1969–70 Jacksonville Dolphins men's basketball team

The 1969–70 Jacksonville Dolphins men's basketball team represented Jacksonville University during the 1969–70 NCAA University Division basketball season. The independent Dolphins were led by sixth-year head coach Joe Williams and played their home games at the Jacksonville Coliseum.

1969–70 Jacksonville Dolphins men's basketball
Mideast Regional Champions
NCAA tournament, runner-up
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 5
AP	No. 4
Record	27–2
Head coach	Joe Williams (6th season)
Assistant coaches	Tom Wasdin (4th season) Bill Coulthart (1st season)
Home arena	Jacksonville Coliseum
Seasons ← 1968–69 1970–71 →

1969–70 NCAA University Division men's basketball independents standings
v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 4 Jacksonville		–			–			27	–	2		.931
No. 5 New Mexico State		–			–			27	–	3		.900
No. 8 Marquette		–			–			26	–	3		.897
No. 3 St. Bonaventure		–			–			25	–	3		.893
No. 11 Florida State		–			–			23	–	3		.885
No. 12 Houston		–			–			25	–	5		.833
Army		–			–			22	–	6		.786
No. 17 Niagara		–			–			22	–	7		.759
No. 16 Utah State		–			–			22	–	7		.759
Villanova		–			–			22	–	7		.759
No. 9 Notre Dame		–			–			21	–	8		.724
St. John's		–			–			21	–	8		.724
Georgetown		–			–			18	–	7		.720
Duquesne		–			–			17	–	7		.708
Dayton		–			–			19	–	8		.704
Manhattan		–			–			18	–	8		.692
Hardin–Simmons		–			–			17	–	9		.654
Holy Cross		–			–			16	–	9		.640
Long Island		–			–			16	–	9		.640
Georgia Tech		–			–			17	–	10		.630
Creighton		–			–			15	–	10		.600
Seattle		–			–			15	–	10		.600
Boston University		–			–			14	–	10		.583
Butler		–			–			15	–	11		.577
Oklahoma City		–			–			17	–	13		.567
Fairleigh Dickinson		–			–			13	–	10		.565
Southern Illinois		–			–			13	–	10		.565
Colgate		–			–			14	–	11		.560
Providence		–			–			14	–	11		.560
Denver		–			–			13	–	11		.542
Loyola (IL)		–			–			13	–	11		.542
Penn State		–			–			13	–	11		.542
Rutgers		–			–			13	–	11		.542
Saint Peter's		–			–			13	–	11		.542
Northern Illinois		–			–			13	–	12		.520
Air Force		–			–			12	–	12		.500
Fairfield		–			–			12	–	12		.500
Iona		–			–			12	–	12		.500
NYU		–			–			12	–	12		.500
Pittsburgh		–			–			12	–	12		.500
Saint Francis (PA)		–			–			12	–	12		.500
Syracuse		–			–			12	–	12		.500
DePaul		–			–			12	–	13		.480
West Texas State		–			–			12	–	13		.480
Loyola (LA)		–			–			12	–	14		.462
Boston College		–			–			11	–	13		.458
Virginia Tech		–			–			10	–	12		.455
St. Francis (NY)		–			–			9	–	12		.429
West Virginia		–			–			11	–	15		.423
Canisius		–			–			9	–	13		.409
Fordham		–			–			10	–	15		.400
Seton Hall		–			–			10	–	15		.400
Marshall		–			–			9	–	14		.391
Miami (FL)		–			–			9	–	17		.346
Centenary		–			–			8	–	16		.333
Pan American		–			–			8	–	16		.333
Detroit		–			–			7	–	18		.280
Tulane		–			–			5	–	18		.217
Xavier		–			–			5	–	20		.200
Navy		–			–			4	–	19		.174
Portland		–			–			4	–	22		.154
Rankings from AP Poll

The sixth-ranked Dolphins finished the regular season at 23–1 (.958) and were invited to the NCAA tournament. In the Mideast regional, they defeated Western Kentucky, No. 7 Iowa, and No. 1 Kentucky to advance to the Final Four; through 2021, it remains the program's only trip. The Dolphins defeated No. 3 St. Bonaventure to advance to the national championship game against second-ranked UCLA; the Bruins won their fourth straight NCAA title, and Jacksonville ended the season at 27–2 (.931) overall.^[1]

Previous season

Jacksonville finished the 1968–69 season at 17–7 (.708).^[2]

Season summary

The Dolphins were led by 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) center Artis Gilmore. A two-time All-America honoree (in 1969–70 and 1970–71), Gilmore led the nation in rebounding both seasons. He finished his career with 1,312 points (24.3 average) and 1,224 rebounds (22.7).^[3][4][5]

The game against Georgetown on December 18 was stopped with 1:23 remaining in the first half following successive brawls between players from both teams and fans.^[6][7] Georgetown head coach Jack Magee pulled his team from the court and Jacksonville was awarded the win.^[6][8]

The Dolphins lost the national championship game to UCLA despite taking an early lead.^[9][10] UCLA narrowed the lead and took over with 1:20 left in the first half. The Bruins never trailed again as they pulled away for the 80–69 win.^[9]

Roster

1969–70 Jacksonville Dolphins men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown G Rusty Baldwin 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) — So F Mike Blevins 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) — PF 42 Pembrook Burrows 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) — Jr Chip Dublin — — Jr C 53 Artis Gilmore 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Jr Chipley, Florida G Dan Hawkins 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) — Sr F Curtis Kruer 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) — So G Rod McIntyre 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) — Sr G 24 Rex Morgan 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Charleston, Illinois F Gregg Nelson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) — Jr Ken Selke — — Sr G Vaughn Wedeking 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) — Jr	Head coach Joe Williams Assistant coach(es) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on   Injured   Current redshirt

Source^[11]

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
December 1, 1969*		East Tennessee State Sunshine Classic semifinal	W 92–74	1–0	–	–	–	Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum  Jacksonville, FL
December 2, 1969*		Morehead State Sunshine Classic championship	W 117–63	2–0	–	–	–	Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum  Jacksonville, FL
December 9, 1969*		Mercer	W 102–62	3–0	–	32 – Gilmore	–	Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum  Jacksonville, FL
December 13, 1969*		St. Thomas (FL) Sunshine Classic championship	W 130–65	4–0	–	30 – Gilmore	–	Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum  Jacksonville, FL
December 18, 1969*	No. 18	Georgetown	W 41–26	5–0	–	–	–	Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum  Jacksonville, FL
December 22, 1969*	No. 18	Harvard	W 103–64	6–0	–	–	–	Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum  Jacksonville, FL
December 26, 1969*	No. 13	vs. Arizona Evansville Invite semifinal	W 104–72	7–0	–	–	–	Roberts Municipal Stadium  Evansville, IN
December 27, 1969*	No. 13	vs. Evansville Evansville Invite championship	W 100–70	8–0	–	–	–	Roberts Municipal Stadium  Evansville, IN
January 2, 1970*	No. 10	at Hawaii	W 100–78	9–0	–	–	–	Neal S. Blaisdell Center  Honolulu, HI
January 5, 1970*	No. 10	at Hawaii	W 63–58	10–0	–	–	–	Neal S. Blaisdell Center  Honolulu, HI
January 9, 1970*	No. 7	Richmond	W 113–77	11–0	–	–	–	Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum  Jacksonville, FL
January 10, 1970*	No. 7	Miami	W 121–87	12–0	–	–	–	Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum  Jacksonville, FL
January 16, 1970*	No. 6	Virgin Islands	W 114–66	13–0	–	–	–	Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum  Jacksonville, FL
January 27, 1970*	No. 6	at No. 18 Florida State	L 83–89	13–1	–	–	–	Tully Gymnasium  Tallahassee, FL
January 30, 1970*	No. 6	Saint Peter's	W 121–101	14–1	46 – Gilmore	30 – Gilmore	–	Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum  Jacksonville, FL
February 2, 1970*	No. 8	Iona	W 110–75	15–1	–	–	–	Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum  Jacksonville, FL
February 5, 1970*	No. 8	at East Carolina	W 111–94	16–1	–	–	–	Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum  Greenville, NC
February 6, 1970*	No. 8	at Richmond	W 88–49	17–1	–	–	–	Richmond Arena  Richmond, VA
February 13, 1970*	No. 7	at Oklahoma City	W 103–83	18–1	–	–	–	Frederickson Fieldhouse  Oklahoma City, OK
February 14, 1970*	No. 7	at Loyola (LA)	W 96–75	19–1	–	–	–	The Field House  New Orleans, LA
February 18, 1970*	No. 6	No. 18 Florida State	W 85–81	20–1	–	–	–	Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum  Jacksonville, FL
February 24, 1970*	No. 6	Oklahoma City	W 77–75	21–1	–	–	–	Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum  Jacksonville, FL
February 26, 1970*	No. 6	at Georgia Tech	W 86–81	22–1	–	–	–	Alexander Memorial Coliseum  Atlanta, GA
March 2, 1970*	No. 6	at Miami	W 108–97	23–1	–	–	–	Miami Beach Convention Center  Miami, FL
NCAA Tournament
March 7, 1970*	No. 6	vs. No. 12 Western Kentucky Regional Quarterfinal	W 109–96	24–1	30 – Gilmore	19 – Gilmore	–	University of Dayton Arena  Dayton, OH
March 12, 1970*	No. 4	vs. No. 7 Iowa Regional semifinal	W 104–103	25–1	30 – Gilmore	17 – Gilmore	–	St. John Arena  Columbus, OH
March 14, 1970*	No. 4	vs. No. 1 Kentucky Regional final	W 106–100	26–1	28 – Morgan	20 – Gilmore	–	St. John Arena  Columbus, OH
March 19, 1970* 7:40 pm	No. 4	vs. No. 3 St. Bonaventure National semifinal	W 91–83	27–1	29 – Gilmore	21 – Gilmore	–	Cole Fieldhouse (14,380) College Park, MD
March 21, 1970* 4:00 pm	No. 4	vs. No. 2 UCLA National Championship Game	L 69–80	27–2	19 – Gilmore	16 – Gilmore	–	Cole Fieldhouse (14,380) College Park, MD
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ME=Mideast. All times are in Eastern time.

Source:^[12][13]

Rankings

Main article: 1969–70 NCAA University Division men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
— = Not ranked. т = Tied with team above or below.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Final
AP	—	18	18	13	10	7	6	6	6	8	7	6	6	6	4
Coaches	—	20-T	19	19	10	7	7	6	6	8	7	6	6	6	5

Awards and honors

• Artis Gilmore – Second-Team All-American, AP, NABC and UPI

Team players in the 1970 NBA Draft

See also: 1970 NBA Draft

Round	Pick	Player	NBA Club
2	21	Rex Morgan	Boston Celtics

^[14]

References

1. "Fourth straight for Bruins". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 22, 1970. p. 1, sports.
2. "1968-69 Jacksonville Dolphins Schedule and Results". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
3. . Archived from the original on 2018-02-23. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
4. "1969-70 Jacksonville Dolphins Roster and Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
5. (PDF). Jacksonville University. 1970. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 28, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
6. "Desert Sun 19 December 1969 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
7. "Georgetown Five Forfeits Game as Fight Halts Play (Published 1969)". The New York Times. 1969-12-19. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
8. "Georgetown flees cage 'battle'". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 19, 1969. p. 3B.
9. "4TH CROWN IN ROW". The New York Times. March 22, 1970. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
10. Jares, Joe (March 30, 1970). "Victory by mystique". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
11. "1969-70 Jacksonville Dolphins Roster and Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
12. "1969-70 Jacksonville Dolphins Schedule and Results". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
13. "1969-70 Men's Basketball Schedule". Jacksonville University. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
14. "1970 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved December 8, 2019.