia	55-37	Dale Hall 17
Penn State	49-38	Dale Hall 14
Coast Guard	55-37	Doug Kenna 11
West Virginia	58-31	Dale Hall 18
at Rochester (N.Y.)	57-43	Dale Hall 23
Pittsburgh	66-32	Ed Christl 16
Hobart (N.Y.)	69-36	Dale Hall/Doug Kenna 20
Pennsylvania	55-38	Dale Hall 18
Villanova	34-22	Dale Hall 23
New York University	46-36	Dale Hall 18
Maryland	85-22	Dale Hall 32
Navy	47-40	Doug Kenna 17

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS FOR ARMY REGULARS

Player	Pos.	Class	G.	PPG
Dale Hall	F	Jr.	15	18.2
Doug Kenna	G	Jr.	15	10.1
Ed Christl	C	Sr.	12	8.3
Bob Faas	F	Sr.	15	7.1
Bill Ekberg	C	Jr.	15	4.7
Jack Hennessey	G	Sr.	15	1.7

Kentucky (25-0 in 1953-54)
Coach: Adolph Rupp (24th of 41 seasons with Wildcats)

1953-54 UK Opponents	Date	Score	UK's High Scorer
Temple	D5	86-59	Cliff Hagan 51
at Xavier	D12	81-66	Frank Ramsey 27
Wake Forest	D14	101-69	Cliff Hagan 18
at St. Louis	D18	71-59	Frank Ramsey 21
Duke	D21	85-69	Cliff Hagan 27
La Salle	D22	73-60	Cliff Hagan 28
Minnesota	D28	74-59	Frank Ramsey 23
Xavier	J4	77-71	Cliff Hagan 20
Georgia Tech	J9	105-53	Cliff Hagan 34
DePaul	J11	81-63	Cliff Hagan/Frank Ramsey 22
Tulane	J16	94-43	Frank Ramsey 26
at Tennessee	J23	97-71	Frank Ramsey 37
at Vanderbilt	J30	85-63	Frank Ramsey 24
Georgia Tech*	F2	99-48	Cliff Hagan 23
Georgia	F4	106-55	Frank Ramsey 29
Georgia*	F6	100-68	Cliff Hagan 29
at Florida	F8	97-55	Cliff Hagan 22
Mississippi	F13	88-62	Cliff Hagan 38
Mississippi State	F15	81-49	Cliff Hagan 26
Tennessee	F18	90-63	Cliff Hagan 24
at DePaul	F20	76-61	Cliff Hagan 29
Vanderbilt	F22	100-64	Cliff Hagan 22
Auburn*	F27	109-79	Frank Ramsey 28
at Alabama	M1	68-43	Cliff Hagan 24
Louisiana State* (SEC Playoff)	M9	63-56	Frank Ramsey 30

*Neutral court games.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS FOR KENTUCKY REGULARS

Player	Pos.	Class	G.	FG%	FT%	PPG	RPG
Cliff Hagan	F-C	Sr.	25	.455	.691	24.0	13.5
Frank Ramsey	G	Sr.	25	.416	.729	19.6	8.8
Lou Tsioropoulos	F	Sr.	25	.351	.690	14.5	9.6
Billy Evans	F-G	Jr.	25	.372	.778	8.4	7.2
Gayle Rose	G	Jr.	23	.346	.646	6.7	1.3
Phil Grawemeyer	F-C	Soph.	25	.372	.543	5.9	6.1
Linville Puckett	G	Soph.	24	.295	.673	5.1	2.2
Bill Bibb	F	Soph.	16	.313	.583	1.7	1.6
TEAM TOTALS			25	.383	.678	87.5	52.7

San Francisco (29-0 in 1955-56)
Coach: Phil Woolpert (fifth of nine seasons with Dons)

1955-56 USF Opponents	Date	Score	USF's High Scorer
Chico State (Calif.)	D2	70-39	Bill Russell 15
Southern California	D3	58-42	Bill Russell 24
San Francisco State	D6	72-47	Bill Russell 20
Marquette*	D16	65-58	Bill Russell 16
at DePaul	D17	82-59	K.C. Jones 23
at Wichita	D20	75-65	Bill Russell 17
at Loyola of New Orleans	D23	61-43	Bill Russell 20
La Salle*	D26	79-62	Bill Russell 26
Holy Cross*	D27	67-51	Bill Russell 24
UCLA*	D28	70-53	Bill Russell 17
Pepperdine	J6	62-51	Bill Russell 20
Santa Clara	J10	74-56	Mike Farmer 18
at Fresno State	J13	69-50	Bill Russell 22
at California	J28	33-24	K.C. Jones 15
San Jose State	J31	67-40	Bill Russell 21
Loyola of Los Angeles	F3	68-46	Carl Boldt 20
at Pacific	F7	77-60	Bill Russell 24
Fresno State	F10	79-46	Bill Russell 23
at San Jose State	F14	76-52	Bill Russell 21
at St. Mary's	F17	76-63	Bill Russell 28
at Santa Clara	F24	80-44	Bill Russell 29
Pacific	F28	87-49	Bill Russell 28
at Pepperdine	M2	68-40	Carl Boldt 14
at Loyola of Los Angeles	M3	65-48	Bill Russell 24
St. Mary's	M6	82-49	Bill Russell 22
UCLA* (NCAA Tournament)	M16	72-61	Gene Brown 23
Utah* (NCAA Tournament)	M17	92-77	Bill Russell 27
Southern Methodist* (NCAA Tournament)	M22	86-68	Mike Farmer 26
Iowa* (NCAA Tournament)	M23	83-71	Bill Russell 26

*Neutral court games.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS FOR USF REGULARS

Player	Pos.	Class	G.	FG%	FT%	PPG	RPG
Bill Russell	C	Sr.	29	.513	.495	20.6	21.0
K.C. Jones*	G	Sr.	25	.365	.655	9.8	5.2
Hal Perry	G	Sr.	29	.365	.729	9.1	2.0
Carl Boldt	F	Jr.	28	.326	.783	8.6	5.0
Mike Farmer	F	Soph.	28	.371	.548	8.4	7.8
Gene Brown	G	Soph.	29	.377	.641	7.1	4.4
Mike Preaseau	F	Soph.	29	.366	.609	4.1	3.1
Warren Baxter	G	Sr.	26	.301	.667	2.2	0.7
Bill Bush	G	Sr.	22	.208	.625	0.9	0.8
Jack King	F	Jr.	22	.162	.462	0.8	1.0
TEAM TOTALS			29	.388	.604	72.2	54.2

*Ineligible for NCAA Tournament as a fifth-year player.

North Carolina (32-0 in 1956-57)
Coach: Frank McGuire (fifth of nine seasons with Tar Heels)

1956-57 UNC Opponents	Date	Score	Carolina's High Scorer
Furman	D4	94-66	Lennie Rosenbluth 47
Clemson*	D8	94-75	Pete Brennan 28
George Washington	D12	82-55	Lennie Rosenbluth 27
at South Carolina	D15	90-86	Tommy Kearns 29
Maryland	D17	70-61	Lennie Rosenbluth 26
at New York University	D20	64-59	Bob Cunningham 16
Dartmouth*	D21	89-61	Lennie Rosenbluth 30
Holy Cross*	D22	83-70	Lennie Rosenbluth 23
Utah*	D27	97-76	Lennie Rosenbluth 36
Duke*	D28	87-71	Lennie Rosenbluth 32
Wake Forest*	D29	63-55	Lennie Rosenbluth 18
at William & Mary	J8	71-61	Pete Brennan 20
Clemson	J11	86-54	Lennie Rosenbluth 34
Virginia	J12	102-90	Lennie Rosenbluth 30
at North Carolina State	J15	83-57	Lennie Rosenbluth 29
at Western Carolina	J30	77-59	Lennie Rosenbluth 26
at Maryland	F5	65-61 (2OT)	Lennie Rosenbluth 25
Duke	F9	75-73	Lennie Rosenbluth 35
at Virginia	F11	68-59	Lennie Rosenbluth 23
Wake Forest	F13	72-69	Lennie Rosenbluth 24
North Carolina State	F19	86-57	Lennie Rosenbluth 28
South Carolina	F22	75-62	Pete Brennan 26
at Wake Forest	F26	69-64	Lennie Rosenbluth 30
at Duke	M1	86-72	Lennie Rosenbluth 40
Clemson* (ACC Tournament)	M7	81-61	Lennie Rosenbluth 45
Wake Forest* (ACC Tournament)	M8	61-59	Lennie Rosenbluth 23
South Carolina* (ACC Tournament)	M9	95-75	Lennie Rosenbluth 38
Yale* (NCAA Tournament)	M12	90-74	Lennie Rosenbluth 29
Canisius* (NCAA Tournament)	M15	87-75	Lennie Rosenbluth 39
Syracuse* (NCAA Tournament)	M16	67-58	Lennie Rosenbluth 23
Michigan State* (NCAA Tournament)	M22	74-70 (3OT)	Lennie Rosenbluth 31
Kansas* (NCAA Tournament)	M23	54-53 (3OT)	Lennie Rosenbluth 20

*Neutral court games.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS FOR NORTH CAROLINA REGULARS

Player	Pos.	Class	G.	FG%	FT%	PPG	RPG
Lennie Rosenbluth	F	Sr.	32	.483	.758	28.0	8.8
Pete Brennan	F	Jr.	32	.394	.706	14.7	10.4
Tommy Kearns	G	Jr.	32	.434	.711	12.8	3.1
Joe Quigg	C	Jr.	31	.434	.719	10.3	8.6
Bob Cunningham	G	Jr.	32	.393	.598	7.2	6.7
Tony Radovich	G	Sr.	16	.525	.769	3.9	1.8
Bill Hathaway	C	Soph.	15	.333	.417	2.8	5.0
Stan Groll	G	Soph.	12	.370	.556	2.1	1.5
Bob Young	C	Sr.	15	.256	.538	1.9	2.1
Ken Rosemond	G	Jr.	15	.400	.556	1.1	0.6
Danny Lotz	F	Soph.	24	.350	.391	1.0	1.6
TEAM TOTALS			32	.431	.701	79.3	46.7

UCLA (30-0 in 1963-64)
Coach: John Wooden (16th of 27 seasons with Bruins)

1963-64 UCLA Opponents	Date	Score	Bruins High Scorer
Brigham Young	D6	113-71	Walt Hazzard 20
Butler	D7	80-65	Walt Hazzard 21
Kansas State*	D13	78-75	Gail Goodrich 21
Kansas*	D14	74-54	Gail Goodrich 23
Baylor*	D20	112-61	Walt Hazzard 23
Creighton*	D21	95-79	Walt Hazzard 26
Yale	D26	95-65	Gail Goodrich 25
Michigan	D27	98-80	Gail Goodrich 30
Illinois	D28	83-79	Gail Goodrich 21
at Washington State	J3	88-83	Gail Goodrich 28
at Washington State	J4	121-77	Gail Goodrich 21
Southern California	J10	79-59	Walt Hazzard 21
Southern California	J11	78-71	Gail Goodrich 23
Stanford	J17	84-71	Gail Goodrich 23
Stanford*	J18	80-61	Walt Hazzard 31
UC Santa Barbara	J31	107-76	Gail Goodrich/Walt Hazzard 21
UC Santa Barbara*	F1	87-59	Gail Goodrich 31
at California	F7	87-67	Gail Goodrich 26
at California	F8	58-56	Walt Hazzard 17
Washington	F14	73-58	Walt Hazzard 17
Washington	F15	88-60	Gail Goodrich 22
at Stanford	F22	100-88	Walt Hazzard 27
at Washington	F24	78-64	Keith Erickson/Walt Hazzard 21
Washington State	F29	93-56	Walt Hazzard 19
California	M2	87-57	Gail Goodrich 23
Southern California	M6	91-81	Gail Goodrich 23
Seattle* (NCAA Tournament)	M13	95-90	Walt Hazzard 26
San Francisco* (NCAA Tournament)	M14	76-72	Walt Hazzard 23
Kansas State* (NCAA Tournament)	M20	90-84	Keith Erickson 28
Duke* (NCAA Tournament)	M21	98-83	Gail Goodrich 27

*Neutral court games.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS FOR UCLA REGULARS

Player	Pos.	Class	G.	FG%	FT%	PPG	RPG
Gail Goodrich	G	Jr.	30	.458	.711	21.5	5.2
Walt Hazzard	G	Sr.	30	.445	.718	18.6	4.7
Jack Hirsch	F	Sr.	30	.528	.664	14.0	7.6
Keith Erickson	F	Jr.	30	.403	.623	10.7	9.1
Fred Slaughter	C	Sr.	30	.466	.484	7.9	8.1
Kenny Washington	F-G	Soph.	30	.458	.627	6.1	4.2
Doug McIntosh	C	Soph.	30	.519	.500	3.6	4.4
Kim Stewart	F	Sr.	23	.393	.467	2.2	2.0
Rich Levin	F	Jr.	19	.372	.500	2.0	0.6
Mike Huggins	G	Sr.	23	.382	.478	1.6	1.0
Chuck Darrow	G	Soph.	23	.379	.583	1.6	1.2
Vaughn Hoffman	C	Soph.	21	.476	.500	1.2	1.3
TEAM TOTALS			30	.455	.644	88.9	55.7

UCLA (30-0 in 1966-67)
Coach: John Wooden (19th of 27 seasons with Bruins)

1966-67 UCLA Opponents	Date	Score	Bruins High Scorer
Southern California	D3	105-90	Lew Alcindor 56
Duke	D9	88-54	Lew Alcindor/Lucius Allen 19
Duke	D10	107-87	Lew Alcindor 38
Colorado State	D22	84-74	Lew Alcindor 34
Notre Dame	D23	96-67	Lew Alcindor 25
Wisconsin	D28	100-56	Lew Alcindor 24
Georgia Tech	D29	91-72	Lew Alcindor 18
Southern California	D30	107-83	Lew Alcindor 25
at Washington State	J7	76-67	Lew Alcindor 28
at Washington	J9	83-68	Lew Alcindor 28
California	J13	96-78	Lew Alcindor 26
Stanford	J14	116-78	Lew Alcindor 37
Portland	J20	122-57	Lew Alcindor 27
UC Santa Barbara	J21	119-75	Lew Alcindor 37
at Loyola of Chicago	J28	82-67	Lew Alcindor 35
Illinois*	J29	120-82	Lew Alcindor 45
at Southern California	F4	40-35 (OT)	Lew Alcindor 13
Oregon State	F10	76-44	Lew Alcindor/Lucius Allen 22
Oregon	F11	100-66	Lucius Allen 20
at Oregon	F17	34-25	Lew Alcindor 12
at Oregon State	F18	72-50	Lew Alcindor 28
Washington	F24	71-43	Lew Alcindor 37
Washington State	F25	100-78	Lew Alcindor 61
at Stanford	M3	75-47	Lew Alcindor 20
at California	M4	103-66	Lew Alcindor 30
Southern California	M11	83-55	Lew Alcindor 26
Wyoming* (NCAA Tournament)	M17	109-60	Lew Alcindor 29
Pacific* (NCAA Tournament)	M18	80-64	Lew Alcindor 38
Houston* (NCAA Tournament)	M24	73-58	Lynn Shackelford 22
Dayton* (NCAA Tournament)	M25	79-64	Lew Alcindor 20

*Neutral court games.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS FOR UCLA REGULARS

Player	Pos.	Class	G.	FG%	FT%	PPG	RPG
Lew Alcindor	C	Soph.	30	.667	.650	29.0	15.5
Lucius Allen	G	Soph.	30	.479	.713	15.5	5.8
Mike Warren	G	Jr.	30	.465	.758	12.7	4.5
Lynn Shackelford	F	Soph.	30	.480	.821	11.4	5.9
Ken Heitz	F-G	Soph.	30	.506	.600	6.1	3.2
Bill Sweek	G	Soph.	30	.479	.565	4.7	2.8
Jim Nielsen	F-C	Soph.	27	.519	.455	4.6	3.4
Don Saffer	G	Jr.	27	.451	.542	2.9	0.8
Gene Sutherland	G	Jr.	20	.455	.583	1.9	0.8
Neville Saner	F-C	Jr.	24	.308	.667	1.4	1.9
Joe Chrisman	F	Jr.	19	.320	.364	1.1	1.5
TEAM TOTALS			30	.520	.653	89.6	49.8

UCLA (30-0 in 1971-72)
Coach: John Wooden (24th of 27 seasons with Bruins)

1971-72 UCLA Opponents	Date	Score	Bruins High Scorer
The Citadel	D3	105-49	Henry Bibby 26
Iowa	D4	106-72	Henry Bibby 32
Iowa State	D10	110-81	Bill Walton 24
Texas A&M	D11	117-53	Bill Walton 23
Notre Dame	D22	114-56	Henry Bibby 28
Texas Christian	D23	119-81	Bill Walton 31
Texas	D29	115-65	Bill Walton 28
Ohio State	D30	79-53	Bill Walton 14
at Oregon State	J7	78-72	Henry Bibby 17
at Oregon	J8	93-68	Bill Walton 30
Stanford	J14	118-79	Bill Walton 32
California	J15	82-43	Bill Walton 20
Santa Clara	J21	92-57	Keith Wilkes 16
Denver	J22	108-61	Henry Bibby/Larry Farmer 19
at Loyola of Chicago	J28	92-64	Henry Bibby/Bill Walton 18
at Notre Dame	J29	57-32	Henry Bibby 15
Southern California	F5	81-56	Bill Walton 22
Washington State	F11	89-58	Bill Walton 25
Washington	F12	109-70	Bill Walton 27
at Washington	F19	100-83	Bill Walton 31
at Washington State	F21	85-55	Larry Hollyfield/Keith Wilkes 16
Oregon	F25	92-70	Bill Walton 37
Oregon State	F26	92-72	Bill Walton 26
at California	M3	91-71	Bill Walton 24
at Stanford	M4	102-73	Greg Lee 16
at Southern California	M10	79-66	Bill Walton 20
Weber State* (NCAA Tournament)	M16	90-58	Henry Bibby 16
Long Beach State* (NCAA Tournament)	M18	73-57	Henry Bibby 23
Louisville* (NCAA Tournament)	M23	96-77	Bill Walton 23
Florida State* (NCAA Tournament)	M25	81-76	Bill Walton 24

*Neutral court games.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS FOR UCLA REGULARS

Player	Pos.	Class	G.	FG%	FT%	PPG	RPG
Bill Walton	C	Soph.	30	.640	.704	21.1	15.5
Henry Bibby	G	Sr.	30	.450	.806	15.7	3.5
Keith Wilkes	F	Soph.	30	.531	.696	13.5	8.2
Larry Farmer	F	Jr.	30	.456	.549	10.7	5.5
Greg Lee	G	Soph.	29	.492	.824	8.7	2.0
Larry Hollyfield	F	Jr.	30	.514	.651	7.3	3.3
Swen Nater	C	Jr.	29	.535	.609	6.7	4.8
Tommy Curtis	G	Soph.	30	.437	.636	4.1	2.1
Andy Hill	G	Sr.	26	.356	.709	2.7	0.8
Vince Carson	F	Soph.	28	.400	.667	2.4	2.6
Jon Chapman	F	Sr.	28	.465	.500	1.6	1.6
Gary Franklin	F	Soph.	26	.412	.438	1.3	1.0
TEAM TOTALS			30	.504	.695	94.6	54.9

UCLA (30-0 in 1972-73)
Coach: John Wooden (25th of 27 seasons with Bruins)

1972-73 UCLA Opponents	Date	Score	Bruins High Scorer
Wisconsin	N25	94-53	Bill Walton 26
Bradley	D1	73-38	Bill Walton 16
Pacific	D2	81-48	Keith Wilkes 18
UC Santa Barbara	D16	98-67	Bill Walton 30
Pittsburgh	D22	89-73	Keith Wilkes 20
Notre Dame	D23	82-56	Keith Wilkes 18
Drake*	D29	85-72	Bill Walton 29
Illinois*	D30	71-64	Bill Walton 22
Oregon	J5	64-38	Larry Farmer/Keith Wilkes 14
Oregon State	J6	87-61	Keith Wilkes 19
at Stanford	J12	82-67	Larry Farmer/Larry Hollyfield/Bill Walton 18
at California	J13	69-50	Larry Farmer/Keith Wilkes 18
San Francisco	J19	92-64	Bill Walton 22
Providence	J20	101-77	Larry Farmer 21
at Loyola of Chicago	J25	87-73	Bill Walton 32
at Notre Dame	J27	82-63	Keith Wilkes 20
at Southern California	F3	79-56	Bill Walton 20
at Washington State	F10	88-50	Bill Walton 17
at Washington	F12	76-67	Bill Walton 29
Washington	F16	93-62	Bill Walton 26
Washington State	F17	96-64	Bill Walton 29
at Oregon	F22	72-61	Keith Wilkes 18
at Oregon State	F24	73-67	Bill Walton 21
California	M2	90-65	Bill Walton/Keith Wilkes 15
Stanford	M3	51-45	Bill Walton 23
Southern California	M10	76-56	Bill Walton/Keith Wilkes 17
Arizona State (NCAA Tournament)	M15	98-81	Bill Walton 28
San Francisco (NCAA Tournament)	M17	54-39	Larry Farmer 13
Indiana* (NCAA Tournament)	M24	70-59	Tommy Curtis 22
Memphis State* (NCAA Tournament)	M26	87-66	Bill Walton 44

*Neutral court games.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS FOR UCLA REGULARS

Player	Pos.	Class	G.	FG%	FT%	PPG	RPG
Bill Walton	C	Jr.	30	.650	.569	20.4	16.9
Keith Wilkes	F	Jr.	30	.525	.652	14.8	7.3
Larry Farmer	F	Sr.	30	.511	.701	12.2	5.0
Larry Hollyfield	G	Sr.	30	.466	.492	10.7	2.9
Tommy Curtis	G	Jr.	24	.512	.667	6.4	1.7
Dave Meyers	F	Soph.	28	.477	.756	4.9	2.9
Greg Lee	G	Jr.	30	.473	.790	4.6	1.3
Swen Nater	C	Sr.	29	.459	.652	3.2	3.3
Pete Trgovich	G-F	Soph.	25	.382	.400	3.1	1.7
Vince Carson	F	Jr.	26	.514	.471	1.7	2.2
Gary Franklin	F	Jr.	24	.485	.500	1.6	1.3
Bob Webb	G	Jr.	21	.148	.833	0.6	0.2
TEAM TOTALS			30	.519	.632	81.3	49.0

Assists leader: Walton 168.

North Carolina State (27-0 in 1972-73)
Coach: Norman Sloan (seventh of 14 seasons with Wolfpack)

1972-73 N.C. State Opponents	Date	Score	Wolfpack High Scorer
Appalachian State	N27	130-53	David Thompson 33
Atlantic Christian	D1	110-40	David Thompson 32
Georgia Southern	D4	144-100	David Thompson 40
South Florida	D8	125-88	David Thompson 30
Wake Forest*	D15	88-83	David Thompson 29
North Carolina*	D16	68-61	David Thompson 19
Davidson*	D19	103-90	Joe Cafferky 25
at Georgia	D23	97-83	David Thompson 26
at Virginia	J6	68-61	Monte Towe 17
Duke	J10	94-87	Monte Towe/Tom Burleson 20
Lehigh	J12	115-53	Tom Burleson 30
at Maryland	J14	87-85	David Thompson 37
at Clemson	J20	86-76	David Thompson 24
at Furman	J27	98-73	David Thompson 27
Maryland	J31	89-78	David Thompson 24
Virginia	F3	64-59	David Thompson 18
North Carolina	F5	76-73	David Thompson 22
Clemson*	F9	68-61	David Thompson 30
Georgia Tech*	F10	118-94	David Thompson 36
East Carolina	F13	105-70	David Thompson 33
at Wake Forest	F17	81-59	David Thompson 21
at Duke	F21	74-50	David Thompson 31
UNC Charlotte	F24	100-64	Tom Burleson 26
at North Carolina	F27	82-78	David Thompson 18
Wake Forest	M3	100-77	Tom Burleson 27
Virginia* (ACC Tournament)	M9	63-51	Tom Burleson/David Thompson 14
Maryland* (ACC Tournament)	M10	76-74	Tom Burleson 14

*Neutral court games.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS FOR N.C. STATE REGULARS

Player	Pos.	Class	G.	FG%	FT%	PPG	RPG
David Thompson	F	Soph.	27	.569	.825	24.7	8.1
Tom Burleson	C	Jr.	27	.512	.730	17.9	12.0
Monte Towe	G	Soph.	27	.468	.729	10.0	1.7
Rick Holdt	F	Sr.	27	.531	.660	8.3	3.7
Tim Stoddard	F	Soph.	27	.482	.569	7.9	5.3
Joe Cafferky	G	Sr.	25	.569	.767	7.2	2.1
Greg Hawkins	F	Jr.	25	.448	.706	5.6	3.3
Mark Moeller	G	Soph.	27	.579	.516	4.7	1.6
Steve Nuce	F	Jr.	26	.474	.571	4.4	2.1
Craig Kuszmaul	G	Soph.	19	.667	.400	2.4	0.9
TEAM TOTALS			27	.520	.715	92.9	46.5

INDIANA (32-0 in 1975-76)
Coach: Bob Knight (fifth of 29 seasons with Hoosiers)

1975-76 IU Opponents	Date	Score	IU's High Scorer
UCLA*	N29	84-64	Scott May 33
Florida State*	D8	83-59	Scott May 24
Notre Dame	D11	63-60	Scott May 25
Kentucky*	D15	77-68 (OT)	Kent Benson/Scott May 27
Georgia	D19	93-56	Scott May 18
Virginia Tech	D20	101-74	Scott May 27
Columbia*	D26	106-63	Kent Benson 15
Manhattan*	D27	97-61	Scott May 32
at St. John's	D28	76-69	Scott May 29
at Ohio State	J3	66-64	Scott May 24
Northwestern	J5	78-61	Kent Benson 22
at Michigan	J10	80-74	Kent Benson 33
at Michigan State	J12	69-57	Kent Benson 23
at Illinois	J17	83-55	Scott May 27
Purdue	J19	71-67	Scott May 32
at Minnesota	J24	85-76	Tom Abernethy 22
at Iowa	J26	88-73	Scott May 32
Wisconsin	J31	114-61	Scott May 30
Michigan	F7	72-67 (OT)	Scott May 27
Michigan State	F9	85-70	Kent Benson 38
Illinois	F14	58-48	Kent Benson 17
at Purdue	F16	74-71	Scott May 26
Minnesota	F21	76-64	Tom Abernethy 22
Iowa	F23	101-81	Quinn Buckner 24
at Wisconsin	F26	96-67	Scott May 41
at Northwestern	M1	76-63	Scott May 24
Ohio State	M6	96-67	Kent Benson/Scott May 21
St. John's* (NCAA Tournament)	M13	90-70	Scott May 33
Alabama* (NCAA Tournament)	M18	74-69	Scott May 25
Marquette* (NCAA Tournament)	M20	65-56	Kent Benson 18
UCLA* (NCAA Tournament)	M27	65-51	Kent Benson 16
Michigan* (NCAA Tournament)	M29	86-68	Scott May 26

*Neutral court games.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS FOR INDIANA REGULARS

Player	Pos.	Class	G.	FG%	FT%	PPG	RPG
Scott May	F	Sr.	32	.527	.782	23.5	7.7
Kent Benson	C	Jr.	32	.578	.684	17.3	8.8
Tom Abernethy	F	Sr.	32	.561	.743	10.0	5.3
Quinn Buckner	G	Sr.	32	.441	.488	8.9	2.8
Bobby Wilkerson	G-F	Sr.	32	.493	.630	7.8	4.9
Wayne Radford	G	Soph.	30	.563	.712	4.7	2.1
Jim Crews	G	Sr.	31	.468	.857	3.3	0.7
Jim Wisman	G	Soph.	26	.367	.724	2.5	0.8
Rich Valavicius	F	Fr.	28	.483	.625	2.4	1.8
TEAM TOTALS			32	.517	.698	82.1	41.4

Assists leader: Wilkerson 171.
Blocked shots leader: Benson 39.
Steals leader: Buckner 65.

Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ cover boy #ColonKrapernick tried to pinpoint where Iran is on a map prior to politicized multiple anthems and hug-a-thug NFL funding anti-cop activist groups, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad who promptly were among the top 41 selections in the same NFL draft.

Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoops selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.

Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on January 9 in football at the professional level (especially in 1982 playoff games before ex-hoopers with the Denver Broncos in postseason contests during the 1990s):

JANUARY 9

• Cincinnati Bengals QB Ken Anderson (swingman finished Augustana IL career in early 1970s as fifth-leading scorer in school history with 1,044 points) threw two first-quarter touchdown passes in a 44-17 AFC wild-card playoff setback against the New York Jets following the 1982 season. Bengals WR David Verser (Kansas hooper in five games in 1977-78 under coach Ted Owens) returned seven kickoffs for 116 yards.

• Baltimore Ravens PK Billy Cundiff (played in nine basketball contests with Drake in 1999-00 and 2000-01) converted all three of his field-goal attempts in a 30-7 win against the Kansas City Chiefs in AFC wild-card game following 2010 season. Ravens TE Todd Heap (grabbed 14 rebounds in 11 games for Arizona State in 1999-00) had game highs of 10 pass receptions and 108 receiving yards.

• Bud Grant (third-leading scorer for Minnesota in 1948-49 after named team MVP previous season over first-team All-American Jim McIntyre) coached the Minnesota Vikings when they suffered a 32-14 setback against the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XI following 1976 season. Vikings LLB Matt Blair (member of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M's 1970 NJCAA Tournament seventh-place hoops team) contributed three solo tackles and Raiders DE Charles Philyaw (averaged 5.2 ppg and 5.2 rpg for Texas Southern in 1973-74 and 1974-75) recorded one solo tackle.

• Houston Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins (Clemson hooper for seven games in 2010-11 under coach Brad Brownell) caught six passes for 69 yards in 30-0 setback against the Kansas City Chiefs in AFC wild-card game following 2015 season.

• San Francisco 49ers WR Terrell Owens (UT Chattanooga hooper from 1993-94 through 1995-96 started five games) supplied game highs of eight pass receptions and 73 receiving yards in a 20-18 setback in NFC divisional-round playoff contest following 1998 season. Niners RB Terry Kirby (hooper for Virginia's NCAA tourney teams in 1989-90 and 1990-91) chipped in with two catches from Steve Young.

• Minnesota Vikings TE Joe Senser (two-time NCAA Division I leader in FG% averaged 11.4 ppg and 7.4 rpg while shooting 66.2% from floor in four-year career for West Chester State PA in late 1970s) caught six passes for 81 yards in a 30-24 NFC first-round playoff win against the Atlanta Falcons following 1982 campaign.

• Denver Broncos WR Rod Smith (swingman was Missouri Southern State hoops letterman as sophomore in 1990-91) caught four passes for 71 yards - including 28-yarder for touchdown from John Elway - in a 38-3 win against the Miami Dolphins in AFC divisional-round playoff following 1998 season. Broncos DE Marvin Washington (played in 1985 NCAA Tournament with UTEP under coach Don Haskins before averaging 2.9 ppg and 5.7 rpg for Idaho under Tim Floyd in 1987-88) manufactured a sack. Dolphins WR Lamar Thomas (collected 16 points and 4 rebounds in four games for Miami FL in 1990-91 under coach Leonard Hamilton) caught three passes from Hall of Famer Dan Marino. Six years later, Smith recorded team highs of seven catches and 99 receiving yards - including TD from Jake Plummer - in a 49-24 setback against the Indianapolis Colts following 2004 campaign. Colts TE Marcus Pollard (juco transfer averaged 7.3 ppg and 5 rpg for Bradley in 1992-93 and 1993-94) provided a 25-yard pass reception from Peyton Manning.

• Denver Broncos WR Kitrick Taylor (Washington State hooper in 1984-85 and 1986-87) had a 13-yard pass reception in 42-24 AFC wild-card playoff game setback against the Oakland Raiders following 1993 season.

• Dallas Cowboys rookie DE Peppi Zellner (averaged 10.3 ppg and team-high 9.1 rpg for Fort Valley State GA in 1997-98) had four tackles in a 27-10 NFC wild-card playoff game setback against the Minnesota Vikings following 1999 campaign.

Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ cover boy #ColonKrapernick tried to pinpoint where Iran is on a map before politicized multiple anthems and NFL funding anti-cop activist groups, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad who promptly were among the top 41 selections in the same NFL draft.

Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoops selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.

Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players making a name for themselves on January 8 in NFL postseason competition:

JANUARY 8

• Seattle Seahawks TE John Carlson (played in three Notre Dame basketball games in 2003-04 under coach Mike Brey) caught two first-half touchdown passes from Matt Hasselbeck in a 41-36 win against the New Orleans Saints in NFC wild-card game following 2010 season.

• San Diego Chargers TE Antonio Gates (second-team All-MAC selection in 2002 when Kent State finished runner-up in South Regional) caught six passes for 89 yards including a touchdown reception from Drew Brees to send game into overtime in a 20-17 setback against the New York Jets in AFC wild-card contest following 2004 season.

• Atlanta Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez (averaged 6.4 ppg and 4.3 rpg for California from 1994-95 through 1996-97) caught four passes for 44 yards in a 24-2 setback against the New York Giants in NFC wild-card game following 2011 season.

• St. Louis Rams LB Tommy Polley (played in one basketball game for Florida State in 1996-97 under coach Pat Kennedy) provided five solo tackles in 27-20 NFC wild-card win against the Seattle Seahawks following 2004 campaign.

• Oakland Raiders RB Greg Pruitt (Oklahoma frosh hooper in 1969-70) rushed three times for 15 yards, caught two passes for 14 yards, returned two kickoffs for 57 yards and returned five punts for 45 yards in a 27-10 AFC first-round playoff win against the Cleveland Browns following 1982 season.

• Detroit Lions WR Freddie Scott (averaged 5.3 ppg for Amherst MA as sophomore in 1971-72) caught one pass for 14 yards in a 31-7 setback against the Washington Redskins in AFC wild-card game following 1982 season.

Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ cover boy #ColonKrapernick tried to pinpoint where Iran is on a map before spurring politicized multiple anthems and NFL funding anti-cop activist groups, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad who promptly were among the top 41 selections in the same NFL draft.

Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoops selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.

Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on January 7 in football at the professional level (especially in AFC and NFC championship contests following 1978 campaign):

JANUARY 7

• New Orleans Saints TE Jimmy Graham (part-time starter for Miami FL averaged 4.2 ppg and 4.2 rpg from 2005-06 through 2008-09) caught a third-quarter touchdown pass from Drew Brees in 45-28 win against the Detroit Lions in wild-card game following 2011 season.

• Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones (collected six points and six assists in eight basketball games as Texas-El Paso freshman in 2013-14 under coach Tim Floyd) rushed for more than 100 yards in each of their last three games of 2023 regular season.

• Jacksonville Jaguars TE Marcedes Lewis (collected nine points and four rebounds in seven UCLA basketball contests in 2002-03 under coach Steve Lavin) caught three passes in a 10-3 win against the Buffalo Bills in AFC wild-card game following 2017 season.

• New York Giants CB Jason Sehorn (averaged 12.5 ppg and 6 rpg for Shasta Community College CA in 1990-91) intercepted a pass from Donovan McNabb (averaged 2.3 ppg for Syracuse in 1995-96 and 1996-97) and returned it 32 yards for touchdown in 20-10 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in NFC divisional-round playoff game following 2000 season. Sehorn also chipped in with four solo tackles.

• Dallas Cowboys QB Roger Staubach (Navy varsity hooper in 1962-63) threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes in a 28-0 win against the Los Angeles Rams in NFC Championship contest following 1978 season.

• Houston Oilers RCB Greg Stemrick (played in two basketball games for Colorado State in 1973-74) intercepted a pass by QB Terry Bradshaw in their 34-5 setback against the Pittsburgh Steelers in AFC Championship game following 1978 season.

• New York Jets DB Rashad Washington (Kansas State hooper in eight games in 2000-01) recorded two solo tackles in a 37-16 setback against the New England Patriots in AFC wild-card game following 2006 season.

• Melenik Watson (averaged 4.7 ppg and 3.3 rpg while shooting team-high 47.6% from floor for Marist in 2010-11) was starting LT for the Oakland Raiders in a 27-14 setback against the Houston Texans in wild-card game following 2016 season. Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins (Clemson hooper for seven games in 2010-11 under coach Brad Brownell) caught five passes for 67 yards and one touchdown.

Was it worth the outlandish outrage? Perhaps Kansas' sanctimonious athletic department shouldn't have been quite so "incensed" by the NCAA's original decision amid corruption probe to suspend scholarly center Silvio De Sousa for two full seasons several years ago. Jayhawks coach Bill "Just Got to Get a Couple of Real Guys" Self's previous bluster he would "fight for Silvio" and "Silvio is the type of student-athlete college athletics needs" rang a mite hollow after stool-wielding De Sousa's thuggish raising of a potential weapon significantly higher than taunting major's anemic scoring average (2.6 ppg) during brawl in disability-seating section at end of game against arch-rival Kansas State. Let's hope dearly-departed De Sousa elevated or fought to keep gpa above 2.6 after moving on following sickening showmanship.

Media personalities failing to comprehend the gravity of De Sousa's actions should be confined to a mentally-challenged section of press area where they blow ability of King James' son (Bronny of USC) way out of proportion. What's new? It takes a long time to read about Self-less' prominent players who've run afoul of the law since KU captured 2008 NCAA title in midst of an off-the-books sale of nearly $900,000 worth of basketball tickets to brokers over five-year span.

Well, the faces change on rosters, but the intensity of power league intra-state match-ups and zeal for tickets remains when they come to blows in conference play. If in doubt about raw emotions, see video of conclusion of K-State's confrontation at KU. What was KU all worked up about since it is has won a staggering 109 more games in their intra-state conference series, outdueling Illinois (100 more than Northwestern), Duke (99 more than Wake Forest) and North Carolina (95 more than than Wake Forest). Sans prayerful #NannyPathetic's juvenile pen collection and #Demonrat ceremonial impeachment parade testing jolly Jerry "The White Urkel" Nadler's athletic prowess, regional hoop fans eagerly anticipate the following intra-conference "bragging rights" games (series records are through 2022-23):

Leader/Opponent	Series Record	Season Started	Series Highlights
Alabama/Auburn	100-68	1924	Auburn, which defeated Alabama three times in 1998-99 by an average of 29.3 points, won 26 of 30 assignments from 1958 through 1971 before the Crimson Tide won 18 of the next 19.
Arizona/Arizona State	159-86	1914	Arizona won 46 of first 55 meetings to 1937, 17 in a row from 1945 to 1952 and 24 of 25 from 1996 through 2007.
Baylor/Texas Christian	104-86	1909	TCU lost first seven meetings before winning nine in a row. Baylor won 14 straight from 1935 to 1942 and 11 consecutive contests from 2013 through 2017. TCU won 12 successive games from 1981 to 1987.
Bradley/Illinois State	71-65	1905	Ten consecutive contests were decided by fewer than seven points from 1996 through 2000. ISU won 16 of 18 games from 2009 to 2018.
California/Stanford	155-130	1912	Cal won 14 in a row from 1924-25 through 1929-30 and 24 of 25 to 1933-34. Stanford won 10 straight at the turn of the century, including a 51-point triumph in 2000.
Duke/North Carolina State	151-103	1912	Duke won 15 straight from 1941 to 1947 before losing 12 of 13 from 1947 to 1952. N.C. State also won nine consecutive confrontations in the mid-1970s. The Blue Devils won 13 in a row from 1998 through 2002.
Duke/Wake Forest	179-80	1906	Duke won 40 of 42 meetings from 1928 through 1948 with the two setbacks in that span coming by a total of seven points. Wake won eight straight from 1981 to 1984 and nine in a row from 1993 to 1997. The Blue Devils won 18 of 19 tilts between them prior to splitting games in 2019-20.
Florida State/Miami (Fla.)	54-37	1951	FSU won 11 of 12 games from 2006 to 2012.
Idaho/Idaho State	61-55	1933	Idaho won 14 games in a row from 1987-88 to 1993-94. Idaho State won 13 of 15 contests from 1971-72 to 1978-79.
Illinois/Northwestern	143-43	1908	Illini twice won 16 in a row (from 1946-47 through 1954-55 and 1983-84 through 1990-91). Northwestern's best extended stretch was winning eight of 14 contests from 1928 to 1939.
Kansas/Kansas State	204-95	1907	Kansas won 31 games in a row from 1993-94 through 2004-05 in fourth-most frequently played series in Division I. The Wildcats won 25 of 36 contests from 1967-68 through 1982-83.
Michigan/Michigan State	104-87	1909	Michigan won 12 straight from 1921 through 1927, 10 of 11 from 1935 through 1940 and 13 of 15 from 1970 to 1978. MSU defeated the Wolverines three times in 2019 and has won 32 of last 48 outings overall (12 of last 19).
Mississippi State/Mississippi	149-119	1914	Both schools have won more than 65% of their home assignments. MSU won the first nine games in the "Egg Bowl" series, 16 of the first 18 and 15 of 18 from 1955 through 1963. Ole Miss won eight straight in the early 1980s and eight of nine from 2013-14 to 2017-18.
Montana/Montana State	154-151	1903	Second-most frequently played series in Division I. Montana State, which prevailed in 19 of first 21 contests to 1917-18, had winning record in series until dropping 19 of 20 outings through period when both games were cancelled during COVID pandemic. UM also won 11 in a row from 1938-39 to 1941-42.
North Carolina/Duke	142-117	1920	UNC won 16 straight from 1921 through 1928 and 16 of 17 in the mid-1970s (three-point overtime loss in 1975). The Blue Devils won all three assignments in 1998-99 by an average margin of 18.3 points. The two teams would have split a stretch of 102 match-ups if Heels didn't lose at home in OT four seasons ago. When they met in 2020, it was first time in 60 years that neither school was nationally ranked.
North Carolina/North Carolina State	164-80	1913	Carolina won 16 of 17 contests from 1922 to 1930, 17 of 18 from 1934 to 1942 and 14 of 15 from 1967 to 1972. Roy Williams won 33 of his first 37 assignments against NCSU as coach of the Tar Heels.
North Carolina/Wake Forest	164-69	1911	UNC won 29 of 31 games from 1919 through 1936, 23 of 27 from 1966 through 1975, 23 of 24 from 1982 through 1992, and 13 of last 17 outings.
North Carolina State/Wake Forest	150-108	1911	The Wolfpack won 16 of 19 games from 1928 to 1937, 19 of 22 from 1942 through 1952, 16 of 18 from 1954 through 1959 and 10 of 11 from 1985 to 1990. Wake won nine of first 11 meetings, including a 41-point victory in 1912.
Oklahoma/Oklahoma State	141-106	1908	Oklahoma was victorious in first 11 meetings, 26 of first 28 and 44 of first 53. The Aggies/Cowboys prevailed in 14 of 16 outings from 1940 to 1947 and won all three outings a year ago.
Oregon State/Oregon	192-170	1903	Most frequently played series in Division I by more than 50 games. The Beavers won 14 of 16 contests from 1954 to 1959, 16 of 17 from 1962 to 1966 and 15 straight from 1980 to 1986. The Ducks won 19 of 20 outings from 1994-95 through 2002-03.
Purdue/Indiana	125-92	1901	Purdue won 50 of first 60 meetings with archrival. IU won 13 in a row from 1949 to 1955 and 25 of 42 from 1973 through 1993. The Boilermakers prevailed in 13 of 15 outings until dropping both assignments a year ago.
Tennessee/Vanderbilt	129-76	1922	The Volunteers, who are 72-20 at Knoxville, won 25 of 26 games overall from 1937 to 1950 and 25 of 30 from 1968 through 1982. Vandy's longest winning streak was six in the mid-1950s. The Vols have won 13 of last 15 outings.
Texas/Baylor	164-97	1906	UT won 16 of 17 games from 1914 to 1921, 14 of 15 from 1924 through 1930 and 24 in a row from 1999 to 2009.
Texas/Texas Christian	117-70	1915	Texas won the first 13 meetings, 10 straight from 1945 to 1950, eight in succession from 1977 through 1980, eight in a row from 1988 to 1991 before the SWC disbanded in 1996 and 11 consecutive from 1995 through 2015. TCU's longest winning streak was seven from 1982 through 1985.
Texas/Texas Tech	89-66	1940	Texas posted only one triumph over Texas Tech (75-74) in a 15-game stretch of their series from 1970 through 1976. The Longhorns won 11 straight from 1988 to 1993 and 13 in a row from 1998 to 2003.
Texas Tech/Baylor	82-62	1937	Tech won 10 straight from 1976 to 1980 and 1983 to 1987.
Texas Tech/Texas Christian	86-55	1932	Texas Tech won 12 of 13 from 1960 to 1966 and 19 straight from 1973 through 1981.
UCLA/Southern California	146-117	1928	UCLA's only two defeats in a 38-game stretch from 1964 through 1979 were back-to-back setbacks by a total of three points. USC won 42 in a row from 1932 to 1943, including nine consecutive seasons when the Trojans pulled off 4-0 sweeps.
Virginia/Virginia Tech	97-59	1915	Virginia won 10 of first 11, 15 of 17 from 1931 through 1941 and nine straight from 1978 to 1984. The Hokies twice won nine straight (from 1948 to 1952 and 1959 through 1965). UVA is 41-13 in Charlottesville.
Washington/Washington State	187-110	1910	UW won first seven meetings in the third-most frequently played series in Division I, all-time high 17 straight from 1923 to 1930, 14 of 16 from 1932 to 1936, 28 of 32 from 1952 through 1963, eight straight from 1971 to 1975 and eight straight from 1983 to 1987. WSU won 17 of 26 from 1945 to 1951 and seven in a row from 2006 through 2008.

Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ cover boy #ColonKrapernick tried to pinpoint where Iran is on a map before politicized multiple anthems and NFL funding anti-cop activist groups, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad who promptly were among the top 41 selections in the same NFL draft.

Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoops selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.

Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on January 4 in football at the professional level (especially the Cleveland Browns in AFC playoffs following 1980 campaign and WR Andre Rison with three different teams in both AFC and NFC divisional-round competition):

JANUARY 4

• Philadelphia Eagles LB Connor Barwin (Cincinnati hooper in 2006 NCAA Tournament) contributed four solo tackles in a 26-24 setback against the New Orleans Saints in NFC wild-card game following 2013 season.

• Rookie TE Tony Gonzalez (averaged 6.4 ppg and 4.3 rpg for California from 1994-95 through 1996-97) accounted for the Kansas City Chiefs' lone touchdown with a third-quarter catch in a 14-10 setback against the Denver Broncos in AFC divisional-round playoff game following 1997 season.

• New Orleans Saints TE Jimmy Graham (part-time starter for Miami FL averaged 4.2 ppg and 4.2 rpg from 2005-06 through 2008-09) caught three passes for 44 yards from Drew Brees in a 26-24 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in wild-card game following 2013 season.

• Baltimore Ravens TE Todd Heap (grabbed 14 rebounds in 11 games for Arizona State in 1999-00) caught a 31-yard pass in 27-9 win against the Miami Dolphins in AFC wild-card game following 2008 season.

• Houston Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins (Clemson hooper for seven games in 2010-11 under coach Brad Brownell) caught six passes for 90 yards in a 22-19 win against the Buffalo Bills in AFC wild-card game following 2019 season.

• Minnesota Vikings QB Joe Kapp (backup forward averaged 1.8 ppg and 1.2 rpg for California's PCC champions in 1957 and 1958) threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Gene Washington in 27-7 NFL championship game win against the Cleveland Browns following 1969 season.

• Cleveland Browns WR Dave Logan (three-time scoring runner-up averaged 14.1 ppg and 6.3 rpg for Colorado in mid-1970s) had two pass receptions for 36 yards in a 14-12 AFC divisional-round playoff setback against the Oakland Raiders following 1980 season. Browns RB Greg Pruitt (Oklahoma frosh hooper in 1969-70) caught three passes for 54 yards. Browns WR Reggie Rucker (averaged 6.8 ppg and 3.8 rpg for Boston University in 1966-67) caught two passes for 38 yards.

• Indianapolis Colts DB David Macklin (collected 13 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists for Penn State in 15 basketball games as freshman in 1996-97) returned two interceptions a total of 52 yards in 41-10 win against the Denver Broncos in wild-card playoff game following 2003 season. Broncos WR Rod Smith (swingman was Missouri Southern State hoops letterman as sophomore in 1990-91) caught five passes for 66 yards and scored their only touchdown.

• Dallas Cowboys RB Preston Pearson (swingman averaged 8.7 ppg and 6 rpg as Illinois senior in 1966-67) caught three of four touchdown passes by Roger Staubach (Navy varsity hooper in 1962-63) in a 37-7 NFC championship game win against the Los Angeles Rams following 1975 season.

• Kansas City Chiefs WR Andre Rison (backup hoops guard for Michigan State in 1987-88) had playoff career-highs of eight pass catches and 110 receiving yards in a 14-10 AFC divisional-round playoff setback against the Denver Broncos following 1997 season. Broncos DE Alfred Williams (Colorado hooper in 1989-90) had two sacks. Six years earlier with the Atlanta Falcons, Rison caught seven passes for 62 yards in a 24-7 setback against the Washington Redskins in NFC divisional-round contest. Rison also caught a touchdown pass with the Green Bay Packers from Brett Favre in a 35-14 divisional-round win against the San Francisco 49ers following 1996 season to help offset touchdown catch by 49ers RB Terry Kirby (averaged 2.8 ppg for Virginia's NCAA tourney teams in 1989-90 and 1990-91 under coaches Terry Holland and Jeff Jones).

Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ cover boy #ColonKrapernick tried to pinpoint where Iran is on a map amid politicized multiple anthems and NFL funding anti-cop activist groups, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad who promptly were among the top 41 selections in the same NFL draft.

Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoops selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.

Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on January 2 in football at the professional level (especially early in 2005 at end of 2004 season):

JANUARY 2

• Miami Dolphins WR Chris Chambers (played hoops briefly for Wisconsin under coach Dick Bennett in 1997-98) caught four passes for 146 yards in a 30-23 setback against the Baltimore Ravens in 2004 season finale early in 2005. Ravens LB Adalius Thomas (averaged 2.9 ppg and 1.9 rpg for Southern Mississippi in 1996-97 and 1997-98) had two sacks and forced two fumbles.

• New York Giants rookie DT Damane Duckett (made 3-of-4 field-goal attempts and grabbed 10 rebounds for East Carolina in nine basketball games in 2001-02) made his lone NFL start, collecting two solo tackles and assisting in three more, in 28-24 win against Dallas Cowboys in 2004 season finale.

• Kansas City Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez (averaged 6.4 ppg and 4.3 rpg for California from 1994-95 through 1996-97) caught 14 passes for 144 yards in a 24-17 setback against the San Diego Chargers in 2004 season finale early in 2005.

• Miami Dolphins QB Bob Griese (sophomore guard for Purdue in 1964-65) opened game's scoring by throwing a 75-yard touchdown pass to Paul Warfield in 21-0 AFC championship playoff win against the Baltimore Colts following 1971 season.

• Kansas City Chiefs rookie WR Tony Hargain (averaged 2.3 ppg for Oregon from 1986-87 through 1988-89 under coach Don Monson) caught two passes for 46 yards in a 17-0 setback against the San Diego Chargers in AFC wild-card game following 1992 season.

• Green Bay Packers RB Paul Hornung (averaged 6.1 ppg in 10 contests for Notre Dame in 1954-55) rushed for a 13-yard touchdown in 23-12 NFL championship game win against the Cleveland Browns following 1965 season.

• Philadelphia Eagles rookie QB Donovan McNabb (averaged 2.3 points in 18 games for Syracuse in 1995-96 and 1996-97) threw three touchdown passes in a 38-31 win against the St. Louis Rams in 1999 season finale early in 2000.

• Washington Redskins TE Robert Royal (collected 10 points and six rebounds in five LSU basketball games in 2000-01) caught a touchdown pass in his third consecutive contest in 2004 regular-season finale early in 2005.

• Miami Dolphins WR Lamar Thomas (collected 16 points and 4 rebounds in four games for Miami FL in 1990-91 under coach Leonard Hamilton) caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Dan Marino in the fourth quarter to provide the difference in 24-17 wild-card playoff win against the Buffalo Bills following 1998 season early in 1999.

• New York Jets DE Marvin Washington (played in 1985 NCAA Tournament with UTEP under coach Don Haskins before averaging 2.9 ppg and 5.7 rpg for Idaho under Tim Floyd in 1987-88) had career-high 2 1/2 sacks in a 24-0 setback against the Houston Oilers at end of 1993 regular season.

• Dallas Cowboys P Ron Widby (three-time All-SEC selection averaged 18.1 ppg and 8.4 rpg for Tennessee from 1964-65 through 1966-67) punted six times for 270 yards (45.0 average) in a 14-3 NFC championship game win against the San Francisco 49ers following 1971 season early in 1972.

Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ cover boy #ColonKrapernick tried to pinpoint where Iran is on a map spurring politicized multiple anthems and NFL funding anti-cop activist groups, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad who promptly were among the top 41 selections in the same NFL draft.

Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoops selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.

Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on January 1 in football at the professional level (especially in NFL and AFL championship contests following 1966 campaign):

JANUARY 1

• Houston Oilers TE John Carson (Georgia hoops letterman in 1952 and 1953) had a 13-yard pass reception in 24-16 win against the Los Angeles Chargers in AFL championship contest following 1960 season. Oilers rookie WR Bill Groman (led Heidelberg OH in scoring average as sophomore and junior while averaging 14.6 ppg and 4.8 rpg from 1954-55 through 1957-58) caught a touchdown pass from George Blanda.

• Kansas City Chiefs QB Len Dawson (Purdue hooper in 1956-57) threw two 29-yard first-half touchdown passes in a 31-7 win against the Buffalo Bills in AFL championship game following 1966 season on first day of 1967. FL Otis Taylor (backup small forward for Prairie View A&M) provided the go-ahead TD catch from Dawson. FL Elbert Dubenion (solid rebounder and defensive player for Bluffton OH in late 1950s) scored the Bills' only TD with a 69-yard pass from Jack Kemp.

• Arizona Cardinals TE Darren Fells (averaged 10.2 ppg and 6.3 rpg from 2004-05 through 2007-08, leading UCI in rebounding each of last three seasons) had a 37-yard touchdown reception in 44-6 win against the Los Angeles Rams in 2016 season finale.

• Dallas Cowboys E Pete Gent (three-time All-Big Ten Conference selection averaged 17.4 ppg and 8.3 rpg in leading Michigan State in scoring each season from 1961-62 through 1963-64) caught three passes for 28 yards in a 34-27 NFL championship game setback against the Green Bay Packers following 1966 season. Packers WR Bob Long (Wichita State hooper in 1960-61 and 1961-62 under coach Ralph Miller) had a nine-yard pass reception.

• Minnesota Vikings RDE James Harris (Temple hooper in 1988-89 under coach John Chaney) had one solo tackle in a 35-18 setback against the Chicago Bears in NFC wild-card game following 1994 season.

• San Francisco 49ers DB Ronnie Lott (Southern California hooper as junior in 1979-80) had two interceptions in a 34-9 divisional playoff win against the Minnesota Vikings following 1988 season.

• Pittsburgh Steelers WR Antwaan Randle El (member of Indiana's 1999 NCAA Tournament team) had 81-yard punt return for a touchdown in 35-21 win against the Detroit Lions in 2005 regular-season finale on first day of 2006.

• Baltimore Ravens LB Adalius Thomas (averaged 2.9 ppg and 1.9 rpg for Southern Mississippi in 1996-97 and 1997-98) scored a touchdown on fumble recovery return in 20-16 setback against the Cleveland Browns in 2005 regular-season finale on first day of 2006.