Hall of Fame
NIT Champions
In the 1948-1949 season, under the guidance of legendary coach Pete Newell, the Dons team finished with a 25-5 record and ranked eighth in the Associated Press Poll. The December sweep of opponents La Salle, City College of New York, and Bradley put the Dons into the national spotlight. The Dons went 12-3 down the stretch and earned themselves an invitation to Madison Square Garden, where the eighth-seeded Dons defeated Manhattan 68-43, Utah 64-63, Bowling Green 49-39 and Loyola of Chicago 48-47 for the Championship.
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Don Lofgran scored 17 points and Frank Kuzara 13 against Manhattan and USF advanced to face the favored Utah who held a 63-62 lead with less than a minute to play. With five seconds remaining, Kuzara nailed a desperation 30-footer to give the Dons a stunning one-point victory. Bowling Green arrived at the semi-finals with a 15-game winning streak, but Joe McNamee finished with 20 points, Lofgran added 14, and Kuzara and John Benington each added 12 to lead USF to a 10-point victory.
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In the championship game against Loyola-Chicago, the Dons led 27-19 at halftime only to see the Ramblers tie the game at 47 with less than a minute remaining. With 40 seconds left, Ross Guidice was fouled and calmly sank his under-handed free throws to give USF a one-point lead. Loyola repeatedly fouled the Dons in the closing seconds, but rules at the time stipulated the fouled team could refuse the free throw in favor of maintaining possession. The Dons ran out the clock and secured its first National Championship. Lofgran was named the tournament’s MVP. Newell had his first National Championship and would remain at the school for one more season before taking the head coaching position at Michigan State. Four years later, he returned to the Bay Area to coach at Cal, and under his direction, the Golden Bears won the 1959 NCAA Championship.
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