The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 20, 1975, Page Page 7, Image 7
Mark Leary
Asst. Sports Editor
The year 1974 was quite a sports year at Carolina. It was
more than just the usual year of winning and losing. It was a
year that everybody will remember.
It was a year when the major sports football and basketball
were in the spotlight constantly. Interestingly though it was
more than just football and basketball that made 1974 one of
the best sports years in Carolina history. Sports like baseball,
track and swimming came alive at Carolina in the year of 1974.
The Past
The year started with the Carolina basketball squad well on
their way to another 20-win season and their fourth straight
NCAA playoff ber*h.
The first of these goals was accomplished when the
Gamecocks downed a strong Pittsburgh team 67-50. This
marked the sixth season in a row that Frank McGuire had led
his team at Carolina to a 20-win season. The NCAA bid came
and the second part of the McGuire goal was completed.
The past year also held sadness and defeat for the
Gamecocks. McGuire and the whole Carolina community
were to lose James A. "Buck" Freeman who McGuire
described as the "coaches coach." Also Carolina was shocked
by Furman in the first round of the Eastern Regionals, losing
75-67.
Under head coach Alan Gentry the Carolina swimmers
began moving toward national prominence in 1974. They
recorded a 5-5 dual meet record against some of the best teams
in the country.
When it was NCAA time the Carolina swimmers brought
home a ranking of 25th in the nation and their first swimmer to
become an All-America, Tom Schmidt.
Baseball and track were also great success stories in the
year of 1974. Both Bobby Richardson's baseball team and Bill
McClure's track squad vaulted into the national F-otlight in
1974.
The baseball team compiled a record of 48-8 and produced
two All-Americas, also a first at Carolina. Earl Bass (12-1)
with an ERA of 1.10 was a first team All-America selection at
pitcher. Also slugger Hank Small gained All-America
recognition. The Gamecock baseball squad also ended their
season in defeat as they lost to the eventual NCAA runner-up
Miami of Florida in the finals of the NCAA regionals.
The track team finished third in the nation in the NCAA
Indoor Championship of 1974. The two mile relay team of Mike
Sheley, John Brown, Don Brown and Jim Schaper won their
event and at the same time made themselves All-Americas.
A disappointing season of football (4-7) closed out the year of
1974. It was the year that Paul Dietzel resigned effective the
end of the season after only the second game. It was the year
that Jeff Grantz proved that H as in Heisman wasn't as G as in
Grantz. It was also the year the search committee came up
with Dietzel's successor, Jim Carlen, a very successful coach
at Texas Tech.
The Future
What does the future hold for Carolina in the world of sports.
The year 1975 should be by all accounts a very interesting one.
For baseball, track and swimming it should hold more of the
same, success.
For basketball, McGuire should if all things go as expected
win another 20 games. This season's 20 game quest will not be
as easy as in the past. The Gamecocks have to win 11 of the
next 13 games to record their seventh straight 20 win season.
With Niagara, Houston, Notre Dame, Dayton and Toledo
remaining on the road; Pittsburgh and Marquette among
others at home it should be interesting to say the least.
Finally in football Jim Carlen will get his chance to prove to
all those who wanted Mooney Player as head coach that the
selection committee made the right choice in selecting Carlen.
Carlen has the major job of turning the football program
around and this will not be an easy or quick task. Carlen will
have to rely heavily on bringing in a good number of top
recruits. Thus the turnabout of the football program will not
happen in one year.
All in all 1974 was quite a year in sports at Carolina and the
future is a bright one.
Tough
battles
PETE FEHIELEY
Sports Editor
Tonight's matchup between
Carolina and Niagara will provide
the Gamecocks with another op
portunity to prove they can win
away from Carolina Coliseum.
Fresh from a victory over the
Davidson Wildcats Saturday night,
the Gamecocks come to the
Niagara Falls Convention Center
a
Dunleavy la
SCOREE
Gamecock Basket ball Opponents
Scores
Oklahoma 113 Colorado 62
Bentley 91 Assumption 87
St. John's 103 St. Francis 63
Manhattan 79 Siena 72
Fordham 60 Temple 49
Marquette 71 Notre Dame 68
Niagara 72 Ganisius 63
St. Louis 77 Wichita St. 67
Houston 99 Mercer 98
Pittsburgh 84 Penn St. 56
Ga. Southern 97 South Miss. 76
Toledo 85 North Illinois 66
St. Bonaventure 77 Villanova 70
Virginia Tech 60 Fairleigh
Dickinson 48
Top Twenty Scores
Indiana 82 Northwestern 56
Niag ar
Carolli
with an overall record of 9-4.
Niagara is also enjoying a winning
season having defeated Canisius
72-63 to avenge an earlier loss to
the Griffins.
The Purple Eagles leading
scorer is junior guard Andy Walker
with an average of 20 points per
game. Bruce Watson, Ollie Har
per, Roy Beekman, and Chico
Singleton are all averaging in
double figures to give Niagara a
balanced scoring attack.
ys one in
OARD
UCLA 102 California 72
NC State 88 North Carolina 85 (OT
Louisville 55 Drake 53 (OT)
Stanford 67 Southern Cal 66
Maryland 87 Navy 73
Alabama 93 LSU 67
Arizona St. 93 New Mexico 76
Oregon 68 Washington 66
Kentucky 85 Mississippi 82
Lasalle 67 Penn 65
Arizona 69 Texas-El Paso 57
Women's Basketball
SC State 49 Carolina 48
Carolina 55 Appalachian 53
Carolina 68 Appalachian 32
Swimming
Carolina 89 South Florida 22
Miami 64 Carnlina 49
1 team
ia next
Carolina is led in scoring by
junior pivotman Tom Boswell with
a 17.4 scoring average. Boswell is
coming off his best zhooting per
formance of the year, it 20-13 effort
against Davison.
Carolina has won all three
meetings between the two schools.
In 1972 Carolina whipped Niagara
80-69 in Columbia. The following
season Carolina went to Buffalo
and beat the Purple Eagles 84-74.
Last year in Carolina Coliseum the
Gamecocks crushed Niagara 85-60
behind the 25 point performance of
Brian Winters.
The game is a crucial one for
Coach Frank McGuire's hopes of a
seventh consecutive 20 win season
and another bid to the NCAA
tournament in March.
Baseball
practice
begins
With his sights set on another
trip to the NCAA playoffs, Carolina
baseball coach Bobby Richardson
has announced a 50-game schedule
for the 1975 season, which includes
30 home contests.
Last spring Carolina received an
at-large berth to the District III
regional playoffs, finishing the
season with a 48-8 won-lost record.
With a heavy array of talent and
experience returning from this
club, plus five highly regarded
newcomers, Richardson is excited
about this campaign.
"There will be eight regional
tournaments comprised of four
teams each this year and our
immediate goal is to gain an at
large bid as an independent,"
observed Richardson, embarking
on his sixth season as skipper of the
Gameococks. "Last year we made
it to the district playoffs and this
time around we hope to go one step
farther to the College World
Series."
The schedule:
Feb. 28- at Baptist College.
March 4- at Wofford; 5-0-West
Virginia; 7-8-Richmond; 10-Duke
(2); 11-at Francis Marion; 13-14
Virginia; 17-22-at Stetson Tour
nament; 24-Hunter; 25-Old
Dominion; 26-George Mason; 27
Marshall (N); 28-29-at Georgia; 31
Howard (N).
April 1-Howard; 2-Clemson (N);
3-at North Carolina; 4-UNC
Wilmington (N); 5-UNC
Wilmington; 7-The Citadel (N); 8
at Erskine; 9-10-St. Leo; 11
Wofford (N); 12-North Carolina;
14-Baptist College (N); 15-at
Georgia Tech (2); 18-at Georgia
Southern (N); 19-at Georgia
Southern (2); 21-Newberry (N);
22-Davidson (N); 24-Furman (N);
25-Georgia Southern (N); 26
Georgia Southern; 28-at The
Citadel (N).
May 8- at Furman; 9
Jacksonville (N); 10-Jacksonville.
All home night games are
scheduled for 7:30 P.M.