Canisius College - Azuwur Yearbook (Buffalo, NY)

Page 187 text:

-, My

Page 186 text:

5 I Q , , ,A . ,,, 4. 1 X ' ' 35.325 bij .. ISIU5 1 H? a I A N., i. ki V 'tg VX. f. 184

Page 188 text:

i W 4 X Ft over the course of the season - Good- bye Pergy, Goodbye. . Shrugged Alan, I guess l'm boosting circulation. The Duquesne game was especially satisfying to Co-Captains Prosser and Stokes, since both hail from the Pitts- burgh area. The upset was one of the many reasons that these close friends will long be remembered as two of the pre- mier players in Canisius history. Before the season, one pundit sland- ered the Griffins: This team should be the biggest joke in Little Three history. But it didn't work out that way. Canisius beat Niagara in what the Eagles' Frank Layden felt was one of the great Little Three upsets of all time. And the Griffins stayed close in two and a half of the other matches in the mythical confer- ence. Canisius was no joke. The Golden Griffins closed out their skein of victories with an impressive mar- tyring of the Saints - St. Joseph's of Philadelphia - to forge a surprising 10-17 record. lVlost prognosticators had figured on only half that many wins. But they had neglected one fact. The bunch that played this year honed their modest skills last season by practicing against all that talent. In fact, had it not been for a three game stretch at mid-season when some of last year's trouble leaked over into the 'X ' X MN -. 'X .. use . ., sys- -- .N-:1.t:-.A-t. N. x....... ., ....-- - . ::,.,,r current campaign lthe Kenny Kee tribula- tionsl, Canisius might have climbed close to the break-even level. Incredible. One of the things mentioned by Cani- sius' Task Force on Intercollegiate Ath- letics last year was that students could not identify with or relate to the basketball team. What those words mean isn't clear, exactly. But what is clear is that you could sit down with members of this season's squad and have a beer, or several. Billy Leonard, Mike Walton, Timmy Hartnett, John Sommers, Mark Spitler, Craig Prosser, Tim Stokes, Bene Stevens, Dave Spiller, Bill Dressel, Alan Richard- son, Bich Fredericks, Tim Eberle, Jeff Stoltman, Greg laconis, Coach John lVlcCarthy. The Griffs Are Alrightl The importance of all of this is the hope it gives for the future. The Canisius College basketball program has been ailing for a number of years now. The crowds began failing in the middle '6O's. The program was mortally wounded when Bob IVlacKinnon had the rug pulled from under him on lVlay 12, 1972. The NCAA probation looked like a death blow. The anemic attendance this season left the panicked faithful checking for the vital signs. 186