Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 7, 1991 TAG: 9104160624
SECTION: THE METRO TOURNAMENT PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk, Robert Lunsford and Andrew Svec / Staff
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Six universities -- Cincinnatti, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Memphis State, St. Louis and Tulane -- announce formation of Metropolitan Collegiate Athletic Conference at Atlanta meeting. Dayton, in 11th-hour decision, backs away from membership. League is brainchild of St. Louis athletic director Larry Albus, named Metro's first commissioner.
\ Sept. 22, 1975
AUTOMATIC NCAA QUALIFICATION
Metro receives automatic qualification into the Midwest Regional NCAA basketball tournament. Metro is first league to receive NCAA bid before its first game. It didn't hurt that Albus was a member of the NCAA Basketball Committee.
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Nov. 1, 1975
Georgia Tech wins first Metro championship competition, in cross country.
\ March 3-5, 1976
FIRST METRO TOURNAMENT
Metro finishes first regular season with only six league games played, but three of six members win 20 games. Cincinnatti is seeded first for first Metro tournament, at Louisville's Freedom Hall. The Bearcats, coached by Gale Catlett, beat Memphis State 103-95 in first Metro title game. MSU's Dexter Reed is named the tournament's outstanding player. Tournament only averages 7,328 spectators per session in 19,000-seat Freedom Hall. Cincinnatti and Memphis both receive NCAA bids. Louisville is invited to the NIT. Tulane, despite its 18-9 record under coach Charlie Moir, stays home.
\ Sept. 16, 1976
TV DEAL
Metro signs five-year, $2 million contract for basketball telecast package and other promotional and marketing items with William B. Tanner Co., of Memphis, Tenn.
\ June 28, 1976
FLORIDA STATE ADMITTED as Metro's seventh member.
\ December 1976
JOHN GUNN MEMORIAL AWARD is established as the Metro tournament outstanding player honor, for the Memphis State player who died of complications from Stevens-Johnson syndrome.
\ March 3-5. 1977
SECOND METRO TOURNEY
Louisville is seeded first for second Metro Tournament, at Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis. Second-seeded Cincinnatti wins its second straight title, beating fourth seed Georgia Tech 74-61 in the final. Bearcats and Cardinals earn NCAA berths; Memphis State goes to NIT. UC guard Gary Yoder tops first All-Metro team and also is tourney MVP; Louisville's Darrell Griffith is freshman of the year.
\ November 1977
Georgia Tech announces it will leave Metro at end of 1977-78 school year.
\ March 2-4, 1978
BEST-EVER METRO FINAL
In third Metro tournament, at Riverfront Coliseum in Cinicnnatti, regular-season champion Florida State is upset by Louisville 94-93 on 18-foot jumper by Cards freshman backup guard Roger Burkmanwith three seconds left. The game still is considered the finest Metro final in league history. Louisville and FSU earn NCAA Tournament berths.
\ March 12, 1977
FIRST NCAA TOURNAMENT VICTORY for metro when Louisville defeats St. John's 76-68 in Midwest Regional first-round game at Tulsa, Okla. Cardinals are eliminated by DePaul in double overtime in next round.
\ May 3, 1978
VIRGINIA TECH ADMITTED to Metro, keeping membership at seven schools. Hokies replace Georgis Tech, which left and joined the Atlantic Coast Conference a year later. Virginia Tech is scheduled to play several non-Metro foes as "designated" basketball opponents in 1978-79 to qualify for '79 Metro tournament.
\ December 1978
Cincinnatti's basketball program is placed on NCAA probation.
\ Feb. 27, 1979
Virginia Tech finishes Metro regular season with 4-6 conference record. Games against Metro foes Cincinnatti (twice), Louisville and St. Louis count in Tech's percentage, but not in opponents' record. Tech's other "Metro" foes that season are Virginia (twice), West Virginia (twice), North Carolina State and Richmond.
\ March 1-3, 1979
VA. TECH WINS METRO
Virginia Tech, seeded fifth, shocks Cincinnatti, top-seeded Louisville and second-seeded Florida State to win championship in Hokies' first Metro tournament appearance. Tech is the only team with a losing Metro record in regular-season play to win tournament. Although he misses the tournament opener because of his grandmother's death, Tech big-man Dale Solomon is named tournament MVP - the first freshman to receive the Gunn Award - after being named Metro Freshman of the year. Hokies and Louisville advance to NCAA Tournament.
\ March 11-15, 1979
TECH CAN'T GET PAST BIRD
After beating Jacksonville, Virginia Tech eliminated in NCAA second round by Indiana State, led by Larry Bird. Louisville becomes the first Metro team to reach NCAA's round of 16, where the Cardinals lose to Arkansas.
\ May 1979
Memphis State placed on NCAA probation in basketball.
\ June 7, 1979
LEAGUE APPROVES WOMENS SPORTS
At spring meetings, league approves sponsorship of women's championship competition. First Metro women's sport is basketball.
\ Jan. 21. 1980
LONGEST SHOT IN BASKETBALL
At Tully Gym on Florida State campus, Virginia Tech's Les Henson launches an 89-foot, 3-inch shot, beating the Seminoles at the buzzer, 79-77. Considered longest shot in basketball history, CBS Sports calls it "Shot of the Decade" in December 1989.
\ Feb. 2, 1980
LIKE AN OPERA
In the last Metro game played at Roanoke Civic Center before the 1991 Metro tournament, Virginia Tech beats Tulane 69-68 on a Saturday afternoon before only 2,871 spectators. Tech coach Charlie Moir, referring to quiet atmosphere, says, "It was like a damn opera out there." \
March 1, 1980
Darrell Griffith, Metro's player of the year, is also named the tournament's outstanding player as the 6-foot-5 guard leads Louisville to its second conference championship. Cardinals defeat Florida State in title game, the third straight time FSU has been runner-up.
\ March 16, 1980
THREE TEAMS TO NCAA TOURNEY
For the first time, the metro sends three schools - Louisville, Florida State and Virginia Tech - to the NCAA Tournament.
\ March 17, 1980
Louisville sophomore center Wiley Brown, who wears an artificial thumb, has team manager go back to the dining table for the appendage when he forgets it before NCAA Tournament game.
\ March 22-24, 1980
THUMBS UP for Wiley Brown and Co. as Louisville becomes Metro's first NCAA basketball champion, defeating UCLA 59-54 at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. Darrell Griffith is named Final Four's outstanding player. It was Coach Denny Crum's third Final Four team.
\ December 1980
Cincinnatti's NCAA basketball probation ends.
\ March 5-7, 1981 NO SHOT CLOCK
At Freedom Hall in a Metro final that needed a shot clock, top-seeded Louisville defeated No. 3 seed Cincinnatti 42-31. Cardinals held the ball for 11 consecutive minutes at one stretch. The Bearcats scored only 11 second-half points.
\ May 1981
Memphis State's NCAA basketball probation ends.
\ June 1, 1981
Virginia Tech's faculty representative for athletics, James "Bud" Robertson, is named Metro Conference president.
\ September 1981
ST. LOUIS IS LEAVING
St. Louis announces it will leave the Metro at the end of the 1981-82 school year.
\ March 10, 1982
FOUR TEAMS TO THE NCAA;
LOUISVILLE'S SECOND FINAL FOUR
Metro begins postseason play with four members playing for the first time. Louisville reaches NCAA Final four for second time in three years, losing in national semifinal to Georgetown. Memphis State goes 1-1 in NCAA; Virginia Tech and Tulane each win two NIT games before being eliminated in quarterfinals.
\ July 27, 1982
SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI JOINS METRO
With Louisville making noise aboutt leaving the metro, the league adds Southern Mississippi to replace St. Louis, keeping Metro at seven members.
\ Nov. 1, 1982
Metro commissioner Larry Albus resigns to accept sports marketing position with Anheuser-Busch. Assistant commissioner Jerry Lovelace is named acting commissioner.
\ March 11-13, 1983
At Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnatti, Louisville wins its fourth Metro basketball title, defeating Tulane 66-51 in the final. For the second time in four years Louisville went through conference play unbeaten. No team has done that since. Rodney McCray is voted the tournament's outstanding player for second time. U of L's Denny Crum is metro coach of the year for third time in five years.
\ March 20, 1983
Florida State's basketball program placed on NCAA probation'
\ April 2-4, 1983
LOUISVILLE'S BACK AT THE FINAL FOUR for second straight year; third time in four seasons, losing to Houston's "Phi Slamma Jamma" bunch in national semifinals at Albuquerque, N.M. Cardinals finish 32-4.
\ April 14, 1983
SOUTH CAROLINA IS ADMITTED, bringing Metro membership to eight schools.
\ May 29, 1983
Steve Hatchell, Big Eight Conference associate commissioner, is named Metro's second commissioner.
\ Feb. 6, 1984
21-GAME WIN STREAK
Florida State, at home, beats Louisville 75-60, ending Cardinals' 21-game Metro regular-season winning streak; still a Metro record for consecutive conference wins. \
Feb. 18. 1984
40TH WINNING SEASON
With win at Memphis State, Louisville clinches 40th consecutive winning basketball season, an NCAA record.
\ March 9-11, 1984
Memphis State and Louisville tied for regular-season title; Tigers, playing at home, win Metro tourney 78-65 over Virginia Tech as tourney MVP Keith Lee scores 35. The Hokies had upset Louisville in semifinals.
\ March 20, 1984
Florida State's NCAA basketball probation ends.
\ May 25, 1984
SHOT CLOCK
Metro adopts 45-second shot clock for 1984-85 season.
\ March 26-28, 1984
VIRGINIA TECH REACHES NIT SEMIFINALS, losing to Michigan before defeating Southwestern Louisiana for third place. Louisville and Memphis State reach round of 16 of NCAA Tournament.
\ July 15, 1984
Metro Conference Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association forms to serve as voting body for All-Metro teams. Jack Bogaczyk of the Roanoke Times & World News is elected president and serves four one-year terms.
\ March 7-9, 1985
In the only overtime championship game in Metro history, Memphis State edges Florida State 90-86 in final at Freedom Hall. FSU senior Dean Shaffer is named the tournament's top player.
\ March 14-30, 1985
MEMPHIS TO THE FINAL 4
Memphis State and Virginia Tech advance from metro to NCAA; Louisville goes to NIT. Memphis becomes fourth Metro team in six years to reach NCAA Final Four, where the Tigers lose to Villanova. Virginia Tech loses in first round. Louisville reaches NIT semifinals, finishing fourth.
\ March 28, 1985
POINT SHAVING
Tulane's program is rocked by arrests in point-shaving scandal involving several players and other TU students, including star center John Williams, 1984 Metro player of the year.
\ April 18, 1985
TULANE VOTES TO ABOLISH MEN'S BASKETBALL program in wake of point-shaving scandal. Two weeks later, Green Wave is asked to withdraw from Metro because they no longer play league's primary sport.
\ March 7, 1986
VA. TECH NEEDED PEE WEE
Pee Wee Barber of Florida State leaves Virginia Tech wishing it had recruited him from home-state Ferrum College, as his 27-foot buzzer-beating bomb shaves favored Hokies 77-76 in first round of Metro tourney.
\ March 9, 1986
LOUISVILLE ROLLS TO METRO TITLE with an 88-79 victory over Memphis State, as Cardinals' freshman center Pervis Ellison is named the tournament's outstanding player.
\ March 11, 1986
Bill Foster, only coach to have 20-win seasons at four Division I schools (Utah, Rutgers, Duke and South Carolina), resigns after his South Carolina team finished last in the Metro.
\ March 16-31, 1986
LOUISVILLE WINS IT ALL
Louisville follows regular-season and tournament titles with second NCAA championship - and fourth Final Four - in seven years, beating Duke 72-69 in title game at Dallas. Memphis State was second-round NCAA loser; Virginia Tech was eliminated in the first round.
\ May 24, 1986
Memphis State is placed on two years probation in football and basketball by NCAA for overpayment of federally funded Pell Grant monies to 109 athletes. Porbation kept Tigers out if 1987 NCAA tournament, and the school had to return about $975,000 in NCAA tournament receipts from 1985 and '86 tournament. It is MSU's second NCAA basketball probation in six years.
\ Sept. 17, 1986
DANA KIRK FIRED after seven seasons as Memphis State coach. Kirk charged with income tax evasion, obstruction of justice and mail fraud. Kirk charged with understating his income to IRS, trying to intimidate grand jury witnesses and seeking payoffs for Tigers to appear in holiday tournaments.
\ Sept. 25, 1986
NEW MEMPHIS STATE COACH
Larry Finch, former Memphis State star and assistant coach to Dana Kirk, named Tigers' head coach. 5 1/2 months later, Finch named Metro Coach of the year.
\ March 6-8, 1987
NO METRO TEAMS IN NCAA TOURNEY
Memphis State rips Louisville 75-52 at Freedom Hall for Tiger's fourth Metro title. MSU center Marvin Alexander is named top player in the tourney. Memphis State's victory costs Metro NCAA Tournament automatic bid, because Tigers are on probation. No Metro teams in '87 NCAA field.
\ March 15-28, 1987
SOUTHERN MISS WINS NIT
Tied for third in seven-team Metro regular-season, Southern Mississippi shockingly wins National Invitation Tournament with five victories. Golden Eagles coach M.K. Turk calls it "the greatest moment in the state of Mississippi's basketball history," and no one argues.
\ March 27, 1987
Metro communications director Craig Thompson named commissioner of Division I's newest conference, the New Orleans-based American South.
\ May 15, 1987
South Carolina placed on NCAA probation in basketball.\ Aug. 15, 1987
Ralph McFillen, commissioner of Division II Gulf South Conference and former NCAA administrator, is named Metro's third commissioner.
\ Oct. 3, 1987
CHARLIE MOIR RESIGNS as Virginia Tech's basketball coach, getting $250,000 settlement on remaining two years of contract. Frankie Allen, a Moir assistant in his 11 Tech seasons, is named interim head coach. Moir resigned one day after returning from NCAA infractions hearing involving his program.
\ Oct. 26, 1987
Tech's basketball and football programs are placed on two years probation by NCAA for grant-in-aid limit violations, extra benefits to athletes and academic impropriety.
\ March 11-13, 1988
LOUISVILLE WINS SIXTH METRO
Before three straight sessions with capacity crowds at Mid-Sout Coliseum Louisville wins sixth Metro tournament with 81-73 victory over Memphis State. Louisville's Herbert Crook as tournament's outstanding player.
\ May 2, 1988
Metro hires Georgis Tech administrator Dale Smith as assistant commissioner to enact the leagues' first NCAA eligibility certification and compliance program.
\ May 24, 1988
Memphis State's probation ends.
\ Aug. 30, 1988
BIMBO MAKES OLYMPIC TEAM
Virginia Tech's Bimbo Coles makes basketball squad for Seoul Olympics, becoming first Metro player to perform in Olympics. Louisville's Rodney McCray did not play in 1980 due to U.S. boycott of Moscow games.
\ Oct. 12, 1988
Metro votes to readmit charter member Tulane, effective Sept, 1, 1989
\ November 1988
Cincinnatti's basketball program is placed on probation for second time in Metro history.
\ Nov. 15, 1988
KIRK GOES TO JAIL
Former Memphis State coach Dana Kirk is convicted on four of six tax evasion counts and one of three obstruction of justice counts. He was sentenced to 366 days in prison and served four months at the minimum-security federal prison at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala. His release came in August 1989.
\ Jan. 6, 1989
Virginia Tech athletic director Dave Braine announces the 16th Metro basketball tournament will be hosted by Hokies and played at Roanoke Civic Center.
\ March 10-12, 1989
Metro holds only a five-team tournament at Columbia, S.C., and Louisville beats Florida State 87-80 in final - the fifth time Seminoles have reached Metro final without winning. Louisville's Pervis Ellison becomes a two-time tournament MVP. Virginia Tech and Cincinnatti were ineligible for tournament because league voted not to allow schools on NCAA sanctions.
\ March 16-23, 1989
METRO SENDS FOUR TEAMS TO NCAA tournament for first time. Louisville wins twice before losing in Midwest Regional semifinals; South Carolina, Memphis State and Florida State lose in first round.
\ May 15, 1989
South Carolina ends two year NCAA probation in basketball.
\ June 27, 1989
NBA PICKS PERVIS
Louisville center Pervis Ellison is No. 1 selection in NBA draft, by Sacramento. First Metro player to be NBA's top draft pick.
\ August 1989 - Sept. 1, 1989
Tulane, which left Metro in April 1985 in the wake of point-shaving scandal, returns league to eight members.
\ Sept. 21, 1989
TV DEAL
Metro and Raycom Sports of Charlotte, N.C., agree on five-year, $4.3 million guaranteed cantract for Metro basketball telecasts, starting with 1990-91 season.
\ Oct. 23, 1989
Metro athletic directors vote to begin revenue-sharing program for first time, involving Raycom TV revenue.
\ Oct. 24, 1989
METRO FOOTBALL? Metro athletic directors discuss adding football as a Metro sport and discuss targeting high-profile programs, including Miami, Penn State and West Virginia.
\ Oct. 26, 1989
Virginia Tech ends two years of NCAA probation in basketball.
\ March 7, 1990
Cincinnatti's first-year coach, Bob Higgins named Metro Coach of the year; fourth different Bearcats bench boss to win award. Others were Gale Catlett, Ed Badger and Tony Yates.
\ March 10, 1990
LOUISVILLE WINS EIGHTH METRO tournament title, beating Southern Mississippi 83-80 in final at Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi - first neutral site in tournament's 15-year history. Louisville's LaBradford Smith named tourney's outstanding player.
\ March 15-17, 1990
METRO 39-30 IN NCAA TOURNAMENTS
Metro finalists Louisville and Southern Mississippi both make the NCAA; Golden Eagles' first trip to tournament. USM loses in first round, U of L goes out in second, making Metro's Tournament composite record 39-30.
\ May 23-25, 1990
LEAGUE PURSUES EXPANSION
At league meetings in Destin Fla., Metro administrators disagree on expansion concept of adding two or four teams, but decide to persue 16-team football conference and 12-team basketball league concept.
\ June 27, 1990
In Charlotte, N.C., representatives of proposed 16-team Metro gather. Prospective football only additions are Syracuse, Pitt, Boston College and Miami. East Carolina, West Virginia, Temple and Rutgers are prospective Metro members in all sports.
\ Sept. 15, 1990
FLORIDA STATE TO THE ACC
Metro expansion plan begins to fall apart as Florida State announces it will join Atlantic Coast Conference for 1991-92, first of four schools to leave league in two-month span.
\ Sept. 26, 1990
SOUTH CAROLINA DEFECTS to become Southeastern Conference's 12th member for 1991-92 school year. Metro ADs decide to pursue West Virginia as Metro member.
\ Oct. 10, 1990
MIAMI SNUBS METRO to become 10th member of Big East Conference.
\ Nov. 15, 1990
METRO LOSES TWO CHARTER MEMBERS, leaving returning schools for 1991-92 schools at four as Cincinnatti and memphis State announce they will join DePaul, Alabama-Birmingham, Marquette and St. Louis to form Chicago-based Great Midwest Conference.
\ Jan. 31, 1990
REMAINING FOUR METRO MEMBERS PURSUE EXPANSION, targeting UNC Charlotte and South Florida of Sun Belt Conference as prospective members.
\ Feb. 5, 1991
VIRGINIA TECH RETURNS TO CONFERENCE FOOTBALL after 27 years as independent, joining Syracuse, Miami, Pitt, Boston College, West Virginia, Temple and Rutgers in Big East football league,
\ Feb. 7, 1990 SUN BELT MAKES OFFER
Sun Belt conference, with seven members for 1991-92, issues individual invitations to Metro members Louisville, Virginia Tech, Tulane and Southern Mississippi. Metro commissioner Ralph McFillen said Metro schools are sticking together and continue to explore expansion.
\ Feb. 13, 15, 1991
TECH WILL STAY IN METRO
Virginia Tech announces decision to stay in Metro; Metro's returning schools for 1991-92 meet with UNC Charlotte and South Florida to discuss expansion prospects.
by CNB