Home Alumni Old school photo: Men’s Basketball

Old school photo: Men’s Basketball

Men's Basketball team December 1969
Drake Bulldogs No. 15, Willie McCarter, catches air during a game in 1969.

Though April brings track and field events to Drake Stadium that become many Bulldogs’ fondest memories, winter means college basketball at The Knapp Center. And while many of us remember the men’s 2008 trip to the NCAA Tournament, it wasn’t the team’s first time in the national spotlight.

In 1969, the men’s basketball team, led by Willie McCarter, Willie Wise and Dolph Pulliam, made it to the Final Four. Though they ultimately fell to UCLA, the 1969 Quax said, “SUPER-EEEE-ENDOUS was about the only superlative with enough force to describe the whirlwind season of the 1968–1969 Drake University Basketball team.”

To see more historic photos of Drake basketball, visit our Flickr gallery.

With an exciting early win over rival Iowa State and a hard-fought 62-60 victory over Air Force, the 2011–2012 men’s basketball team record is currently 6-4, which gives students and alumni alike a reason to stream in The Knapp Center this season. Check out their full schedule here.