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M CLUB PROMOTED/ASSISTED
EVENTS
AT
COLE FIELD HOUSE
1958 Inaugural event (Dec. 16 - Harlem Globetrotter
vs College All-Star team. They played each other annually
for the next six years.
1958-72 During this period our paid Promotions Director,
George Knepley, arranged pro-basketball games featuring these
teams- Boston Celtics, Minn. Lakers, Los Angeles Lakers, Phil.
Warriors.
Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks and Baltimore Bullets.
1958 East-West All-Star basketball game.
1959-60's Pro Tennis competition featuring Rod Laver,
Pancho Gonzales, John Newcombe, Ken Rosewall and Lew Hoad.
1961 Japanese Gymnastics exhibition.
1962 Benny Goodman concert.
1962-70 High school basketball double-headers between
local and out-of-town squads.
1962-69 Our Promotions Director was responsible for
arranging these events:
Eastern Regional NCAA men's semi-finals and finals (Mar.'62,63
& 65)
NCAA's Final Four landmark event for basketball integration
when Texas
Western beat Kentucky for the national championship (1966)
NCAA's first and second round games (1968)
Eastern Regional finals where UNC beat Lefty's Davidson team
87-85 (1969).
Lefty then became MD's head coach.
The Final Four returned to Cole, the only on-campus arena
to host two Final Four's.UCLA beat Jacksonville St. (1970).
1960-90 Sully Krouse and George Knepley promoted first
of five NCAA wrestling championships before a sell-out crowd
(1960). Others were held at Cole in '72,'78,'87 and '90.
1964-65 Power Memorial High, led by Lew Alcindor's
35 points, defeated DeMatha 65-62 (1964). However, in a rematch
on Jan. 30, 1965 before a sell-out crowd, they beat Power
46-43 in the most publicized high school basketball game of
all time. DeMatha ended Power's 71 game win streak, holding
Alcindor to16 points. It was the lone loss of his high school
career (116-1).
1970-83 Inaugural M Club - CYO National Invitation
Indoor Track Meet (Jan.'70). This event was held annually
for 13 years. It opened the national indoor track season and
was featured each year in Sports Illustrated. It attracted
dozens of Olympians to Cole, including Dwight Stone, Marty
Liquori, Steve Prefontaine and MD's own world's best hurdler,
Renaldo Nehemiah. The '73 meet included five gold medal winners
from the '72 Munich Olympics.
1970 The M Club moved into its first "permanent"
office in Cole. It was located in the Trophy Room with an
entrance from the lobby where it was also used for pre-game
gatherings. Five years later this space was taken by the Athletic
Director, and we moved to Rm. 1142 on the concourse directly
behind Section E. In '93, we returned to the same location
where we began in '70 near the Cole Lobby.
1973 Billie Jean King and Rod Laver played exhibition
tennis matches.
1974 Elvis Presley sells out both nights (Sept. 28
and 29). Other singers and entertainers appearing in the '70s
included; Charlie Rich, Mac Davis, Charlie Pride, Lawrence
Welk, Natalie Cole, Bob Hope, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen,
and Simon & Garfunkel
1970's Other sports held during this period were:
Russian and Romanian Olympic Gymnasts, USSR Volleyball, Olympic
Basketball Tryouts, NY Nets - Indian Pacers pro basketball
game, National Pro Karate Contest, Ali-Forman Boxing telecast
and the National Gymnastics Competitions.
1978 The Athletic Department placed a moratorium on
promotions at Cole after a disturbance at a high school basketball
game (Not promoted by the M Club). The following events were
approved on a case-by-case basis.
1982 We sponsored the Sugar Ray Leonard-Hearns boxing
match on closed circuit TV.
1989-93 We added a M Club Tennis tournament, held
at Cole Field House tennis courts, for a five year period.
1992 A Baseball Card Show was held in Cole.
1997 We sponsored all awards for the inaugural President's
Cup Brunch honoring athletes for their academic achievements
and community service.
2000 A Career Fair, sponsored by the M Club and the
Academic Support Unit, was held at Cole on April 13.
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