Basketball II M Central Missouri feature_Layout 1 2/21/12 10:54 AM Page 1
GREAT MOMENTS AND GAMES NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship
Central Missouri swept two championship games in one night in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1984.
One night, one court, two titles Central Missouri’s championship doubleheader sweep still stands out in NCAA annals By Todd Krise
T
he energy, as Robin Scully described, was too much for him and his fellow Pine Street business owners to handle. So the inevitable happened. Thousands of crazed Central Missouri State fans began pouring onto Warrensburg, Missouri’s, famed downtown road. The date was March 24, 1984, and 1,342 miles away in Springfield, Massachusetts, the university’s men’s and women’s basketball teams had just completed the most unlikely doubleheader sweep in the history of college basketball. It was the first and only time two teams from the same university won national titles on the same night and on the same court. Police were forced to shut down the three-block stretch and had no choice but to allow public celebration, which lasted until nearly sunrise. “It was the only time I ever remember them doing that,” said Scully, who opened the doors to his Heroes Restaurant and Pub in 1981. His ex-wife, Katie, is now the owner. “One of the best nights in my memory as far as business, too.” Memorabilia from that season still dons the walls of the 31-year-old restaurant. Plaques and pictures surround an autographed game ball, which Robin purchased at a university auction. They serve as a constant reminder to townspeople of the most prolific night in the school’s (which is now called the University of Central Missouri) rich athletics history.
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NCAA.com