Remembering the 1971 Jacksonville University Basketball Team

The 1971 Jacksonville University basketball team finished the season 29-0, winning the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship The team was inducted into the Jacksonville University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1976.

The team’s accomplishments

During the program’s brief history, Jacksonville University’s basketball teams never accomplished much. That all changed in 1970, when the Dolphins went 23-6 and won the school’s first ever NCAA Division II tournament game. The following season, they took things a step further, going 26-5 and reaching the Elite Eight of the Division II tournament.

The team was led by center Artis Gilmore, who averaged 22 points and 17 rebounds per game He would go on to have a Hall of Fame career in the NBA. fellow future NBA players Rex Morgan and Pembrook Burrows also played significant roles on the team.

Despite their success, the 1971 season is most remembered for what happened off the court. In December of that year, Jacksonville was involved in a plane crash that killed all 14 members of the team, as well as Head Coach Hugh Durham and five others associated with the program. The tragedy stunned the city of Jacksonville and put an end to the school’s Basketball Program for nearly two decades.

The team’s impact on Jacksonville

The 1971 Jacksonville University Basketball team made history as the first and only NCAA Division I Men’s basketball team from the state of Florida to make it to the Final Four. The Dolphins, led by future NBA Hall of Famer Artis Gilmore, went on an incredible run that took them all the way to the national semifinals. Although they ultimately lost to UCLA, the team left a lasting impact on the city of Jacksonville and the entire state of Florida.

The team’s impact on college basketball

The 1971 Jacksonville University Basketball team made history by becoming the first undergraduate team to play in the NCAA Division IFinal Four. Although they ultimately lost to UCLA in the semi-finals, the team’s performance catapulted Jacksonville to national prominence and changed college basketball forever.

In the years since, Jacksonville has become known as a “basketball school,” and its players have gone on to have successful careers in the NBA and elsewhere. The team’s impact on the sport of college basketball cannot be overstated.

The team’s legacy

The 1971 Jacksonville University basketball team was a force to be reckoned with. They went undefeated in the regular season and won the NCAA Division II National Championship The team left a lasting legacy on the university and the city of Jacksonville. They were inducted into the Jacksonville University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006.

The team’s head coach

Lewis “Sonny” Conroy was the head coach of the 1971 Jacksonville University basketball team He was born in Brooklyn, New York, on February 7, 1933. He played basketball at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School and later at La Salle University He was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals in 1955 and played for them for two seasons. He began his coaching career in 1957 as an Assistant Coach at La Salle University. In 1960, he became the head basketball coach at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia, where he coached for one year before moving to Jacksonville University in 1961.

The team’s star player

The 1971 Jacksonville University basketball team was one of the best in the school’s history. The team was led by star player Artis Gilmore, who went on to have a successful career in the NBA. Gilmore was a dominating force on the court, and he helped the team to a 27-2 record. The team’s only losses came against nationally ranked opponents.

The team’s assistant coach

One of the most important figures on the 1971 Jacksonville University basketball team was assistant coach John Pelphrey. A native of Paintsville, Kentucky, Pelphrey was a key figure in recruiting team star Artis Gilmore. Prior to coming to Jacksonville, Pelphrey had been an assistant coach at Eastern Kentucky University

The team’s mascot

The Jacksonville University Basketball team’s mascot was the dolphin. The team won the Division II championship in 1971 and made it to the Division I Final Four in 1972.

The team’s home court

The 1971 Jacksonville University men’s Basketball team nicknamed the “Dolphins”, represented Jacksonville University in the 1971 NCAA Division I men’s Basketball season The Dolphins played their home games at the Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum, which they shared with the Jacksonville Sharks of the American Basketball Association. The team was led by Head Coach Joe Williams in his first year at JU. They finished the season 26–2 and were undefeated at home, going 15–0. They finished as co-champions of the ABA’s East Division with a 13–3 record and earned a berth in the ABA Playoffs.

In the playoffs, they defeated the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Division Semifinals, but lost to eventual ABA champion Kentucky Colonels in the Eastern Division Finals.

The team’s colors

The Jacksonville University men’s Basketball Team colors are teal, blue, and gray. The team mascot is the dolphin, and they are nicknamed the Dolphins. They compete in the NCAA Division I as a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference The Dolphins play their home games at Swisher Gymnasium on the university’s campus in Jacksonville, Florida.