Hi Bridget,
First, thank you for doing this article.  Second, good luck.  Now, what some will not want to hear are my thoughts - that one of the problems with our basketball PROGRAM, is that there are not enough complaints from those who have these memories or experiences, directly to the athletic department/University Board.  The reason, too many folks are still living in the past!  I am tired of the past and believe it is talked about too much because unfortunately, there is not a present!   I am sure many folks will disagree with me, but I don't want to keep bringing up what once was - because it seems we are having a hell of a time getting to where we should be.
Again, Good Luck - I am sure you will receive numerous stories of "The Good Old Days" but I think a strong statement would be if those "Good Old Dayss" weren't focused on  - but the last 5 years.
Other than some on this board, DU fans, those of us that are left, are too complacent.
 

Last edited by FAM (10/27/2015 12:49 pm)

FAM wrote:

Hi Bridget,
First, thank you for doing this article.  Second, good luck.  Now, what some will not want to hear are my thoughts - that one of the problems with our basketball PROGRAM, is that there are not enough complaints from those who have these memories or experiences, directly to the athletic department/University Board.  The reason, too many folks are still living in the past!  I am tired of the past and believe it is talked about too much because unfortunately, there is not a present!   I am sure many folks will disagree with me, but I don't want to keep bringing up what once was - because it seems we are having a hell of a time getting to where we should be.
Again, Good Luck - I am sure you will receive numerous stories of "The Good Old Days" but I think a strong statement would be if those "Good Old Dayss" weren't focused on  - but the last 5 years.
Other than some on this board, DU fans, those of us that are left, are too complacent.
 

Thanks for your input! What sorts of issues do you see with the basketball program from your end of things? 

CLK wrote:

Welcome to the forum Bridget.  I was a student at DU from 1966 to 1971 during the height of the "Glory Years".   There were so many good memories.  Basketball was a source of school pride, and we had what has now become an extinct item at Duquesne, "School Spirit".  The frats and sororities turned out in mass for every game, and we packed the student section at the Civic Arena.  There was a very tight bond between the basket ball players and students on campus.  This may be hard to believe for someone now at Duquesne, but the students actually cheered for the Dukes, and made a difference in the tight games.  Which brings me to my favorite memory which was the 1971 overtime victory over Austin Carr's ranked Notre Dame team 81-78.  There were over 10,000 people at that game and many of the subway ND alums showed up, including several of my relatives who were ND fans.  The place was rocking, and the students led by Mossie Murphy were definitely the 6th man on the court.  The following week ND went on to end UCLA's win streak.  My only hope for Duquesne students is that some day they will experience that level of school pride.

What sorts of changes could be made to help with the school pride do you think? 
 

BridgetDuqDuke wrote:

CLK wrote:

Welcome to the forum Bridget.  I was a student at DU from 1966 to 1971 during the height of the "Glory Years".   There were so many good memories.  Basketball was a source of school pride, and we had what has now become an extinct item at Duquesne, "School Spirit".  The frats and sororities turned out in mass for every game, and we packed the student section at the Civic Arena.  There was a very tight bond between the basket ball players and students on campus.  This may be hard to believe for someone now at Duquesne, but the students actually cheered for the Dukes, and made a difference in the tight games.  Which brings me to my favorite memory which was the 1971 overtime victory over Austin Carr's ranked Notre Dame team 81-78.  There were over 10,000 people at that game and many of the subway ND alums showed up, including several of my relatives who were ND fans.  The place was rocking, and the students led by Mossie Murphy were definitely the 6th man on the court.  The following week ND went on to end UCLA's win streak.  My only hope for Duquesne students is that some day they will experience that level of school pride.

What sorts of changes could be made to help with the school pride do you think? 
 

Good question Bridget.  Some have suggested in jest turning the heat off in the dorms and block Netflick on game days.  The simple answer is for the Dukes to play exciting basketball and win.  But I am not sure that would fix the problem.  To some extent we saw some modest increase in student attendance during the Roln Everheart era.  But even then the students only showed up for the big games that were televised. 

I look at the student support at other schools in the A10, even bottom dweller Fordham, and think what the heck is wrong at Duquesne.  Maybe it's the libertine life style (just kidding).  I know the University in tandem with the Red & Blue Crew try every year to get students out with give aways, prizes and contests with limited success 

The apathy does not only extend to the students.  You can throw in the University President, the prior AD and his staff. Not even the other sports teams go to the basketball games.  It is funny they have recognition nights for the other sport teams at DU, and they stay until half time and leave.  In addition, the prior AD and Dougherty have alienated many long time loyal supporters (as well as many in the local media) who objected to the way the prior coach was humiliated by the leaked internal memo when he was fired. 

I believe the biggest thing that DU can do is hire a new President who will support DU hoops and be willing to invest not only money but his personal time and effort.  I also feel sorry for the new AD as he has a big challenge. If I were him the first order of business would be to reach out to the long time season ticket holders and supporters who have walked away from this Program, and secondly get with the students to figure out their problem

 

Ray Goss is definitely worthy of an interview.

Bridget, as several ave mentioned the 70-71 team was the apex of Duquesne basketball over the past 50 years. I was a sophomore living in St. Martin's hall. The Civic Arena (gone now) was rocking for every home game. Here is the roster for those years. Of note, Jarrett Durham is now one of the announcers of Dukes basketball. He would also be a great interview along with Ray Goss. Mickey Davis was a blossoming star but left to play professionally after his sophomore year. Gary Nelson lives locally and attends many games as does WIllie Hines. Gary and Barry were huge twins that obliterated most of the opponents that we faced. Billy Zopf was a senior and the leader of this team. Mike Barr was the other solid contributor. Hope this helps...

Cecil Banks
Jack Baran
Mike Barr
Timothy Bradley
Craig Confer
Mickey Davis
Jarrett Durham
Willie Hines
Perry Johnson
Steve McHugh
Tom Mueseler
Garry Nelson
Barry Nelson
Dave Roddy
Darnell Roebuck
Bill Zopf    

KenOTR73 wrote:

Bridget, as several ave mentioned the 70-71 team was the apex of Duquesne basketball over the past 50 years. I was a sophomore living in St. Martin's hall. The Civic Arena (gone now) was rocking for every home game. Here is the roster for those years. Of note, Jarrett Durham is now one of the announcers of Dukes basketball. He would also be a great interview along with Ray Goss. Mickey Davis was a blossoming star but left to play professionally after his sophomore year. Gary Nelson lives locally and attends many games as does WIllie Hines. Gary and Barry were huge twins that obliterated most of the opponents that we faced. Billy Zopf was a senior and the leader of this team. Mike Barr was the other solid contributor. Hope this helps...

Cecil Banks
Jack Baran
Mike Barr
Timothy Bradley
Craig Confer
Mickey Davis
Jarrett Durham
Willie Hines
Perry Johnson
Steve McHugh
Tom Mueseler
Garry Nelson
Barry Nelson
Dave Roddy
Darnell Roebuck
Bill Zopf    

Billy Zopf wasn't on that team, he graduated in 1970. Durham, and the Nelsons were the senior stars in 1971. The 69 team was the better team. Finished in the Top 10, and made the Sweet 16, playing Carolina down to the wire. The team was actually a big disappointment Zopf's senior year. They began the season in the Top 10, but slid out of the rankings, and ended up in the NIT. Davis actually left after his junior year.
The 1953-54 team was probably the greatest in school history. They won their first 22 games, and were ranked number 1 in the nation before dropping 2 games near the end of the season. They lost in the NIT final to Holy Cross. It's a shame, because 1954 was the last year that you can really make a strong argument that the team that won the NIT was the nation's best team. LaSalle, which won the NCAA's was unranked entering the tourney (there was only a Top 10 back then). Duquesne, and Holy Cross were ranked 2 and 3. The Dukes won the NIT the next year, but the Bill Russell led San Francisco Dons won the NCAAs, and are generally considered to be one of the great teams in history (they won 56 consecutive games). That USF team was the first in a series of great NCAA Champions that pretty much ended any debate as to which tournament crowned the real champ.
 

Last edited by duq81 (10/27/2015 9:29 pm)

duq81 wrote:

KenOTR73 wrote:

Bridget, as several ave mentioned the 70-71 team was the apex of Duquesne basketball over the past 50 years. I was a sophomore living in St. Martin's hall. The Civic Arena (gone now) was rocking for every home game. Here is the roster for those years. Of note, Jarrett Durham is now one of the announcers of Dukes basketball. He would also be a great interview along with Ray Goss. Mickey Davis was a blossoming star but left to play professionally after his sophomore year. Gary Nelson lives locally and attends many games as does WIllie Hines. Gary and Barry were huge twins that obliterated most of the opponents that we faced. Billy Zopf was a senior and the leader of this team. Mike Barr was the other solid contributor. Hope this helps...

Cecil Banks
Jack Baran
Mike Barr
Timothy Bradley
Craig Confer
Mickey Davis
Jarrett Durham
Willie Hines
Perry Johnson
Steve McHugh
Tom Mueseler
Garry Nelson
Barry Nelson
Dave Roddy
Darnell Roebuck
Bill Zopf    

Billy Zopf wasn't on that team, he graduated in 1970. Durham, and the Nelsons were the senior stars in 1971. The 69 team was the better team. Finished in the Top 10, and made the Sweet 16, playing Carolina down to the wire. The team was actually a big disappointment Zopf's senior year. They began the season in the Top 10, but slid out of the rankings, and ended up in the NIT. Davis actually left after his junior year.
The 1953-54 team was probably the greatest in school history. They won their first 22 games, and were ranked number 1 in the nation before dropping 2 games near the end of the season. They lost in the NIT final to Holy Cross. It's a shame, because 1954 was the last year that you can really make a strong argument that the team that won the NIT was the nation's best team. LaSalle, which won the NCAA's was unranked entering the tourney (there was only a Top 10 back then). Duquesne, and Holy Cross were ranked 2 and 3. The Dukes won the NIT the next year, but the Bill Russell led San Francisco Dons won the NCAAs, and are generally considered to be one of the great teams in history (they won 56 consecutive games). That USF team was the first in a series of great NCAA Champions that pretty much ended any debate as to which tournament crowned the real champ.
 

Thanks '81. The website was faulty in adding Billy to the roster. The rest of the errors are attributed to my somewhat cloudy recollections of my years at Duquesne.

Hi Bridget,
CLK brought up some good points in his post about apathy and the program.  I still go to the games and am a season ticket holder, but each year I question whether I want to continue.  Hopefully, with a new AD things will improve.  However, unless the team begins to win, not much will change.  Folks aren't going to want to put forth money for a facility with a  losing team/program.  This is the year that will tell if Coach Ferry has just been making excuses over his losing years since he has been here, or if he will have a winning record this year.
Thanks and good luck. 

Last edited by FAM (10/28/2015 8:31 am)

Bridget

I wrote for the Duke while a student there so let me wish you good luck overall and with the article.  Several things I would say in answer:

My first memory of Duquesne basketball came before I was a student when I noticed that they were in the NCAA tournament and took on North Carolina in a hard fought game in what I think was the East regional semi-final (1968-69 season I think).  We didn't win but played well and got a lot of recognition at that time and went on to be one of the top teams in the country for a few years after that.  That's not the reason why I decided to attend DU but it certainly made me take notice.

I would like to add though that FAM makes several good points.  In writing an article on the first good memory many alums have I would be afraid it would say to the administration that we are somehow happy with what we have become.  I'm a season ticket holder still despite the depths to which we have sunk because I support Duquesne.  But I and many others are embarassed by the way we are perceived by many as a school that somehow can't figure out what Gonzaga, Xavier, Dayton and a host of other similar small/mid sized Catholic division 1 schools have figured out - winning in a major sport brings very postive recognition and may influence students to attend and donors to contribute among other good things.  A positive article is good but it should be supplemented by a sidebar or something that expresses the discontent that many feel about the program while continuing to be proud that we are DU alums.

Finally, though it is a bit quiet over there right now, you may want to also go on the website at the other board to see if you can get comments from some who only post there.  The address is http://duquesnedukes.yuku.com/directory.

Again, good luck.

Last edited by Mulder (10/28/2015 9:39 am)

If any of you guys have any letters you sent to the administration about the basketball program, feel free to send them along to seelingerb@duq.edu. Anything you can give me would add greatly to my article! Also, keep the memories comin'! It's really great to hear about Duquesne when we were competitive. Gosh, I wish we were now! 

Do you guys think the problems have been not being able to find good players or not investing in good recruiting in that area? Or do you think our players are great, they just need leadership?

Bridget,
   I graduated from Duquesne in 2008 so my perspective is certainly different than most of the posters on here.  I am sure that you will find the Yuku board has a younger alumni base and thus doesn't have the bank of memories to pull from that posters on here do.  I can tell you that I made the Red and Blue Crew official during my Junior year at Duquesne.  That is why the Crew tshirts say Est. 2006 (I thought it was pretty awesome that the shirts said that).  The constitution on the website was written by my treasurer and I and is based upon Dayton's student section. It was an extremely uphill battle when I started the organization, but I think most posters on here will agree that our student attendance was better than it has been ever since.  Granted, Ron Everhart also won a lot more games than Jim Ferry has, so I think that matters.  The memories that stand out to me the most are the following:

1.  Winning our first game with Ron Everhart as the coach.  It was our first game with the new Red and Blue Crew, and although our section wasn't huge, we were pretty loud.  We beat Youngstown State in an extremely close game.  At the end of the game, Coach Everhart walked off the court and pointed to our section.  He then posted a "Thank You" to our section in the Duquesne Duke.  It was freaking awesome.

2.  The Xavier win when we stormed the courts in 2009.  The X crowd was always so fun (I miss them in the A10) and this one was no exception.  The X crowd wore snuggies, and I even remember one fan stopping and doing the Hulk Hogan gesture to the ear where they want to hear more noise.  It was so electricfying and I remember Aaron Jackson screaming for us to rush the court.  

3.  I'm not sure which game it was, but our crowd was especially loud and continually ripped into one referree that we thought was causing us issues.  At one point he turned around, looked at us and said, "Guys, I'm trying me best!"  It was the worst thing he could have said to a student section.  

4.  When Duquesne made it to the finals of the A10 tournament I was extremely sick.  I have Cystic Fibrosis and I remember feeling completely fine during the games that we won.  Coach Everhart and the entire team visited me on their way to the NIT.  It was such a wonderful gesture.  

Feel free to email me with other questions.  My email is DouglasBSimmons@gmail.com

Douglas Simmons Class of 2008