The Way We Were: Saint Francis NY Left DI After 76 Years at Highest Level

May 9th, 2024 - 8:47

Saint Francis (N.Y.) left Division I ranks last season after 76 years failing to participate in the NCAA Tournament. Previously, Hartford supporters, in the aftermath of the school's initial NCAA Tournament appearance in 2021, couldn't get Division I hoops out of their blood. They aspired to convince the school to reverse its decision to de-emphasize program to Division III in 2023-24 but were unsuccessful. The Hawks' premier player in history is Vin Baker, who ranked among the nation's top four scorers in back-to-back seasons (1991-92 and 1992-93).

Abilene Christian, Houston Baptist, New Orleans, Northern Colorado and Seattle returned to the DI ranks after stints competing at the small-college level. Which school might be next to return? Following is a trip down memory lane assessing historical tidbits on the impact of former major-college programs (listed alphabetically):

  • In 1944-45, Baldwin-Wallace (OH) handed NIT runner-up Bowling Green State its only regular-season loss to a collegiate opponent. Bowling Green State, which compiled the seventh-best record in the nation during the decade of the 1940s, also lost against Baldwin-Wallace four years later in a season the Falcons finished third in the NIT (extras/nit-summary). Baldwin-Wallace had two players finish among the national statistical leaders in the early 1950s - John Popp was fourth in free-throw shooting (83.1%) in 1949-50 and Dick Retherford was seventh in scoring (21.8 ppg) in 1951-52.

  • Baltimore's Terry Copeland led the ECAC Metro in free-throw percentage in 1982-83 (84.4%).

  • The only non-winning season for Birmingham-Southern (AL) in its six years at the NCAA Division I level was 2001-02 when it went 13-14. BSC tied for the Big South Conference regular-season title in its first season in the league in 2003-04 when the Panthers led the nation in three-point field-goal shooting (43%).

  • Brooklyn defeated Toledo to open the 1985-86 season the same year the Rockets beat Houston in coach Guy Lewis' 30th and final campaign with the Cougars. Brooklyn's Glen James finished sixth in the nation in assists with 7.5 apg in 1984-85 (higher than Wake Forest's Tyrone Bogues and North Carolina's Kenny Smith). The Kingsmen finished fourth in the country in field-goal shooting in 1990-91 (52%).

  • Case Western Reserve (OH) featured two All-Americans in a four-year span in the mid-1930s - Eddie Finnigan in 1933 and William Fleishman in 1936. In its final season at the major-college level, Dick Howard finished 16th in the nation in scoring (24.3 ppg in 1954-55).

  • Glenn Kolonics finished 15th in the nation in scoring with 23.5 ppg for Catholic (DC) in 1976-77 in its debut season at the major-college level. Catholic defeated NIT-bound Saint Joseph's in 1979-80, which was one season before St. Joe's upset top-ranked DePaul in the 1981 NCAA Tournament.

  • Centenary (LA) compiled an 87-21 record during center Robert Parish's four-year career from 1972-73 through 1975-76 when he averaged 21.6 ppg and 16.9 rpg while shooting 56.4% from the floor. Parish led the nation in rebounding his last two seasons after finishing among the top five his first two campaigns. The Gentlemen, after winning the 1990 TAAC regular-season title, paced the country in steals in 1992-93 with 14.1 per game. Centenary's Willie Jackson is the Trans America Athletic Conference's all-time leading scorer (2,535 points from 1981-84) and Ronnie McCollum led the nation in scoring in 2000-01 with 29.1 ppg.

  • The University of Chicago won four consecutive Western Conference (predecessor to Big Ten) championships from 1907 through 1910. The school had three all-league first-team selections in 1909.

  • City College of New York had three Jewish All-Americans - Moe Goldman (1934), Red Holzman (1942) and Irwin Dambrot (1950). In 1950, the Beavers became the only school to win the NCAA playoffs and NIT in the same year. CCNY's Lionel Malamed finished sixth in the nation in free-throw shooting in 1947-48 (83.3%) and Ed Roman ranked 22nd in scoring in 1950-51 (18.6 ppg).

  • Ron Warner of Gettysburg (PA) finished among the nation's top 15 scorers in back-to-back seasons (1960-61 and 1961-62). Gettysburg ranked third in the nation in team defense in 1963-64 (56.8 ppg) after finishing fifth in team offense in 1950-51 (73.8 ppg).

  • Grinnell (IA) posted only one losing record in Missouri Valley Conference competition in its last six years in the league from 1933-34 through 1938-39.

  • Six different Hamline (MN) products played in the NBA in the early 1950s when the league had far fewer franchises.

  • Hardin-Simmons (TX) averaged 18.5 victories annually from 1963-64 through 1966-67, finished runner-up to Purdue in team offense in 1968-69 with 91.9 ppg and had four straight non-losing records in Trans America Athletic Conference competition from 1984-85 through 1987-88. Hardin-Simmons had eight different players rank among the nation's top 10 in a variety of statistical categories - Eric Adams (9th in FT% in 1986-87), Lee Dixon (6th in scoring in 1975-76), Tommy French (8th in FG% in 1989-90), Cliff Harris (9th in rebounding in 1970-71), Buddy Matthews (7th in FT% in 1950-51), Bill Preston (10th in FG% in 1951-52), Ronnie Ryan (6th in FT% in 1954-55) and Ray Williams (10th in FG% in 1970-71). Nate Madkins scored a school-record 52 points against West Texas State in 1963-64.

  • Center George Dalton of John Carroll (OH) ranked among the nation's major-college scoring leaders four straight seasons in 1952 (20th), 1953 (8th), 1954 (14th) and 1955 (21st).

  • Norm Hankins of Lawrence Tech (MI) led the nation in scoring with 22.5 ppg in 1947-48.

  • In 1973-74, Los Angeles State finished in second place in the Pacific Coast Athletic Association standings behind Lute Olson-coached Long Beach State (24-2 record). The previous year, Los Angeles State's Raymond Lewis established the PCAA single-season standard for scoring average (32.9 ppg as a sophomore before leaving early for the NBA draft as a hardship case).

  • Loyola (LA) participated in back-to-back NCAA playoffs in 1957 and 1958 when the tourney field was comprised of no more than 24 entrants. In 1970-71, the school finished fourth in the nation in field-goal shooting (50.9%) and fifth in scoring (92.1 ppg). In Loyola's final season at the major-college level, Charles Jones finished sixth in the nation in rebounding in 1971-72 with 15.8 rpg (ahead of UCLA's Bill Walton). Loyola's Charley Powell finished seventh in the country in free-throw shooting in 1968-69 (87.6%) after ranking 13th in scoring the previous year (26 ppg). Loyola had three of the nation's top 25 field-goal shooters in 1952-53

  • Muhlenberg (PA), in the midst of 21 consecutive seasons with double digits in wins from 1939 through 1959, led major colleges in field-goal percentage in 1948-49 after finishing national runner-up the previous year. Muhlenberg had three different players rank among the nation's top three in field-goal shooting - Daniel Mackin (2nd in 1947-48), Denny Roth (3rd in 1956-57) and Mel Kessler (3rd in 1958-59). The Mules appeared in the NIT three consecutive years from 1944 through 1946.

  • NYU participated in national postseason competition seven times in an eight-year span from 1959 through 1966. The Violets had three different All-Americans in an eight-year span in the 1960s - Tom "Satch" Sanders (1960), Barry Kramer (1963 and 1964) and Mal Graham (1967).

  • Northeastern Illinois led the nation in steals per game with 12.8 in 1991-92 when one of its players (Victor Snipes) paced the country in that category with 3.4 spg.

  • Oklahoma City ranked among the nation's top five in team defense four consecutive years from 1951 through 1954 and appeared in six straight NCAA Tournaments from 1952 through 1957. On the other end of the court, OCU led the nation in scoring in 1966-67 before ranking fourth the next year and third in 1980-81. OCU's Ernie Hill holds the Trans America Athletic Conference's single-season record for scoring average (26.6 points per game as a junior in 1978-79). OCU's Arnold Short led the nation in free-throw shooting in 1951-52 (86.1%). Short (1953 and 1954), Hub Reed (1957 and 1958), Bud Koper (1963 and 1964) and Rich Travis (1968 and 1969) are OCU players who ranked among the nation's top 20 scorers in back-to-back years. Hill (1979) was among the following OCU players who each ranked once among the country's top 13 scorers: Jerry Lee Wells (1966), Gary Gray (1967), Ozie Edwards (1973), Marvin Rich (1973) and Rubin Jackson (1981).

  • Regis (CO) finished fifth in the nation in rebounding in 1962-63.

  • Scranton (PA) hired Buck Freeman as coach just before the start of the 1937-38 campaign after he won more than 85% of his games with St. John's in nine seasons from 1927-28 through 1935-36.

  • Sewanee (TN), also known as the University of the South, competed against Alabama (1933) and Louisiana State (1939) in the SEC Tournament after defeating defending champion North Carolina State in the first round of the 1930 Southern Conference Tournament.

  • Felix Thruston of Trinity (TX) finished 18th in the nation in scoring in 1970-71 with a Southland Conference-leading 25 ppg.

  • U.S. International (CA) led NCAA Division I in points per game in 1985-86 with 90.8. USIU's Kevin Bradshaw paced the nation in scoring in 1990-91 with 37.6 ppg.

  • Keith Walker of Utica (NY) led the nation in field-goal shooting in 1984-85 (71.3%).

  • Washburn (KS) finished ahead of eventual NIT champions Saint Louis and/or Tulsa in the Missouri Valley Conference standings five times in a seven-year span from 1935 through 1941.

  • Washington (MO) won three consecutive Missouri Valley Conference championships from 1928 through 1930. The Bears finished fourth in the nation in team defense in 1949-50 (46.3 ppg).

  • Washington & Lee (VA) captured back-to-back Southern Conference regular-season titles in 1936 and 1937 ahead of eventual ACC members Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina, Virginia and Virginia Tech. Washington & Lee opposed North Carolina or Duke in four straight southern Conference Tournament finals. Washington & Lee's Jay Handlan led the nation in free-throw shooting in 1950-51 (86%) when he was runner-up in scoring (26.2 ppg). Handlan finished 11th in scoring the next year. Washington & Lee had at least one all-league selection all but one season (1952-53) in an eight-year span from 1950-51 through 1957-58.

  • West Chester State's Joe Senser led the nation in field-goal shooting in 1976-77 and 1977-78, finishing his career at 66.2%.

  • West Texas State finished among the top three in the Missouri Valley Conference standings three times in a five-year span from 1975-76 through 1979-80. West Texas State's Jim Scott led the nation in free-throw shooting in 1954-55 (89.5%) and Steve Davidson finished third in rebounding in 1971-72 (17.5 rpg ahead of Providence's Marvin Barnes and UCLA's Bill Walton). WTSU paced the country in free-throw shooting in 1966-67; ranked among the top three in field-goal shooting in 1963-64 and 1976-77; finished runner-up in rebounding average in back-to-back seasons (1970-71 and 1971-72), and placed runner-up in scoring in 1980-81 (85.5 ppg).