A day to honor members of the University of Louisville basketball team that won the 1986 NCAA Championship in Dallas 40 years ago in 1986. A day and time when UofL basketball was clearly among the best in the sport.The Cardinals defeated Duke 72-69 on March 31, 1986 for their second national title in six seasons.
The ultimate thrill for the Observer, his wife Barbara, and son Steve among the 16,493 spectators at Reunion Arena. The family would begin the 834-mile trip home to Louisville right after the game. Flying high, with a cassette tape blasting the exultation of “We Are The Champions” by Queen over and over, passing a bus of UofL cheerleaders and Ladybirds at one point.
About 80 miles into our trip we heard a flopping sound, forcing us over to the side of the road. The left rear tire was a hopeless cause, needing to be replaced. All we had was one of those donut-shaped spares. It was dark on the side of the road, we had no flashlight. for light I resorted to burning some of the newspapers featuring news of UofL wins along the way. Not really a good idea since Texas was experiencing a really bad drought at the time.
Got it done, we had a temporary fix until we somehow found a place in Mississippi with a spare tire early the next morning. I doubt we could still find that place on the map. Steve was sleeping in the back seat for most of the return trip. He awakened with an upset stomach as we were crossing a bridge into Memphis, throwing up all over the handpicked chocolate candy and goodies in his Easter basket.
A couple of nights later we were watching a community-wide celebration at Freedom Hall with Governor John Y. Brown, Jr., mentioning the possibility of a new basketball arena for UofL basketball. That never came close to happening under his watch, but they did renovate the Hall two years later. The KFC Yum! Center was unimaginable at the time, 25 years down the road.
Fond memories, over and over.
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The current UofL baskeball team did its part to honor the 1986 national champions with an 88-74 win over Southern Methodist University. But it was not easy, starting the game with 21-10 run before the Cardinals began to assert themselves. Finally recovering from the lethargy after a 31-point loss to Duke earlier in the week.
UofL methodically clawed it way back with seven unanswered points, starting at the nine-minute mark. With a layup by Kobe Rodgers near the buzzer, the SMU lead was cut to a single possession at 44-47 by halftime. The Cardinals opened the second half on a 15-6 run, earning its first lead of the game at 59-53 with 12:29 on the clock. The two teams exchanged points before Louisville took control with 10 unanswered points, including five from Aly Khalifa, resulting in a lead of 71-62 with just under eight minutes remaining. The run ultimately sealed the game as SMU would come within six twice but never closer.
Mikel Brown, who did not start the game, shot 50% from the field while adding four assists and a steal. Brown now is tied with Labradford Smith with the most 20-point games as a freshman, now with five. UofL had four other players in double figures, Isaac McKneely (14), Khani Rooths (12), Ryan Conwell (12), and Y’VonneHadley (10).
