Video: "Huskymania! Connecticut's 1989-1990 Championship Season"

[tcf15]

 

[Dogbreath2U]

That was an awesome blast from the past. I loved seeing the game video...brought back the memories of how great that team played together. Nadav was so smooth. Smitty was a great scorer. Gwynn was electric. And on and on. A magic season.

 

[Mots010]

Amazing the crowds Uconn gathered for some of these games. Was there even a single Syracuse fan in MSG for that BET game? That game at BC was a joke as well, but nothing has really changed there.

 

[Dove]

I am 12 minutes in and lovin' this ! That image of a wide-eyed Johnny Gwynn wagging his tongue as we were closing out GTown is a classic shot.

And the "Gwynn wants it...HE GOT IT!!" call is still one I remember v. St Johns.

 

[tcf15]

And here's the glorious "What I Like About UConn" song by itself:

 

[alexd]

I remember buying this at CBT during the summer of 1990....still have it somewhere. Just an awesome piece of memorabilia.

 

[Dove]

Man, the Yard would have been fun that year. And that song kicks ass!!

Rebound, turn around, get the ball back up the floor!!

 

[Penfield]

Thanks @tcf15 Awesome video. Makes me wish I could roll the clock back 25 years and relive it all.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Special

 

[huskyniner]

Thanks for uploading this. I was 4 years old during this season and never realized until now how awesome it was. I wish our crowds still got this excited for every game.

 

[boog204]

Absolutely love this... I was 10 years old and in fourth grade during the dream season. My teacher, a big Uconn fan in her own right, dedicated a bulletin board to the season and started lesson planning around UConn games. It was an amazing time for a young basketball fan. What strikes me watching the video is the passion from both the players and especially the fans. Granted this vid is mostly a smattering of "big games," but there is not one person in the crowd who is sitting on their hands or there to make an appearance. Kind of sad to think that we've all gotten kind of complacent and spoiled since then. Thanks for sharing!

 

[mauconnfan]

Thanks tcf…….I have so many great memories from that season it's amazing. Road trip on a party bus to the Seton Hall regular season game, numerous s**thouses at the Russian Lady, Sheraton at the time and Civic Pub, all the HCC games, the first Gampel game, pictured in the Hartford Courant for the Huskymania (we had some fun with that lol), interviewed by Channel 8 John Crane, making the news (already half lit with sunglasses on at 3-4pm)in the Meadowlands parking lot prior to the Clemson game while we were trying to find tickets…….picked our seats from "Sal" at a go-go bar for 90 bucks each sat behind the Clemson band behind the infamous basket Burrell threw The Pass from…….then the heartbreak for a couple days but little did we know what just happened!!

WOW

 

[itgoeslike]

Good times. . .

 

[Greathusky]

This should be required viewing for any newbie to this board. This is where it all began. I was at the Georgetown game. I have not a heard a louder crowd since.

 

[junglehusky]

Absolutely love this... I was 10 years old and in fourth grade during the dream season. My teacher, a big Uconn fan in her own right, dedicated a bulletin board to the season and started lesson planning around UConn games. It was an amazing time for a young basketball fan. What strikes me watching the video is the passion from both the players and especially the fans. Granted this vid is mostly a smattering of "big games," but there is not one person in the crowd who is sitting on their hands or there to make an appearance. Kind of sad to think that we've all gotten kind of complacent and spoiled since then. Thanks for sharing!

I was in middle school during Huskymania. The social studies teacher Mr Rourke would send one of the kids down to the teacher's lounge every ten minutes or so to get an update on the score, which the kids would write on the board. I suppose these days the kids would be checking their SportsCenter app on their phones, or even be watching live video underneath the desk!

After about a day the video has 125 views... this should be shared with your relatives, neighbors, bosses, everybody... let's get those views up!

 

[Vuce]

That is great. I still have this VHS tape somewhere in my basement. I was at all the home games, some of the away games and ran on to MSG court after we won the BET. Hard to describe how that season went to those that weren't around - Gampel opened in January of that season too. We were all set to make the trip to Denver if Tate had only held on to that ball. The team used to practice in the field house sometimes and we used to run up to the bleachers up top and watch - the abuse that Cyrulik used to take from Calhoun was hilarious. Amazing time.

 

[gampelcrazies]

I was in middle school during Huskymania. The social studies teacher Mr Rourke would send one of the kids down to the teacher's lounge every ten minutes or so to get an update on the score, which the kids would write on the board. I suppose these days the kids would be checking their SportsCenter app on their phones, or even be watching live video underneath the desk!

After about a day the video has 125 views... this should be shared with your relatives, neighbors, bosses, everybody... let's get those views up!

In the teachers lounge at my school they had TV's and one of the assistant teachers would pull me out of class to watch the Big East Tournament games.

 

[8893]

This should be required viewing for any newbie to this board. This is where it all began. I was at the Georgetown game. I have not a heard a louder crowd since.

It should be required viewing for every member of the team and coaching staff. So many bedrock lessons there from which this team could benefit.

 

[superjohn]

Absolutely love this... I was 10 years old and in fourth grade during the dream season. My teacher, a big Uconn fan in her own right, dedicated a bulletin board to the season and started lesson planning around UConn games. It was an amazing time for a young basketball fan. What strikes me watching the video is the passion from both the players and especially the fans. Granted this vid is mostly a smattering of "big games," but there is not one person in the crowd who is sitting on their hands or there to make an appearance. Kind of sad to think that we've all gotten kind of complacent and spoiled since then. Thanks for sharing!

I was also 10 and it was right around the time I was becoming a huge sports fan, my dad and older brothers had me watching games since I was an infant but I remember it was around this time I really started learning and loving the game. What an unbelievable team to watch as you are really starting to learn about the game. That team was sick....Smitty was a very unique scorer, Tate was clutch and steady, Henefeld did some things on the court I haven't seen any players do since, Gwynn was instant offense and pure excitement, I could go on and on. It's sad to think we will never see crowds and that kind of all out helter skelter defense again, what we had that year was special and I'm glad I was just old enough to understand it. I always wondered what UConn hoops would have looked like if Henefeld stayed.

 

[alexd]

I'm pretty sure that loss to Laettner and Dook in the Elite 8 is still the worst feeling I have EVER felt after a sporting event. I really expected the magical season to continue on to its logical conclusion.

 

[Vuce]

I'm pretty sure that loss to Laettner and Dook in the Elite 8 is still the worst feeling I have EVER felt after a sporting event. I really expected the magical season to continue on to its logical conclusion.

That was pretty bad Alex. But for some reason the one that stuck with me the longest was the Florida game when Donyell missed those FTs. I know it was the sweet sixteen but we had a killer team and thought that would be the year.

 

[mauconnfan]

I'm pretty sure that loss to Laettner and Dook in the Elite 8 is still the worst feeling I have EVER felt after a sporting event. I really expected the magical season to continue on to its logical conclusion.

The worst feeling prior to that was when the Clemson dude hit the jumper, then tate missed and we fouled with 1.6 seconds left…….being at the game it was basically over at the the 12 minute mark and then BANG…….but that ill felling was quickly erased only to have it come back 2 days later…….

Loved watching this again, my favorite video I have ever purchased……but the pain of watching the ball bounce out of Tate's hands and OOB's……still hurts!

 

[mauconnfan]

That was pretty bad Alex. But for some reason the one that stuck with me the longest was the Florida game when Donyell missed those FTs. I know it was the sweet sixteen but we had a killer team and thought that would be the year.

The game against Mississippi State had a hurting' on me…….thought they were good enough to make a run too…….

 

[David 76]

I was in my 30s. It is so hard to explain what it felt like that we could beat Georgetown, Saint Johns and win the big east. Even after that so many "experts" thought we would not get past the sweet 16.
2011 was the only season that compares because nothing was expected then either, but it is a very distant 2nd to the joy and the confidence boost of that season.
And the whole state was caught up in it. Tee shirts on sale at street corners. We held a parade for a team that went to the elite 8 and it was packed! No trolls either (even though trolls in those days couldn't blog) Pure joy

 

[Robertelamin]

That Georgetown game was really my first sports memory. My dad had season tickets my entire life and even had Hartford Hawks season tickets for the Civic Center so I had been to plenty of games but that was the game that got me hooked. I remember I had an indoor soccer game at Oakwood the day of the Duke game and most of the dads blew off our game and went to the bar there to watch UConn.