1979–80 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Men's Basketball Team
The 1979–80 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was coached by Digger Phelps and was ranked in the Associated Press poll for the entirety of the season. Preseason The Irish were ranked fifth in the preseason AP Poll, behind Indiana, Kentucky, Duke and Ohio State. While they lost frontcourt contributors Bruce Flowers and Bill Laimbeer to graduation, they added a recruiting class ranked fourth nationally by the 1979–80 Street & Smith basketball yearbook. The class included McDonald's All-Americans Tim Andree and John Paxson and highly regarded forward Bill Varner. Key returning players were 1979 All-American Kelly Tripucka and future National Basketball Association (NBA) players Tracy Jackson, Bill Hanzlik and Orlando Woolridge. Woolridge was moved from forward to center to replace Flowers and Laimbeer. Senior point guard Rich Branning was selected ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Digger Phelps
Richard Frederick "Digger" Phelps (born July 4, 1941) is an American former college basketball coach, most notably of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish from 1971 to 1991. For 20 years, from 1993 to 2014, he served as an analyst on ESPN. He got the nickname "Digger" from his father, who was a mortician in Beacon, New York. Early life Phelps was born in Beacon, New York. His family ran a funeral home business in the city. Coaching career Early career Phelps began his coaching career in 1963 as a graduate assistant at Rider College (now Rider University), where he had played basketball. After a move to St. Gabriel's High School in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, he obtained his first full assistant job in 1966 at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. His first head coaching job came in 1970 at Fordham University in The Bronx, where he coached Charlie Yelverton and P.J. Carlesimo, the athletic director's son. Phelps led the Rams to a 24–2 record in the 1970–71 regular season and ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Bill Laimbeer
William J. Laimbeer Jr. (born May 19, 1957) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who spent the majority of his career with the Detroit Pistons. Known for his rough and violent style of play, he played a big part in the Pistons earning the nickname, the “Bad Boys" in the mid 1980s before helping them win back to back NBA championships. In his National Basketball Association (NBA) career, Laimbeer was known for his 11-year tenure with the Detroit Pistons during their "Bad Boys" era. Although a solid shooter and rebounder, Laimbeer became notorious for his physical play and reputation for delivering hard, often flagrant fouls. Laimbeer played at center with Hall of Fame backcourt guards Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars and forward Dennis Rodman, winning back to back NBA Championships in 1989 and 1990 with the Pistons, and being named an NBA All-Star four times. Prior to the NBA, he played for the University of Notre Dame and Palos Verdes High School in Souther ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Tracy Jackson
Tracy Cordell Jackson (born April 21, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville, Maryland, and was named to the inaugural McDonald's All-American team, which played in the 1977 Capital Classic. He played college basketball for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Jackson was selected in the second round 1981 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics and split the 1981–82 season playing for both them and the Chicago Bulls. His most productive season was in 1982–83 with the Bulls when he participated in 78 games, averaging 6.3 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. The following NBA season ( 1983–84), his final in the league, consisted of two games with the Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conferen ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. It is the premier men's professional basketball league in the world. The league was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). It changed its name to the National Basketball Association on August 3, 1949, after merging with the competing National Basketball League (NBL). In 1976, the NBA and the American Basketball Association (ABA) merged, adding four franchises to the NBA. The NBA's regular season runs from October to April, with each team playing 82 games. The league's playoff tournament extends into June. , NBA players are the world's best paid athletes by average annual salary per player. The NBA is an active member of USA Basketball (USAB), which is recognized by t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Kelly Tripucka
Peter Kelly Tripucka (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1981 to 1991. He was a two-time NBA All Star and averaged over twenty points a game in five of the ten seasons that he played in. Tripucka played for the Detroit Pistons, Utah Jazz and was a member of the Charlotte Hornets during their inaugural season in the NBA. The son of NFL Pro-Bowl (and CFL) quarterback Frank Tripucka, Kelly was a color analyst for the New York Knicks for four years, ending with the 2011–12 season. High school and college Tripucka grew up in Bloomfield, New Jersey, and was a three-year starter from 1974 to 1977 for the Bloomfield High School boys' basketball team. In three varsity seasons he scored 2,278 points, including 1,045 during his senior campaign, and his jersey (#42) was retired by Bloomfield High School. Tripucka also was a four-year starter at Notre Dame, and led the Irish in sco ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
1979 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans
The consensus 1979 College Basketball All-American team, as determined by aggregating the results of four major All-American teams. To earn "consensus" status, a player must win honors from a majority of the following teams: the Associated Press, the USBWA, The United Press International and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. 1979 Consensus All-America team Individual All-America teams AP Honorable Mention: * Mark Aguirre, DePaul * James Bailey, Rutgers * Gene Banks, Duke * Kim Belton, Stanford * Rolando Blackman, Kansas State * Roosevelt Bouie, Syracuse * Brad Branson, SMU * Michael Brooks, La Salle * Matt Brown, Army * Lawrence Butler, Idaho State * Terence Carney, Pacific * Sam Clancy, Pittsburgh * Elbert Darden, Rice * Larry Demic, Arizona * Joe DeSantis, Fairfield * Sammy Drummer, Georgia Tech * Terry Duerod, Detroit * Nikos Galis, Seton Hall * Larry Gibson, Maryland * Kim Goetz, San Diego State * Michael Gray, Nevada * Al Green, LSU * ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Pittsburgh Press
''The Pittsburgh Press'' (formerly ''The Pittsburg Press'' and originally ''The Evening Penny Press'') was a major afternoon daily newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1884 to 1992. At one time, the ''Press'' was the second largest newspaper in Pennsylvania, behind only ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''. For four years starting in 2011, the brand was revived and applied to an afternoon online edition of the ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette''. Early history The history of the ''Press'' traces back to an effort by Thomas J. Keenan Jr. to buy ''The Pittsburg Times'' newspaper, at which he was employed as city editor. Joining Keenan in his endeavor were reporter John S. Ritenour of the Pittsburgh ''Post'', Charles W. Houston of the city clerk's office, and U.S. Representative Thomas M. Bayne. After examining the ''Times'' and finding it in a poor state, the group changed course and decided to start a new penny paper in hopes that it would flourish in a local market full of t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The company was founded in 1979 by Bill Rasmussen along with his son Scott Rasmussen and Ed Eagan. ESPN broadcasts primarily from studio facilities located in Bristol, Connecticut. The network also operates offices and auxiliary studios in Miami, New York City, Las Vegas, Seattle, Charlotte, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. James Pitaro currently serves as chairman of ESPN, a position he has held since March 5, 2018, following the resignation of John Skipper on December 18, 2017. While ESPN is one of the most successful sports networks, there has been criticism of ESPN. This includes accusations of biased coverage, conflict of interest, and controversies with individual broadcasters and analysts. , ESPN reaches approximately 76 million te ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Bill Varner
William Joseph Varner is a former American-Belgian professional basketball player. He played on several European clubs, including R.C. Mechelen. College career Varner played college basketball at the University of Notre Dame, with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball, Notre Dame Fighting Irish. After, a poor performance at his first two college years, Varner has 10 points per game at his junior season, and 11,1 points average at his senior season. Professional career Varner played at Continental Basketball Association (CBA) during 1983–84 season, with Sarasota Stingers and Wisconsin Flyers. In 1984 signed with P.A.O.K. BC. Varner played two years only in European Cup, but his contribution was fabulous. At 1984–85 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup second round PAOK eliminated KK Bosna Royal and Varner scored 35 points at the first leg, and 31 at the second. At group stage PAOK lost all the games, but Varner shone with 36 and 32 points against CB Zaragoza games, and ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Forward (basketball)
In the sport of basketball, there are five players play per team, each assigned to positions. Historically, these players have been assigned, to positions defined by the role they play on the court, from a strategic point of view. The three main positions are guard, forward, and center, with the standard team featuring two guards, two forwards, and a center. Over time, as more specialized roles developed, each of the guards and forwards came to be differentiated, and today each of the five positions are known by unique names, each of which has also been assigned a number: point guard (PG) or 1, the shooting guard (SG) or 2, the small forward (SF) or 3, the power forward (PF) or 4, and the center (C) or 5. In the early days of the sport, there was a "running guard" who brought the ball up the court and passed or attacked the basket, like a point or combo guard. There was also a "stationary guard" who made long shots and hung back on defense before there was the rule of backcourt v ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
John Paxson
John MacBeth Paxson (born September 29, 1960) is an American basketball administrator and former player who was vice president of basketball operations for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2009 to 2020. He was their general manager from 2003 to 2009. Paxson played eleven NBA seasons for the San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls, winning three championships as a member of the Bulls. He was an All-American college player at the University of Notre Dame. High school career Paxson attended Archbishop Alter High School in Kettering, Ohio, following in the footsteps of his elder brother, Jim, who would go on to a star career at the University of Dayton, and, later, in the NBA, as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers. By his senior year, John was considered one of the top guards in the country and was named to the 1979 McDonald's All-American Team, joining such future college and NBA standouts as Isiah Thomas, James Worthy, and Byron Scott in the game. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
McDonald's All-American
McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hamburger stand, and later turned the company into a franchise, with the Golden Arches logo being introduced in 1953 at a location in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1955, Ray Kroc, a businessman, joined the company as a franchise agent and proceeded to purchase the chain from the McDonald brothers. McDonald's had its previous headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois, but moved its global headquarters to Chicago in June 2018. McDonald's is the world's largest restaurant chain by revenue, serving over 69 million customers daily in over 100 countries in more than 40,000 outlets as of 2021. McDonald's is best known for its hamburgers, cheeseburgers and french fries, although their menus include other items like chicken, fish, fruit, and salads. Their most well- ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |