July 28 marked 100 days until the 2019-20 tip off for the Centennial Season of St. Bonaventure basketball. Each day leading up to the first game, St. Bonaventure Athletics will treat fans to moments from the history of Bonnies basketball, from tremendous photos, game programs, memorabilia and more, all leading up to a November 5 season tip.
Fans wishing to share photos or memorabilia from their favorite Bonnies moments should email them to seddy@sbu.edu.
DAYS 100-91 | DAYS 90-81 | DAYS 80-71 | Return to #Bonnies100 Site
DAY 70 (August 27)
March 1970 saw Bonnies fans everywhere getting March Madness, filling out their brackets as St. Bonaventure reached the Final Four. Here is a bracket filled out by a fan during the unforgettable run.
In the opening round, Bona dispatched Davidson, 85-72, behind 28 points and 15 rebounds from Bob Lanier. Matt Gantt posted 19 points and 16 boards. St. Bonaventure sailed past N.C. State, 80-68, in the second round as Lanier, delivered 24 points and 19 rebounds while Gantt (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Greg Gary (12 points, 11 rebounds) each had double-doubles.
A third round win over Villanova proved to be dominant - 97-74 behind 26 points from Lanier and 20 from Gary - but also costly. Lanier was injured during the game and lost for the tournament. Bonnies fans are forever left wondering "what if" as the team fell, 91-83 to Jacksonville despite a valiant effort that saw four players (Gantt, Vic Thomas, Paul Hoffman, Billy Kalbaugh) score in double figures. A look back at the Final Four run
DAY 69 (August 28)
Larry Weise receives the key to the City of Olean from Mayor William O. Smith after the Bonnies swept the 1969 ECAC Holiday Festival Tournament at Madison Square Garden.
Bob Lanier recorded a 50-point performance against Purdue in the finals of the 18th annual tourney to fuel St. Bonaventure to victory, 91-75. The Bonnies defeated Saint Joseph's, 96-61, in the opening game. Against Purdue, Lanier had some added incentive following the comments from Boilermakers star Bill Franklin
That point total has been topped by an SBU player just once - Lanier himself scored 51 points in a game vs. Seton Hall later that season.
DAY 68 (August 29)
In this March 8, 1968 edition of the Olean Times Herald, the Bonnies’ legendary “Ironman Five” is profiled.
The combination of Billy Kalbaugh, Bill Butler, Bob Lanier, John Hayes and Jimmy Satalin played nearly every minute as St. Bonaventure won its first 23 games and went undefeated during the 1967-68 regular season.
Bona was often dominant during the year, but needed overtime twice – at Toledo in the third game of the season – and then in the regular season finale. SBU clinched an undefeated season by holding off Fairfield in overtime, 70-69, on the road. The Bonnies would go on to defeat Boston College in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, 102-93, before finally falling vs. North Carolina in the second round for the first blemish on the schedule.
DAY 67 (August 30)
Bob Lanier and Billy Kalbaugh share a hug on the bench while head coach Larry Weise looks on at the end of a win in the Reilly Center over rival Canisius on Feb. 25, 1970.
Lanier was the most well-known player on the Bonnies at the time, but on this night foul trouble sent him to the bench and his teammates took center stage. Greg Gary, Matt Gantt, Tom Baldwin, Vic Thomas and Paul Hoffman all played important minutes that night, but Kalbaugh in particular shined.
Bona’s co-captain that Final Four season, Kalbaugh was instrumental in leading the program to a 65-12 record during his career (1967-70) and he later served as an assistant coach from 1973-81. He was inducted into the SBU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1989.
DAY 66 (August 31)
Caswell Cyrus throws down a thunderous dunk against Dayton during the 2000 Atlantic 10 Tournament. The Bonnies would win the game, 56-50.
Cyrus is the Bonnies’ all-time blocks leader, swatting 289 shots during his career with the program between 1996-2000. His total of 99 blocks during the 1997-98 season also ranks as the Bonaventure record. He was a key part of a Bonnies team that returned to a prominent position in the Atlantic 10 under Jim Baron during the late 90s, reaching the NIT in 1998 before an NCAA Tournament bid in 2000.
DAY 65 (Sept. 1)
Three Bonnies who would all have their numbers retired pose for a 1960 promotional photo in the Buffalo Auditorium, a spot for some very memorable Bonaventure moments during the era.
Sam Stith ’60 was the captain of the 1959-60 squad that reached the NIT with a 21-5 record during a time when the NIT was on par with, if not more prestigious than, the NCAA Tournament. The catalyst of the defense, he was also the go-to guy with the game on the line and finished his career with 1,112 points and 620 rebounds.
Tom Stith ’61 was a prolific scorer and the program’s first consensus All-American. A co-captain of the 1960-61 NCAA Tournament team with Martin, he had an almost unstoppable hook shot and became known nationwide as he racked up 2,052 career points over three years.
Whitey Martin ’61 was a true point guard who was the setup man for the Stith brothers during his Bona career. He had 796 career point himself, but his contributions went well beyond scoring. An AP Honorable Mention All-American in 1961, he was the third member of this unforgettable trio that was key to Bona reaching the NIT or NCAA Tournament in five straight years under coach Eddie Donovan.
DAY 64 (September 2)
Twenty-five years ago, the Bonnies were celebrating their 75th anniversary and gave a nod to some of the past greats of the program on the media guide cover for the 1994-95 season.
Several members of that year's team would write their own legacies - St. Bonaventure was strong that season, going 18-13 overall and reaching the NIT under head coach Jim Baron. It was a return to form for the Bonnies after some lean years - it broke a long dry spell dating to 1983 without a national postseason appearance.
David Vanterpool, now the Associate Head Coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA, led the way with over 17 points per game and was named First Team All-Atlantic 10. Shandue McNeill was named Second Team All-Conference. The season got its exclamation point when the Bonnies defeated Southern Miss, 75-70, in the Reilly Center on March 16, 1995 in the first round of the NIT. Nii Nelson-Richards poured in 24 points and Rashaan Palmer delivered 12 points and eight boards as the Bonnies were victorious in the postseason once again.
DAY 63 (September 3)
Bob Lanier holds his trophy from the 1969 ECAC Holiday Festival Tournament when he was chosen as the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
St. Bonaventure beat Purdue, 91-75, in the festival's final held at Madison Square Garden.
Purdue coach George King was asked after the game to describe Lanier and said, "I have to say that on offense Lanier can do a number of things Lew Alcindor can't do. Lanier is just one hell of a basketball player."
DAY 62 (September 4)
The Bonnies react to seeing "St. Bonaventure" come up on the screen during a watch party on Selection Sunday in 2018.
It had been 18 years since the Bonnies last had earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. A 13-game win streak and a school record 26 wins helped change that and sent the Bonnies to the Big Dance for the first time since 2012.
The Bonnies went on to defeat UCLA in the First Four of the 2018 NCAA Tournament giving the Brown and White their first postseason win in 23 years.
DAY 61 (September 5)
St. Bonaventure played in its first NCAA Tournament in 1961 following a tremendous run from the Bonnies.
The '60-61 team led the nation in scoring that year - averaging over 88 points per game - and rose to No. 3 in the national rankings. Tom Stith paced the high-powered offensive attack with 29.6 points per game - though that wasn't even his career high as he averaged 31.5 ppg the year before. Fred Crawford added nearly 22 points and 10 rebounds per game while Whitey Martin (12.1 ppg), Bob McCully (8.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Orrie Jirele (6.1 ppg) all added scoring threats.
The Bonnies would finish the year with an impeccable 24-4 record under head coach Eddie Donovan.
Check back each day as we continue our 100 Years, 100 Days Countdown To Tip Off! Or look back at previous countdown memories | Continue to the next set of countdown days
