I grew up just across the river from Louisville and saw many great games at Freedom Hall. I watched the '69 Final 4 on television. This Drake-UCLA game, along with being one of the great underdog performances, was important to the future of our community. Denny Crum, as Wooden's assistant, made his first appearance in Freedom Hall, the place he made his comfortable home during his spectacular head coaching career. And Drake coach Maurice John's son Maurice John Jr. became an eye doctor in Louisville and Southern Indiana, where he was a national leader in eye surgery.
Growing up in Southern Iowa, this was the David and Goliath match of all time for us. Major respect for the Drake coaches and players for giving the best of the best a real run for their money.
This Drake team was very scrappy. Too bad they couldn't pull off the upset. I was only 7 and my parents wouldn't let me stay up to watch this. Glad i got to see it 52 years later.
I remember watching that great as a 14 year old & viewing the game not looks & feels just like it did then in 2020!Thank you for the memories & the excitement revisited!
JEFF, I WAS 12 & IT SEEMS JUST LIKE YESTERDAY. THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEN & NOW? NO 3 POINT LINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOT TO MENTION THE SECOND BIGGEST DIFFERENCE-NO DUNKING!!!!!!!!!! OF COURSE THIS GAME & TONIGHT'S GAME BETWEEN GONZAGA & UCLA HAVE ONE THING IN COMMON. BOTH WERE EXTREMELY GREAT GAMES!!!!
Thank You Rick. I was an eighth grader living in Atlantic Iowa when you and the rest of the Bulldogs thrilled the state and showed the nation what a great team you were. My father played basketball for Drake in the early 50's and so we lived and died with the Bulldogs that season. I found this video when I was searching for a video of you blocking Alcindor's shot. It's a joy to watch this.
@@MarcoORVISINI, they lost, but DRAKE stayed close to UCLA whereas outside of USC, teams did not.. IN THE FINALS, UCLA blitzed PURDUE by 20.. DU lost to UCLA here by only three, the closest game UCLA had in the NCAAs in years before and only a few times after this game, at least up until WOODEN'S RETIREMENT IN 1975.
The refs were a major part of the game. As a coach I would have been ticked at UCLA getting to line so often. I was very disappointed that night because UNC lost. First time watching the game. It was awesome. Thanks for sharing. Drake had some nice athletes that could play. It does make you wonder about UCLA and Gilbert's influence on program.
What a great game!!!--thank you for posting. I was only able to listen to the game when I was in the Navy back then, I did not remembered how really good Drake was, forcing a lot of turnovers and pushing the ball, they were not afraid, that's for sure.
Note the "NCAA" in the center circle because of the occasion. Under normal circumstances, it was "KFEC" as in Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center of which Freedom Hall was a part. Always joked that it meant Kentucky Fried Exposition Center.
When Drake cut UCLA's lead to one point, they should've fouled Kareem when UCLA took the ball out with about eight seconds left, instead Drake waited too long and fouled Shackelford with one second left.
Thanks for posting! Drake Bulldogs lived up to their name! Our family watched it on a 13-inch black and white that night. Drake really was the better team, I thought.
Willie McCarter became the head basketball coach at my HS...Battle Creek Harper Creek MI...approximately 1973. He only coached there a few years before going on to Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills and then University of Detroit. He developed some average HS players into college bound talent. He brought "class" to a place that had none and taught us to aim higher to achieve our goals...gave us confidence. Sad to see him go when he left.
@@kazoostu Thanks for the nice comments about McCarter. I got to meet him years ago when he returned for a reunion. What a nice man and very gracious. I think McCarter should have been given a chance to coach Drake in the 70s.
@@davewanamaker3690 I had seen an article on the internet @ 5 years ago , that Willie had two strokes back to back and was having obvious health challenges. I believe he was living in Ypsilanti MI. Did you know that Willie was a backup guard to Jerry West on the great Laker teams of the early 1970s? Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor were teamates also. Willie's career was cut short by a badly broken foot. The reconstructive surgeries of today were not available then. Willie did lead an incredible alumni team here...you could see glimmers of the flash he once had. Hey Dave...thanks for your reply. Great memories!
This was a rarity. In those days NBC only broadcast ONE semifinal nationally and it was done by region. one game went to the east and one game to the west. Iowa was usually considered an eastern state. But with Drake playing in a league that was considered west(for TV purposes) most of Iowa broadcast BOTH games that night.(First year the NCAA played the semi finals on Thursday night and the first year of NBC coverage of the tournament) NBC also broadcast the consolation game live on Saturday afternoon
32:15 "So we don't know what he's done all year, game by game, but this has to be, I'll bet, one of the best games Vallely has played in a UCLA uniform." No wonder NBC lost the broadcasting rights to the tourney.
I had great respect for UCLA. Drake-UCLA was a great game. After the game I rooted for UCLA to dismantle Purdue. It's hard to root against a class team by a class coach. I was dismayed when Notre Dame stopped their win streak in the early 70s.
Drake gave them a good fight. After the game UCLA became the second team I rooted for. Hard not to love Wooden. Drake will always be my #1 favorite team but I did cheer for UCLA too, after that. I was happy they tore through Purdue in the tourney. (I was devastated when UCLA lost to Notre Dame in 1974 in losing their 88 game streak. I wanted them to hit 100.)
Almost a major choke job by UCLA at the end. Horrible foul shooting by the Bruins. You hear so much about how well a Wooden coached team plays solid fundamental basketball but they sure didn’t in this game! It’s a good thing for the Bruins that Vallely had the game of his life or they would have lost.
I grew up just across the river from Louisville and saw many great games at Freedom Hall. I watched the '69 Final 4 on television. This Drake-UCLA game, along with being one of the great underdog performances, was important to the future of our community. Denny Crum, as Wooden's assistant, made his first appearance in Freedom Hall, the place he made his comfortable home during his spectacular head coaching career. And Drake coach Maurice John's son Maurice John Jr. became an eye doctor in Louisville and Southern Indiana, where he was a national leader in eye surgery.
7’2”, 6’8”, 6’7”, 6’3”, 6’2” that’s bigger than most college teams today! Plus Jabbar, Wicks and Rowe were NBA all stars. Nice starting lineup.
Growing up in Southern Iowa, this was the David and Goliath match of all time for us. Major respect for the Drake coaches and players for giving the best of the best a real run for their money.
This Drake team was very scrappy. Too bad they couldn't pull off the upset. I was only 7 and my parents wouldn't let me stay up to watch this. Glad i got to see it 52 years later.
I remember watching that great as a 14 year old & viewing the game not looks & feels just like it did then in 2020!Thank you for the memories & the excitement revisited!
JEFF, I WAS 12 & IT SEEMS JUST LIKE YESTERDAY. THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEN & NOW? NO 3 POINT LINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOT TO MENTION THE SECOND BIGGEST DIFFERENCE-NO DUNKING!!!!!!!!!! OF COURSE THIS GAME & TONIGHT'S GAME BETWEEN GONZAGA & UCLA HAVE ONE THING IN COMMON. BOTH WERE EXTREMELY GREAT GAMES!!!!
This was the real NCAA championship game that year. Purdue melted away like an ice cream cone in the desert heat when Rick Mount went cold.
Thank You Rick. I was an eighth grader living in Atlantic Iowa when you and the rest of the Bulldogs thrilled the state and showed the nation what a great team you were. My father played basketball for Drake in the early 50's and so we lived and died with the Bulldogs that season. I found this video when I was searching for a video of you blocking Alcindor's shot. It's a joy to watch this.
DRAKE LOST
@@MarcoORVISINI,
they lost, but DRAKE stayed close to UCLA whereas outside of USC, teams did not..
IN THE FINALS, UCLA blitzed PURDUE by 20..
DU lost to UCLA here by only three, the closest game UCLA had in the NCAAs in years before and only a few times after this game, at least up until WOODEN'S RETIREMENT IN 1975.
No 3-point shot... No shot clock... No dunking
Wow... I remember watching this game
They went on to beat Purdue and Rick Mount.
The refs were a major part of the game. As a coach I would have been ticked at UCLA getting to line so often. I was very disappointed that night because UNC lost. First time watching the game. It was awesome. Thanks for sharing. Drake had some nice athletes that could play. It does make you wonder about UCLA and Gilbert's influence on program.
What a great game!!!--thank you for posting. I was only able to listen to the game when I was in the Navy back then, I did not
remembered how really good Drake was, forcing a lot of turnovers and pushing the ball, they were not afraid, that's for sure.
Note the "NCAA" in the center circle because of the occasion. Under normal circumstances, it was "KFEC" as in Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center of which Freedom Hall was a part. Always joked that it meant Kentucky Fried Exposition Center.
Kareem Abdul Jabbar is my all time favorite player.
the GREATEST BASKTBALL PLAYER IN ALL OF HISTORY LEW ALCINDOR KAREEM A. JABBAR fact jack
When Drake cut UCLA's lead to one point, they should've fouled Kareem when UCLA took the ball out with about eight seconds left, instead Drake waited too long and fouled Shackelford with one second left.
Even though Drake lost, at least they put a scare into UCLA. That one player named Wanamaker actually held his own against Alcindor (Abdul-Jabbar).
Thanks for posting! Drake Bulldogs lived up to their name! Our family watched it on a 13-inch black and white that night. Drake really was the better team, I thought.
Willie McCarter became the head basketball coach at my HS...Battle Creek Harper Creek MI...approximately 1973.
He only coached there a few years before going on to Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills and then University of Detroit.
He developed some average HS players into college bound talent.
He brought "class" to a place that had none and taught us to aim higher to achieve our goals...gave us confidence.
Sad to see him go when he left.
@@kazoostu Thanks for the nice comments about McCarter. I got to meet him years ago when he returned for a reunion. What a nice man and very gracious. I think McCarter should have been given a chance to coach Drake in the 70s.
@@davewanamaker3690 I had seen an article on the internet @ 5 years ago , that Willie had two strokes back to back and was having obvious health challenges. I believe he was living in Ypsilanti MI.
Did you know that Willie was a backup guard to Jerry West on the great Laker teams of the early 1970s? Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor were teamates also.
Willie's career was cut short by a badly broken foot. The reconstructive surgeries of today were not available then.
Willie did lead an incredible alumni team here...you could see glimmers of the flash he once had.
Hey Dave...thanks for your reply.
Great memories!
This was a rarity. In those days NBC only broadcast ONE semifinal nationally and it was done by region. one game went to the east and one game to the west. Iowa was usually considered an eastern state. But with Drake playing in a league that was considered west(for TV purposes) most of Iowa broadcast BOTH games that night.(First year the NCAA played the semi finals on Thursday night and the first year of NBC coverage of the tournament) NBC also broadcast the consolation game live on Saturday afternoon
DRAKE LOST IF THEY WERE THE BETTER TEAM THEY WOULD HAVE WON..
Curt Gowdy with his usual outstanding pbp.
At the end Alcindor was clearly fouled but the refs didn’t call it...don’t think he would’ve made both...
How long did Alvin Gowdymunk do the second half?
This game was not televised in the Eastern cities.NBC figured that it was too late;that people wouldn't stay up that long.
How come Curt Gowdys voice sounds different
And, the audio slows down..
32:15 "So we don't know what he's done all year, game by game, but this has to be, I'll bet, one of the best games Vallely has played in a UCLA uniform." No wonder NBC lost the broadcasting rights to the tourney.
Yes, but not until after the 1981 tournament………..12 years later.
LETS GO UCLA IM A Huge fan
I had great respect for UCLA. Drake-UCLA was a great game. After the game I rooted for UCLA to dismantle Purdue. It's hard to root against a class team by a class coach. I was dismayed when Notre Dame stopped their win streak in the early 70s.
Drake gave them a good fight. After the game UCLA became the second team I rooted for. Hard not to love Wooden. Drake will always be my #1 favorite team but I did cheer for UCLA too, after that. I was happy they tore through Purdue in the tourney. (I was devastated when UCLA lost to Notre Dame in 1974 in losing their 88 game streak. I wanted them to hit 100.)
That's he Belly Button defense.
The UCLA guard play is a horror show
Almost a major choke job by UCLA at the end.
Horrible foul shooting by the Bruins.
You hear so much about how well a Wooden coached team plays solid fundamental basketball but they sure didn’t in this game!
It’s a good thing for the Bruins that Vallely had the game of his life or they would have lost.
Why they are not calling free throw violations on them taking too long to shoot free throws just kidding
Drake played a good game, UCLA made a lot of turnovers and ref let Drake get away with a lot of fouls.