1976–77 Marquette Warriors men's basketball team

1976–77 Marquette Warriors men's basketball
NCAA tournament National Champions
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 14
APNo. 7
Record25–7
Head coach
Assistant coaches
CaptainBo Ellis
Home arenaMECCA Arena
Seasons
1976–77 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 4 UNLV –   – 29 – 3   .906
No. 6 Syracuse –   – 26 – 4   .867
No. 12 Detroit –   – 25 – 4   .862
Old Dominion –   – 25 – 4   .862
Providence –   – 24 – 5   .828
Holy Cross –   – 23 – 6   .793
St. Bonaventure –   – 23 – 6   .793
No. 7 Marquette –   – 25 – 7   .781
North Texas State –   – 21 – 6   .778
Illinois State –   – 22 – 7   .759
No. 10 Notre Dame –   – 22 – 7   .759
Oral Roberts –   – 21 – 7   .750
Army –   – 20 – 8   .714
St. John's –   – 22 – 9   .710
Milwaukee –   – 19 – 8   .704
Georgetown –   – 19 – 9   .679
Virginia Tech –   – 19 – 10   .655
James Madison –   – 17 – 9   .654
Northwestern State –   – 17 – 9   .654
Texas–Pan American –   – 17 – 9   .654
Connecticut –   – 17 – 10   .630
Seton Hall –   – 18 – 11   .621
UNC Wilmington –   – 16 – 10   .615
Portland State –   – 16 – 10   .615
Iona –   – 15 – 10   .600
Dayton –   – 16 – 11   .593
Fairfield –   – 16 – 11   .593
Georgia Southern –   – 16 – 11   .593
Richmond –   – 15 – 11   .577
Saint Francis (PA) –   – 15 – 11   .577
DePaul –   – 15 – 12   .556
Northeast Louisiana –   – 15 – 12   .556
Stetson –   – 15 – 12   .556
Utah State –   – 15 – 12   .556
Colgate –   – 13 – 11   .542
Navy –   – 13 – 11   .542
Oklahoma City –   – 14 – 12   .538
South Carolina –   – 14 – 12   .538
Valparaiso –   – 13 – 12   .520
Catholic –   – 13 – 13   .500
Fairleigh Dickinson –   – 13 – 13   .500
Loyola (IL) –   – 13 – 13   .500
Maine –   – 13 – 13   .500
Niagara –   – 13 – 13   .500
Rhode Island –   – 13 – 13   .500
Saint Peter's –   – 13 – 13   .500
VCU –   – 13 – 13   .500
Butler –   – 13 – 14   .481
Manhattan –   – 13 – 14   .481
New Hampshire –   – 12 – 14   .462
Northeastern –   – 12 – 14   .462
St. Francis (NY) –   – 12 – 14   .462
Air Force –   – 12 – 15   .444
Denver –   – 12 – 15   .444
Southern Mississippi –   – 11 – 16   .407
Siena –   – 9 – 15   .375
Cleveland State –   – 10 – 17   .370
Xavier –   – 10 – 17   .370
Centenary (LA) –   – 11 – 19   .367
Long Island –   – 9 – 16   .360
Hawaii –   – 9 – 18   .333
Vermont –   – 8 – 17   .320
Boston College –   – 8 – 18   .308
Baptist –   – 8 – 19   .296
Boston University –   – 7 – 19   .269
Robert Morris –   – 7 – 19   .269
Samford –   – 7 – 19   .269
Mercer –   – 6 – 19   .240
Hardin–Simmons –   – 6 – 21   .222
Houston Baptist –   – 6 – 23   .207
Buffalo –   – 5 – 21   .192
Fordham –   – 5 – 21   .192
Wagner –   – 3 – 21   .125
Canisius –   – 3 – 22   .120
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1976–77 Marquette Warriors men's basketball team represented Marquette University in the 1976–77 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Warriors played their home games at the MECCA Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a Division I Independent.

They were led by head coach Al McGuire in his 13th and final year at Marquette. The Warriors finished the season 25–7. They received a bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Cincinnati, Kansas State, and Wake Forest to advance to the Final Four. At the Final Four, they defeated UNC Charlotte to advance to the National Championship game where they defeated North Carolina to win the National Championship.[1][2]

Butch Lee, the tournament's most outstanding player, and Bo Ellis were the stars of a team that reflected the street-wise toughness of its coach. In the final AP poll released prior to the Sweet Sixteen, Marquette moved from sixteenth to seven in the rankings.[3] Following the season, head coach Al McGuire retired.[4]

Since this season, Marquette has returned to the Final Four only once, in 2003.

Roster

1976–77 Marquette Warriors men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
G 23 Jim Boylan 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Jersey City, New Jersey
C 30 Craig Butrym 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Fox Point, Wisconsin
F 43 Robert Byrd 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Chicago, Illinois
F 40 Jim Dudley 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So South Milwaukee, Wisconsin
F 31 Bo Ellis 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Chicago, Illinois
G Mark Lavin 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Fr Palatine, Illinois
G 15 Butch Lee 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr The Bronx, New York
F 42 Bill Neary 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
F 21 Ulice Payne 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Donora, Pennsylvania
G 55 Gary Rosenberger 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Jr Milwaukee, Wisconsin
F 33 Bernard Toone 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Yonkers, New York
C 54 Jerome Whitehead 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Waukegan, Illinois
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
December 1
 No. 2 St. Leo W 80–39  1–0
  17 – Ellis   10 – Toone    –    MECCA Arena (10,938)
Milwaukee, WI
December 6
 No. 2 Western Michigan W 78–53  2–0
  22 – Lee   11 – Ellis    –    MECCA Arena (10,938)
Milwaukee, WI
December 8
 No. 2 at Florida W 64–61  3–0
  19 – Lee   7 – Ellis    –    Florida Gymnasium (7,131)
Gainesville, FL
December 11
 No. 2 Penn State W 79–49  4–0
  18 – Lee   13 – Whitehead    –    MECCA Arena (10,938)
Milwaukee, WI
December 18
 No. 2 No. 17 Louisville L 75–78 OT 4–1
  30 – Lee   11 – Ellis    –    MECCA Arena (10,938)
Milwaukee, WI
December 21
 No. 6 No. 20 Minnesota L 59–66  4–2
  17 – Whitehead   12 – Whitehead    –    MECCA Arena (10,938)
Milwaukee, WI
December 27
 No. 6 No. 11 Clemson
Milwaukee Classic 		W 67–49  5–2
  17 – Lee   11 – Whitehead/Ellis    –    MECCA Arena (10,938)
Milwaukee, WI
December 28
 No. 12 Wisconsin
Milwaukee Classic 		W 64–57  6–2
  25 – Lee   7 – Whitehead    –    MECCA Arena (10,938)
Milwaukee, WI
December 31
 No. 12 at Northwestern W 66–53  7–2
  29 – Lee   8 – Ellis    –    McGaw Hall (4,321)
Evanston, IL
January 3
 No. 12 Georgia Tech W 63–45  8–2
  18 – Lee   10 – Whitehead    –    MECCA Arena (10,938)
Milwaukee, WI
January 8
 No. 12 South Carolina W 65–54  9–2
  18 – Lee   8 – Ellis    –    MECCA Arena (10,938)
Milwaukee, WI
January 11
 No. 11 at Air Force W 74–56  10–2
  33 – Lee   13 – Ellis    –    Clune Arena (5,400)
Colorado Springs, CO
January 16
 No. 11 No. 19 Notre Dame W 78–69  11–2
  27 – Lee   7 – Whitehead/Lee    –    MECCA Arena (10,938)
Milwaukee, WI
January 18
 No. 8 at Drake W 62–60  12–2
  19 – Lee   9 – Ellis    –    Veterans Auditorium (10,108)
Des Moines, IA
January 22
 No. 8 Xavier W 85–43  13–2
  17 – Ellis/Lee   11 – Ellis    –    MECCA Arena (10,938)
Milwaukee, WI
January 29
 No. 9 at DePaul W 85–64  14–2
  21 – Lee   7 – Ellis    –    Alumni Hall (5,448)
Chicago, IL
February 6
 No. 6 at No. 12 Cincinnati L 62–63  14–3
  19 – Lee   15 – Whitehead    –    Riverfront Coliseum (13,358)
Cincinnati, OH
February 9
 No. 9 Loyola (IL) W 81–71  15–3
  22 – Ellis/Lee   7 – Whitehead    –    MECCA Arena (10,938)
Milwaukee, WI
February 12
 No. 9 Manhattan W 86–60  16–3
  22 – Ellis   8 – Whitehead/Ellis    –    MECCA Arena (10,938)
Milwaukee, WI
February 14
 No. 9 DePaul L 72–77 2OT 16–4
  18 – Whitehead/Lee   13 – Whitehead    –    MECCA Arena (10,938)
Milwaukee, WI
February 16
 No. 9 No. 15 Detroit L 63–64  16–5
  21 – Ellis   9 – Whitehead    –    MECCA Arena (10,938)
Milwaukee, WI
February 19
 No. 9 Wichita State L 64–75  16–6
  15 – Lee   9 – Ellis    –    MECCA Arena (10,938)
Milwaukee, WI
February 21
 No. 9 at Wisconsin W 73–58  17–6
  25 – Lee   11 – Ellis    –    Wisconsin Field House (10,938)
Madison, WI
February 26
 No. 18 at Virginia Tech W 75–70  18–6
  22 – Lee   9 – Ellis    –    Cassell Coliseum (10,000)
Blacksburg, VA
February 28
 No. 18 at Tulane W 63–44  19–6
  26 – Ellis   13 – Ellis    –     (8,250)
New Orleans, LA
March 5
 No. 19 at Creighton W 72–60  20–6
  18 – Lee   13 – Whitehead    –    Omaha Civic Auditorium (10,380)
Omaha, NE
March 6
 No. 19 at No. 3 Michigan L 68–69  20–7
  19 – Lee   9 – Ellis    –    Crisler Arena (13,609)
Ann Arbor, MI
NCAA Tournament
March 12
1:00 pm, NBC 		No. 16 vs. No. 11 Cincinnati
First round 		W 66–51  21–7
  17 – Ellis   6 – Whitehead/Toone    –    Omaha Civic Auditorium (9,821)
Omaha, NE
March 17
7:00 pm, NBC 		No. 7 vs. No. 16 Kansas State
Regional semifinal 		W 67–66  22–7
  26 – Lee   6 – Whitehead    –    The Myriad (10,185)
Oklahoma City, OK
March 19
1:15 pm, NBC 		No. 7 vs. No. 9 Wake Forest
Regional Final 		W 82–68  23–7
  20 – Ellis   7 – Ellis    –    The Myriad (8,935)
Oklahoma City, OK
March 26
1:15 pm, NBC 		No. 7 vs. No. 17 UNC-Charlotte
Final Four 		W 51–49  24–7
  21 – Whitehead   16 – Whitehead    –    The Omni (16,086)
Atlanta, GA
March 28
7:15 pm, NBC 		No. 7 vs. No. 5 North Carolina
National Championship 		W 67–59  25–7
  19 – Lee   11 – Whitehead    –    The Omni (16,086)
Atlanta, GA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Source:[5][6]

Awards and honors

Team players drafted into the NBA

1977 NBA draft

Round Pick Player NBA Club
1 17 Bo Ellis Washington Bullets

Source:[8]

References

  1. ^ "Foul line delivers Marquette victory". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 29, 1977. p. 11.
  2. ^ "Cornered? Not Marquette's title winners". Milwaukee Journal. March 29, 1977. p. 6, part 2.
  3. ^ "Michigan cagers must prove they deserve high ranking". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 16, 1977. p. 21.
  4. ^ "Marquette wins 1st NCAA title, 67 to 59, in McGuire's last game". Milwaukee Sentinel. March 29, 1977. p. 1, part 1.
  5. ^ "1976-77 Marquette Golden Eagles Schedule and Results". Sports Reference. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  6. ^ "Marquette Men's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). Marquette University. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  7. ^ "Final Four Most Outstanding Players". cbs.sportsline.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2008. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
  8. ^ "1977 NBA Draft on databaseBasketball.com". Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved April 4, 2011.