Marquette has always had a rich athletic tradition, especially of late. The volleyball team, both men’s and women’s soccer, men’s basketball and other programs have experienced recent success. This season marked the 50th anniversary of the men’s soccer team, and as a result, the Journal staff went into the archives to take a look at the past 50 years in men’s soccer and Marquette’s most followed sport, men’s basketball.
1964
In 1964, Marquette began playing soccer at the varsity level for the first time. They played their first-ever match Sept. 19 against Illinois.
The September 25, 1964 edition of the Tribune called for fan support for the newly formed team. The paper read, “A robust crowd Saturday would do justice to the 22 men who will wear the blue and gold ‘MU’ in competition against respected teams, used to exhibiting their skills before enthusiastic and populous audiences.”
The same year kicked off one of the most memorable eras of Marquette basketball; Al McGuire started his first season as the Warriors men’s basketball coach. Leading scorer and captain Tom Flynn averaged 16.5 points per game, but he and McGuire only managed an 8-18 record his inaugural season.
The Warriors managed to get two victories against Wisconsin and an overtime victory against Loyola-Chicago. But the team faltered in the end of the season, losing 10 of its last 11 games. It would be the only losing season of McGuire’s time at Marquette.
1970
Just five years on the job, McGuire turned a losing team into champions. The Warriors set a then-school record of 26-3 and an 89.6 winning percentage. Marquette declined an NCAA tournament bid in the West in order to play in the NIT, where the team made it to the championship to play against St. John’s. McGuire captained the team to a 65-53 victory against the Redmen for Marquette’s first basketball championship in any tournament.
1977
The men’s soccer team did not enjoy the same success that the men’s basketball team did in the ’76-’77 school year. Coach Joe Born and the Warriors suffered tough losses to three in-state rivals: Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Wisconsin-Madison and Wisconsin-Green Bay. They finished their season with a 4-6 record, which was two more wins than they won the previous season.
1977 was the banner year for the Warrior basketball team. It was McGuire’s final season as coach, and the team was determined to go out on top. The Warriors finished the season 25-7, facing seven Top-25 teams during the season. Just two years removed from being NCAA runners-up, the team accepted a bid to the NCAA Tournament and was placed in the Midwest region. Victories against Cincinnati, Kansas State and Wake Forest put the Warriors back in the Final Four, and a victory against North Carolina-Charlotte put the Warriors in the national championship game.
Facing off against the North Carolina-Chapel Hill Tar Heels, the Warriors sent McGuire out in style. Butch Lee led the team with 19 points, and the Warriors captured their first NCAA championship with the 67-59 victory. McGuire retired following the season, concluding his career with a 295-80 record at Marquette.
1994
This year saw the biggest change in Marquette athletics, when athletic director Bill Cords announced the university would change its name from the Warriors. Cords said pressure from Native Americans had no influence in the switch. The decision was met with a lot of criticism from the student body and former students, most of them arguing that it was not offensive to Native Americans and that changing the name would be disrespectful to those athletes who won championships under the Warrior name, such as the 1970 and 1977 men’s basketball teams. The Warriors were renamed the Golden Eagles.
1997
The men’s soccer team made the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history. Led by goalkeeper Jim Welsh, who held the Marquette career shutout record until he was passed by Charlie Lyon this 2014 season, the Golden Eagles won a share of the Conference USA title with South Florida.
Despite falling to St. Louis in the Conference USA championship 2-0, the Golden Eagles were rewarded for their successful regular season. Marquette received an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament.
“Simply unbelievable,” senior forward Drew Watzka told the Tribune in the Nov. 18, 1997 edition. “We deserved to be in this tournament, we did the work and beat the great teams and showed them we’re one of the great teams.”
However, the post-season wouldn’t last long. Marquette was quickly knocked out in the first round with a 1-0 loss to Bowling Green.
The men’s basketball team also had postseason success. In Mike Deane’s third season as coach, the Golden Eagles posted a 22-9 regular season record, including a 9-5 conference finish. Statement wins at No. 4 Iowa State and against No. 15 Louisville, as well as the program’s first Conference USA Tournament championship, which propelled the team into the NCAA Tournament. The dance would be short-lived, however, as the Golden Eagles were bounced in the first round by Providence.
2003
Perhaps Marquette’s most famous alumnus came to play in 2003. Junior Dwayne Wade and coach Tom Crean helped create one of the most memorable seasons for Marquette. The Golden Eagles finished the season 27-6, going 14-2 in conference play, including a stretch when Marquette won 15 of 16 games. The 14-2 record was good enough for the C-USA regular season championship, but the men lost to Alabama-Birmingham in the conference tournament. Despite the loss, the Golden Eagles made it to the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Final Four for the first time since Al McGuire. However, the Golden Eagles would fall to Kansas in the semifinals and Wade would forego his senior season to enter the NBA draft.
2005
A big step for Marquette athletics. For the first season ever, Marquette competed in the Big East conference.
The men’s soccer team had a disappointing 2005 campaign, finishing 5-11-1 and struggling in Big East play. This led to the resignation of head coach Steve Adlord after 14 seasons. Marquette had won two conference regular season championships under Adlord in 1997 and 2002.
“It is time for someone to take over and build this team to the next level,” Adlord told the Tribune after he stepped down.
One month after Adlord’s resignation, Marquette announced the hiring of Louis Bennett, who had spent the past ten seasons at Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
“Christmas came early for the men’s soccer team,” Steve Yanda wrote.
Athletic director Bill Cords was sold on Bennett, so much so that he hired him before discussing with the five-player panel chosen to help voice their position during the search.
“This is an opportunity to go against the best on a consistent basis and to work towards being the best,” Bennett said.
As for basketball, the team ended the season with a respectable 19-12, but finished 7-9 in conference play. Captain Steve Novak led the team with 17.5 points per game. Marquette’s biggest win of the season came against No. 2 Connecticut, but they failed to get any other wins against ranked opponents. The Golden Eagles would lose in the first round of both the Big East and NCAA Tournament, ending the season on a sour note.
2012
In 2012, the men’s soccer team tied the program record for regular season wins with their 16-4-1 record. Marquette lost to Georgetown in the Big East tournament semi-finals but received an at-large bid. They were selected as a seven-seed in the tournament, earning a bye in the program’s second ever NCAA berth.
The Golden Eagles lost in their first match in the round of 32, upset by the Northwestern Wildcats 1-0.
The men’s basketball team continued to have success in the Big East. The Golden Eagles finished the season 26-9, getting home victories against No. 15 Georgetown and No. 12 Syracuse and establishing the longest home winning streak in the country. Marquette also notched its first regular season conference championship, but fell to Notre Dame in the conference tournament.
In the NCAA Tournament, Marquette barely defeated Davidson on a last-second basket from Vander Blue. The Golden Eagles then outlasted Butler and soundly beat the Miami Hurricanes to make it to the Elite Eight, searching for its first Final Four berth since 2003. However, the Golden Eagles could not beat Syracuse’s zone defense and were eliminated from the NCAA tournament.
2013
Men’s soccer made the tournament for a second year in a row in 2013, but it was the first time not through an at-large bid. The Golden Ealges won their first Big East tournament championship with a win over Providence. Marquette once again received a bye, but would face perennial powerhouse Akron in their first match.
The Golden Eagles earned their first ever NCAA tournament victory in thrilling overtime fashion, as Coco Navarro scored with only 25 seconds remaining to propel Marquette over Akron 1-0. In the third round, the eighth-seeded Golden Eagles faced the ninth-seeded Virginia Cavaliers. Despite Virginia defender Matt Brown receiving a red card in the 1st minute, Marquette was unable to take advantage. The team fell 3-1 to the shorthanded Cavaliers.
Marquette entered the 2013 season under the “new” Big East, but underwhelmed in the realigned conference. As for men’s basketball, the Golden Eagles had their home winning streak snapped in a loss to Ohio State, and lost at No. 8 Wisconsin in non-conference play. Marquette reached Big East play and continued to be frustrating, trading wins and losses for the first 10 games. Marquette would finish out the season 17-15 and 9-9 in conference play, missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2004-05 season.
During the offseason, Buzz Williams left Marquette to head to Virginia Tech, and the Golden Eagles would hire Steve Wojciechowski as his replacement.
