NEW YORK – Columbia Athletics will celebrate the 50-year anniversary of the men's basketball program's 1968 Ivy League Championship this Saturday, February 3, at halftime of the Lions' game against Dartmouth to highlight Alumni Weekend.
Men's Basketball Alumni who have not yet RSVP'd, please reach out to Maggie Johnson for event details at mej2112@columbia.edu.
Members of the team scheduled to be in attendance are John Garnevicus '69CC, Bruce Metz '69SEAS, current Columbia Chair of the University Board of Trustees Jonathan Schiller '69CC, '73LAW, Paul Spooner '70CC, Roger Walaszek '69CC, '73LAW along with assistant coaches Mike Griffin '65CC and Peter Salzberg '64CC. Representing Jim McMillian '70, who passed away in April 2016, will be his wife Alexis and children Aron and Emon.
“We are truly honored to celebrate the accomplishments of this special group,” director of athletics Peter Pilling stated. “The legacy of the Ivy League Championship 1968 team lives strong in the memories of our fans and we are excited to welcome back members of this team and all of our men's basketball alumni this weekend.”
Under the direction of head coach Jack Rohan, the Lions went 23-5, won the Holiday Festival, the most prestigious in-season tournament at the time at Madison Square Garden, and defeated Princeton, 92-74, in an Ivy League playoff to earn the right to play in the NCAA Tournament. The Lions advanced to the East Regional semifinal after an 83-69 victory over LaSalle before dropping a 61-59 heartbreaker to Davidson.
Rohan was voted National Coach of the Year and both McMillian and 7-0 center Dave Newmark '68CC earned All-American honors. McMillian also was ECAC All-East and the ECAC Sophomore of the Year and won the Haggerty Award as the top player in New York City.
Both he and Newmark were first-team All-Ivy League, with Heyward Dotson and Walaszek making the second team.
“I'm looking forward to catching up with some of the guys from that team and meeting others for the first time this weekend,” current head coach Jim Engles stated. “They were, and still are, a special group for so many people involved with our program. I'm honored to be here for this special occasion.”
Tickets are still available for both the Harvard game Friday, February 2 and the contest against the Big Green. To purchase, visit gocolumbialions.com/tickets or call 888-LIONS-11.
