Lately, men’s college basketball sometimes looks like a three-point contest, as players vie for the most swishes from behind the arc — the farther back you are, the more props you get. Twenty-five years ago, the focus was on who had the highest hops and most stylish slams, a tr/files/storyimages/that hit U of L and transformed them into the “Doctors of Dunk.” When Cards fans think of the 1979-1980 team, three things stick out: NCAA Championship, Darrell Griffith and tenacious throw-downs.
In March of 1980, Denny Crum led the young team (its starting five included three sophomores and a freshman) to the NCAA Championship. They beat basketball powerhouse UCLA 59-54 to bring the first NCAA title to the University of Louisville. The team was full of superstars, with four players who scored over 1,000 career points: Darrell Griffith, Derek Smith, Jerry Eaves and Rodney McCray. Half of the 12-man team went on to have professional basketball careers. And one man, the leader, the only starting senior, became The Man in U of L basketball history.
Darrell Griffith’s accomplishments and accolades from his collegiate career could fill a list as long as his 6-foot-4 frame. He led the team in steals (86) and points (825) for the ’79-’80 season. He holds the school record for most steals in a career (230), most field goals made and attempted in a season (349, 631), most field goals made and attempted in a career (981, 1,877) and is U of L’s all-time career scoring leader with 2,333 points. More important than his stats was his ability to bring a very young team with diverse backgrounds to work together as a group of distinguished doctors — of dunk, that is.
During the ’79-’80 season, U of L had a total of 84 dunks. About half of those came from — you guessed it — Griffith, with 40. The medical moniker actually was coined by player Phil Bond, a senior during Griffith’s freshman year. The nine-year NCAA no-dunk rule had just been lifted and U of L took full advantage.
Happy Silver Anniversary to the docs that knew how to slam and jam their way to the top. You put on a great show.
