D3 Championship Belt

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I feel like we've reached the point where someone needs to take the summer and track down the entire Belt lineage from the moment LeMoyne-Owen won in 1975.  I know not every team's schedule is available online, but the schools themselves must have records of wins and losses.  A few phone calls, etc.

It's time.

There's not much historically on the Lemoyne-Owen basketball page except they were the only HBCU team to win the D3 title; at some point they left D3( to D2?).

I think that 1987-88 was the year that LeMoyne-Owen moved to D2.

I found the L-O 1975-76 schedule - the problem is I don't know which teams on that schedule were D3 at the time, so I don't know what contests were Belt contests.  I reached out to the NCAA to see if they have an archive of membership data somewhere, but who knows?

[ronk]

'75 was the 1st D3 championship, so it's at least proper that the Belt came into existence then; guess it has to be determined who they lost to in '76 and if those were D3 schools to find the trail.

[Gregory Sager]

I feel like we've reached the point where someone needs to take the summer and track down the entire Belt lineage from the moment LeMoyne-Owen won in 1975.  I know not every team's schedule is available online, but the schools themselves must have records of wins and losses.  A few phone calls, etc.

It's time.

There's not much historically on the Lemoyne-Owen basketball page except they were the only HBCU team to win the D3 title; at some point they left D3( to D2?).

I think that 1987-88 was the year that LeMoyne-Owen moved to D2.

I found the L-O 1975-76 schedule - the problem is I don't know which teams on that schedule were D3 at the time, so I don't know what contests were Belt contests.  I reached out to the NCAA to see if they have an archive of membership data somewhere, but who knows?

I could probably tell you who was D3 at that point and who wasn't.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I feel like we've reached the point where someone needs to take the summer and track down the entire Belt lineage from the moment LeMoyne-Owen won in 1975.  I know not every team's schedule is available online, but the schools themselves must have records of wins and losses.  A few phone calls, etc.

It's time.

There's not much historically on the Lemoyne-Owen basketball page except they were the only HBCU team to win the D3 title; at some point they left D3( to D2?).

I think that 1987-88 was the year that LeMoyne-Owen moved to D2.

I found the L-O 1975-76 schedule - the problem is I don't know which teams on that schedule were D3 at the time, so I don't know what contests were Belt contests.  I reached out to the NCAA to see if they have an archive of membership data somewhere, but who knows?

I could probably tell you who was D3 at that point and who wasn't.

Have at it - http://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/statsPDFArchive/MBB2/E/Men's%20Basketball_Men's_Division%20III_1976_350_Le%20Moyne%20College.pdf

[Gregory Sager]

LeMoyne-Owen only played two games against D3 opponents that season -- interestingly enough, they were the last two games of the season. The Magicians lost to Transylvania, 112-92, and beat Sewanee, 87-86. (Transylvania was a D3 program into the mid-'80s, switched over to NAIA, and then came back into the D3 fold about a decade and a half ago.)

Almost all of the rest of LeMoyne-Owen's schedule was played against NAIA opponents, although I think that a couple of those opponents may have been NCAA D2 already at that point. Most of them belonged to the Volunteer State Athletic Conference, of which LeMoyne-Owen was the only member that held NCAA D3 affiliation; all of the rest of the VSAC schools were NAIA at the time.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

LeMoyne-Owen only played two games against D3 opponents that season -- interestingly enough, they were the last two games of the season. The Magicians lost to Transylvania, 112-92, and beat Sewanee, 87-86. (Transylvania was a D3 program into the mid-'80s, switched over to NAIA, and then came back into the D3 fold about a decade and a half ago.)

Almost all of the rest of LeMoyne-Owen's schedule was played against NAIA opponents, although I think that a couple of those opponents may have been NCAA D2 already at that point. Most of them belonged to the Volunteer State Athletic Conference, of which LeMoyne-Owen was the only member that held NCAA D3 affiliation; all of the rest of the VSAC schools were NAIA at the time.

Alright, so here we go, LeMoyne-Owen had the belt through most of 1976, then lost it to Transy in the NCAA Tournament.  They lost it the next game to Miles, who lost it to Wittenberg, who lost it to Scranton in the NCAA Final.

1975 - LeMoyne-Owen
1976 - LeMoyne-Owen
          Transylvania
          Miles
          Wittenberg
          Scranton
1977 - Scranton


Greg's got to redo his magic here - Scranton lost to St. Francis (NY), Bucknell, Army, and Philadelphia Textile, before dropping a game to Kings - from cross checking, I discovered this is, in fact, King's NY and not the current d3 Kings's (in PA).  Not confident any of those schools were d3.  What do you have for us, Sager? - http://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/statsPDFArchive/MBB2/E/Men's%20Basketball_Men's_Division%20III_1977_633_University%20of%20Scranton.pdf

[augie77]

I may be the only D3 Hoops poster to have actually witnessed the birthing of The Belt^tm in 1975. Augustana had lost to Lemoyne-Owen on Friday night at the Albright College gym.  The next night the Magicians won the title and with it The Belt^tm.   

[ronk]

I may be the only D3 Hoops poster to have actually witnessed the birthing of The Belt^tm, Augustana had lost to Lemoyne-Owen on Friday night at the Albright College gym.  The next night the Magicians won the title and with it the Belt^tm.

So u had 2 consecutive disappointments @ Albright, cuz I remember we were both there in '76, Augie.   

[ronk]

LeMoyne-Owen only played two games against D3 opponents that season -- interestingly enough, they were the last two games of the season. The Magicians lost to Transylvania, 112-92, and beat Sewanee, 87-86. (Transylvania was a D3 program into the mid-'80s, switched over to NAIA, and then came back into the D3 fold about a decade and a half ago.)

Almost all of the rest of LeMoyne-Owen's schedule was played against NAIA opponents, although I think that a couple of those opponents may have been NCAA D2 already at that point. Most of them belonged to the Volunteer State Athletic Conference, of which LeMoyne-Owen was the only member that held NCAA D3 affiliation; all of the rest of the VSAC schools were NAIA at the time.

Alright, so here we go, LeMoyne-Owen had the belt through most of 1976, then lost it to Transy in the NCAA Tournament.  They lost it the next game to Miles, who lost it to Wittenberg, who lost it to Scranton in the NCAA Final.

1975 - LeMoyne-Owen
1976 - LeMoyne-Owen
          Transylvania
          Miles
          Wittenberg
          Scranton
1977 - Scranton


Greg's got to redo his magic here - Scranton lost to St. Francis (NY), Bucknell, Army, and Philadelphia Textile, before dropping a game to Kings - from cross checking, I discovered this is, in fact, King's NY and not the current d3 Kings's (in PA).  Not confident any of those schools were d3.  What do you have for us, Sager? - http://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/statsPDFArchive/MBB2/E/Men's%20Basketball_Men's_Division%20III_1977_633_University%20of%20Scranton.pdf

No, it was Kings of PA; the archive for both teams has Kings over Scranton 61-58 on 1/29/77, so we just have to find out whom Kings lost to after that date.
Phil Textile was D2 and the others, D1. Incidentally, that '77 Army team was coached by Coach K and he won only in OT after losing the year before. So, Coach K was only 1-1 against Scranton and we're probably the only team that he doesn't have a winning record against in his career.

[augie77]

I may be the only D3 Hoops poster to have actually witnessed the birthing of The Belt^tm, Augustana had lost to Lemoyne-Owen on Friday night at the Albright College gym.  The next night the Magicians won the title and with it the Belt^tm.

So u had 2 consecutive disappointments @ Albright, cuz I remember we were both there in '76, Augie.   

Close but no cigar... 
1975--third place
1976--third place
1981--second place
1993--second place
2015--second place
2017--second place

One of these years....

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

LeMoyne-Owen only played two games against D3 opponents that season -- interestingly enough, they were the last two games of the season. The Magicians lost to Transylvania, 112-92, and beat Sewanee, 87-86. (Transylvania was a D3 program into the mid-'80s, switched over to NAIA, and then came back into the D3 fold about a decade and a half ago.)

Almost all of the rest of LeMoyne-Owen's schedule was played against NAIA opponents, although I think that a couple of those opponents may have been NCAA D2 already at that point. Most of them belonged to the Volunteer State Athletic Conference, of which LeMoyne-Owen was the only member that held NCAA D3 affiliation; all of the rest of the VSAC schools were NAIA at the time.

Alright, so here we go, LeMoyne-Owen had the belt through most of 1976, then lost it to Transy in the NCAA Tournament.  They lost it the next game to Miles, who lost it to Wittenberg, who lost it to Scranton in the NCAA Final.

1975 - LeMoyne-Owen
1976 - LeMoyne-Owen
          Transylvania
          Miles
          Wittenberg
          Scranton
1977 - Scranton


Greg's got to redo his magic here - Scranton lost to St. Francis (NY), Bucknell, Army, and Philadelphia Textile, before dropping a game to Kings - from cross checking, I discovered this is, in fact, King's NY and not the current d3 Kings's (in PA).  Not confident any of those schools were d3.  What do you have for us, Sager? - http://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/statsPDFArchive/MBB2/E/Men's%20Basketball_Men's_Division%20III_1977_633_University%20of%20Scranton.pdf

No, it was Kings of PA; the archive for both teams has Kings over Scranton 61-58 on 1/29/77, so we just have to find out whom Kings lost to after that date.
Phil Textile was D2 and the others, D1. Incidentally, that '77 Army team was coached by Coach K and he won only in OT after losing the year before. So, Coach K was only 1-1 against Scranton and we're probably the only team that he doesn't have a winning record against in his career.

The NCAA has the whole season categorized under the wrong name, then - which, as well know, is not too surprising.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

LeMoyne-Owen only played two games against D3 opponents that season -- interestingly enough, they were the last two games of the season. The Magicians lost to Transylvania, 112-92, and beat Sewanee, 87-86. (Transylvania was a D3 program into the mid-'80s, switched over to NAIA, and then came back into the D3 fold about a decade and a half ago.)

Almost all of the rest of LeMoyne-Owen's schedule was played against NAIA opponents, although I think that a couple of those opponents may have been NCAA D2 already at that point. Most of them belonged to the Volunteer State Athletic Conference, of which LeMoyne-Owen was the only member that held NCAA D3 affiliation; all of the rest of the VSAC schools were NAIA at the time.

Alright, so here we go, LeMoyne-Owen had the belt through most of 1976, then lost it to Transy in the NCAA Tournament.  They lost it the next game to Miles, who lost it to Wittenberg, who lost it to Scranton in the NCAA Final.

1975 - LeMoyne-Owen
1976 - LeMoyne-Owen
          Transylvania
          Miles
          Wittenberg
          Scranton
1977 - Scranton


Greg's got to redo his magic here - Scranton lost to St. Francis (NY), Bucknell, Army, and Philadelphia Textile, before dropping a game to Kings - from cross checking, I discovered this is, in fact, King's NY and not the current d3 Kings's (in PA).  Not confident any of those schools were d3.  What do you have for us, Sager? - http://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/statsPDFArchive/MBB2/E/Men's%20Basketball_Men's_Division%20III_1977_633_University%20of%20Scranton.pdf

No, it was Kings of PA; the archive for both teams has Kings over Scranton 61-58 on 1/29/77, so we just have to find out whom Kings lost to after that date.
Phil Textile was D2 and the others, D1. Incidentally, that '77 Army team was coached by Coach K and he won only in OT after losing the year before. So, Coach K was only 1-1 against Scranton and we're probably the only team that he doesn't have a winning record against in his career.

The NCAA has the whole season categorized under the wrong name, then - which, as well know, is not too surprising.

I double checked, it is filed under the wrong school.  It's definitely King's PA.  They lost, the rest of the year, to E Stroudsburg, St. Joe's, Niagra, Textile, and Trenton.  Trenton is now TCNJ and d3, but I want to double check that none of the others were back then. thoughts?

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Assuming TCNJ was the one to take it, here's the updated path:

Belt Path

1975 - LeMoyne-Owen
1976 - LeMoyne-Owen
          Transylvania
          Miles
          Wittenberg
          Scranton
1977 - Scranton
          King's
          TCNJ (non-champion)
1978 - TCNJ
          Upsala


This is where we might be in trouble (unless Rider of Sacred Heart were d3 then).  The NCAA doesn't have Upsala's schedule for 1977-78 and Upsala doesn't exist anymore.  I know they were definitely d3 shortly after this, so I assume they were d3 that year.

However, it appears that Augustana, in Rock Island, Il, retains all physical records of Upsala College (unless it's an entirely different Upsala, which is also possible). So if someone nearby wants to go to the Upsala "college history records," Box 1a, folder 3, there may be schedules there (according to the online table of contents).

[augie77]

Augustana has a historic partnership with Upsala University--in Sweden.   

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Augustana has a historic partnership with Upsala University--in Sweden.   

I actually found an article about it - apparently there's also a connection with Upsala from NJ - maybe the same denominational sponsor?  Anyway, I believe those archives are, in fact, from Upsala College.  Not sure if the 1977-78 men's basketball schedule is there, but if it exists, that's where it'd be.