By Whitney Spencer
In 1975 the University of Louisville men’s basketball team finished with a 28-3 record and won the Missouri Valley Conference, during which they beat three Top 15 opponents. Senior All-Americans Junior Bridgeman and Allen Murphy led the team.
It was 35 years ago that a hungry Cardinal basketball team had one goal in mind: a national championship. Though that dream fell short, as they fell to top-ranked and eventual champion University of California in Los Angeles, they did find a place in Cardinal history. The 1974-1975 team was the third of eight teams in U of L history to reach the coveted Final Four.
On Saturday, Feb. 6 in Freedom Hall, 11 of the 12 members of this team were honored, along with former head coach Denny Crum and one of his assistants, for their accomplishments during that season.
“It’s a great feeling,” said Billy Harmon, one of the players from the 1974-1975 team. “It’s an honor to walk out on that floor again. And it’s an honor to be on the floor with my teammates. It’s been a very special weekend for us.”
For one of the first times this season, the seats in Freedom Hall stayed full during halftime. The crowd rose to their feet to pay tribute to one of U of L’s best teams in history. As each man crossed the floor, fans young and old shouted to show their support of the players.
Even head coach Rick Pitino had memories of the 1974-1975 team, though he and the current players were not able to be on the floor during halftime to see the team being honored.
“I do remember that team,” said Pitino. “Growing up – this may sound strange – we had no one to root for in New York. There was just the Knicks. You didn’t root for a college team. Louisville always stuck out for a lot of New Yorkers because they had a lot of African Americans, when the South did not. So we rooted hard for Louisville.”
As he stood and held the microphone, Bridgeman poked fun at another former U of L great, Darrell Griffith, saying that the 1975 Final Four team was the best to ever play at U of L.
“Well, we had something to prove,” said Bridgeman. “At that time, we thought that the best basketball was played in the midwest of the country, as Indiana had a great team, Kentucky had a great team and we had a great team. We wanted to prove that.”
The 1974-1975 Cards offered advice to this year’s team. Every player mentioned confidence and unity as keys to their success then, as well as the eventual key to success for this year’s squad as well.
As these players may have graced the floor of Freedom Hall for their last time, they each hold fond memories of the games they played in that building. As they watched film from past games, they couldn’t help but to reminisce on bonds they had built and stories they recalled.
“My favorite memory was when we played St. Louis University in 1975,” said Murphy. “We were down 25 points at halftime, and we ended up winning the game by 10. I’m going to miss the camaraderie of just bring a part of Freedom Hall.”
