January 20, 1968: The Game of the Century – for college men's basketball – is played. John Wooden brought his UCLA Bruins to the Houston Astrodome to meet Guy Lewis and his Houston Cougars for a grudge match. The UCLA Bruins were the dominant NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) basketball team. They had been the Division I Champs in 1964, 1965, and 1967. Lewis felt his team was not getting the proper respect. The two teams had met in 1967 in the semi-finals of the Division I Championship series with UCLA winning 73-58.
Ted Nance was responsible for lining up the games for the Cougars' 1967-68 season. He contacted J.D. Morgan, the UCLA sports information director and asked for head coach Wooden's permission to schedule a mid-season game. His idea was to promote the contest as the "Game of the Century" and televise the event. At the time, only post-season college basketball games were broadcast. Wooden agreed and the two teams played before 52,629 fans in the Astrodome. TVS Television Network packaged and syndicated the broadcast.
The N-C-double-A was formed in 1906 as the Intercollegiate Athletic Association with the name change coming in 1910. They are headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana and list 1,281 schools, conferences, or other associations as their members. The NCAA oversees both men's and women's sports from baseball to wrestling. They sponsor championship contests with UCLA, Stanford, and Southern California holding the most titles. There are 44 women's, 40 men's, and 4 coed championships yearly.
Dick Enberg and Bob Pettit took the mike and gave color commentary while announcing the Game of the Century for the home viewer. The Bruins came to the game with a 47-game, 2½-year winning streak. Houston hadn't lost a game since they last faced UCLA. The #1 ranked Bruins and the #2 ranked Cougars ended the first half of play with the Cougars up by three. When the teams retook the court, the score remained close. With two minutes left to play, Lucius Allen of UCLA tied the score at 69-69. Cougar Elvin Hayes was fouled while taking a shot. He scored two free throws. The final score was 69-71 with the Cougars winning. Basketball fans won, too, as game broadcasting increased.
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"When it's played the way is spozed to be played, basketball happens in the air; flying, floating, elevated above the floor, levitating the way oppressed peoples of this earth imagine themselves in their dreams." - John Edgar Wideman
"To win, you've got to put the ball in the macramé." - Terry McGuire
"We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors." - Weldon Drew
"The only difference between a good shot and a bad shot is if it goes in or not." - Charles Barkley
Comments
I'm not much of a basketball fan, but I am a great admirer of John Wooden.
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