Gene Corrigan was chair of the NCAA men’s basketball selection committee in the 1980s. During that time the tournament field expanded from 48 to 64 teams, and interest in the game — and anger at the committee’s decisions — exploded. Corrigan, who was then athletic director at Notre Dame, recalled what it was like during those boom days.
We didn’t have all the information they have now. Vic Bubas was a great basketball coach at Duke. He was the guy who did more studying before we got together. We used to just get together and talk about what teams should be in there.
But Vic was a basketball guy, and he had a great empathy for coaches and people who had played tough schedules. My recollection was there was no one else on the committee like that at the time, except for Dave Gavitt. He created the Big East. Both were Hall of Fame coaches, and they loved the game so much they really studied it. When we got there, they were like our leaders.
I will tell you a great story. I was at Notre Dame, and I was an independent. There were a lot of independents back then. One year (1984) one of the Midwest independents (Dayton) had won 18 games in a row. But earlier in the year they had lost to one of the power schools (Michigan). We get down to the end, and they take (Michigan).
As I am a man of great design and character, I said “(Expletive) you guys, I’m going to bed.” Excuse my language, but I’ve never been so mad in my life. There were 15 independents out there, and I couldn’t get one of them in. But now I can’t sleep because I’ve been such a jerk.
The next morning Bubas says, “Maybe we should reconsider” and we put (Dayton) in. Dayton goes on to the round of eight and the team we took out beats my team (Notre Dame) in the finals of the NIT. Digger (Phelps, the Notre Dame coach) was so mad at me.
We really did have a good committee. We had two guys, Hall of Fame guys, who were basketball guys. They were born and bred and died in in the game of basketball. They inspired you to prepare. I think we did a good job. I don’t think you ever get it all right.
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