“No students remember,” said Associate Athletic Director Bruce Madej. True Michigan basketball fans can still hear the chants of “NIT, NIT” from opposing fans.īut it all relates back to a group of underdogs that banded together, led by an interim coach and inspired by a football coach to “shock the world.” Instead, students remember the Fab Five and the ensuing scandal surrounding a booster’s monetary gifts to star players that crippled the program for years. Perhaps few would believe that before Michigan State and Ohio State became known for drunken riots, eight students were arrested as a mob took over South University Avenue, flipping over cars and swinging from live power lines in a celebration after the championship game. Or guard Rumeal Robinson hitting both foul shots on a one-and-one with three seconds left to win the national title. Or forward Sean Higgins’s put-back against Illinois with just a few ticks left in the semifinals. Two decades later, with the basketball team in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 11 years, few students are aware of the dramatic events that unfolded on the way to the title.įew remember forward Glen Rice scoring 184 points to set the record for most points in an NCAA Tournament.
“I’ve been around here a long time, and this championship by this basketball team will go down as one of the great accomplishments in all of Michigan athletics,” Schembechler told the crowd. It was the only championship he oversaw as Athletic Director. In his 20 years at Michigan, Schembechler had never won a national title as the football coach. The night before, the Michigan men’s basketball team had knocked off Seton Hall 90-89 in overtime to cap an incredible run and capture the NCAA National Championship. He could barely speak without being interrupted by impromptu cheers.
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