olddog71

Dane Pound, Thank you for your response on articles in today's Times Union. At this time, as we near the end of the regular season, I would like to extend my thanks for the wonderful job you have done in running this website. I cannot convey how helpful the information found here has been to me. Despite the surface dismal record of the men's team this season, I have been really excited about their performance. Part of my enthusiasm relates to the efforts put forth by you and others to impart information on the team. Whenever I come to the games -- which is difficult because of the long distance I have to travel -- I feel very informed about what is about to happen. And that advantage makes the game I am viewing much more enjoyable. Best of luck in the rest of the season. I hope you will continue your fine efforts in future seasons.

I am looking in vain for an article in the Times Union on the men's game against Hartford. I would have thought that the game merited some coverage in the Internet version of the newspaper. I saw the game in person, but I do not live locally, so it is difficult to obtain a real newspaper. There was coverage of the women's game against Hartford and the Siena men's game against Marist, but absolutely no mention of the men's game against Hartford. Anybody have any idea why this is so?

Yes, let's hope so. Maybe we can talk next year of the "Dane Dog Double Der!"

Patch, Once again, well spoken. I have just one quibble with the posts on Zoellner. Let's stop calling him "DAS big man." He's really "DER big man." "Der" in German refers to masculine objects, and the word for man is "der Mann." I should know. I used to teach the language. "Das," by the way, refers to neuter objects. Unless you meant that Zoellner might be the big "neutr"-alizer. That's not a bad thought, either. Thank you for letting me air my little quibble. More importantly, let's hope he can be a big factor and lead next year's Danes to a title!

Dane Pound, Very good observations on last night's game. I agree. Sometimes I felt like our team was much more uptight than UNH. The team felt like it had to justify itself to the crowd. To compound it (no pun intended), UNH felt like it had more to prove. I hope that the newcomers in the crowd felt the atmosphere was conducive enough despite the final outcome to return for another engagement. Next year, when I hope we are much more competitive, I would suggest that we have two BPG's - one at the beginning of the season to entice new fans, and then the more traditional event around the same usual time. Of course, I realize that the first event would not be able to have the same name as BPG. We have to get more people into the seats than in the last couple years. The RACC must be a place where the opposition will be much more intimidated than the home team. Having two such big events during one season might get our team a little calmer.

Final score 64-60. Anyone know any details?

Yes, I remember that game well -- Doc's 500th. There is a broadly published picture of Doc being hoisted up on the shoulders of his team as the crowd loudly and proudly chanted "500, 500, 500, . . . " A very special moment in the history of Albany basketball. I doubt if anyone else will be able to duplicate the effort and genius of Doc Sauers at Albany -- although Will Brown could be a very good potential follow-up.

"When is it going to go our way?" Next year, and very often!

There may have been some financial issues involved. The biggest was the salary. I think Hicks made $80,000 his last year. He may have wanted more. Eventually, the coach's salary settled at around $120,000.

Well stated, Dane Pound. I am with you. The arguments going on in this forum right now are really stupid. I love this basketball team right now. Although the team may win the fewest games of any Albany team in the last 49 years, I am behind them 100%. And I cannot wait until next year. For the last 32 years I have had to travel a long distance to attend basketball games at UA, but this year's games are well worth it even though I have yet to see them post a W. It does not make any difference because I see a very rosy future. And although the fall is normally very busy for me and I cannot get to any football games, that does not diminish my loyalty to them. I follow them and wish them all the best in the near future. Let's stop the stupid words and get behind all our teams!

Downtown, Well stated!

And put us in the center of the court this time. It should be a home game for Albany. No more second class citizenship from now on.

Not receiving newspaper coverage is usually a good omen for the team. Having said that, I think we will not pull this game out. LIU has done too well against comparable teams already this season. I also don't like the fact that LIU is playing at home. Now, Great Danes, surprise me!

We are definitely heading in the right direction, even in the fan recruitment department. I have been going to Great Dane games for over 35 years, and the team NEVER attracted over 2,500 fans with a losing record. It will be great to see what happens as the team record improves. In the meantime, it looks like the seed has already been planted for drawing more fans this year. The situation already looks better this year. I cannot wait until 2004-05. Thanks for keeping a distant, old-timer up-to-date on what is developing. This website is great!

Allow me to add my greetings for a wonderful Thanksgiving to Dane Pound and his wife and to everyone else who reads the info here. Thanks for the info you all provide which allows me to stay more intimately in contact with this year's team despite the distance my wife and I are located from the campus. It's great to see the diversity of fans on the forums. We are located in very different places, and we are in different stages of our life, but we all maintain a love for our Great Danes. I'd better leave now before I drown in my own stuffing. Thanks again.

Statefan, I have looked through all the articles I have accumulated on the Danes and was not successful in locating the article on the Albany-Siena game which ended prematurely with a fight in the stands. If something shows up, though, I'll post it.

I was there sitting on the other side, so I had a nice view of the event. I believe the game stopped with 1 minute, 16 seconds left on the clock. I will try to look through the paraphernalia I have on past games for any article. Nice game, wasn't it?

Thanks for the extra -- correct -- info. I had forgotten who the E. Johnson was. Thanks for solving that mystery.

Sorry, make that Dave Supronowicz and someone listed in the box score as "E. Johnson." I forgot who he is.

You are so right. Also on the team then were Pete Koola and Brian (?) Supronowicz.

I would like to share an article with all the posters and readers of this forum. For me, the article describes perhaps the most exciting and intense — and gratifying — basketball game I have ever seen. The article appeared on page C-10 of the Times Union on Sunday, February 10, 1974. “A built-up flood of emotion from a highly-partisan Albany crowd was as big a factor as any in State’s nail-biting victory over visiting Siena Saturday. “Roughly three-quarters of the Standing Room Only crowd were Great Dane rooters, and they packed University Gym early and then decorated it with huge, mostly profane posters. “Many of State’s fans saw the game as a chance for their smaller underdog Danes to knock off a bigger, more publicized team. “For Rudy Vido (State ‘75), beating Siena was a strong feeling that had been burning inside. ‘It’s like the difference between good weather and a snowstorm,’ he said. “Siena’s fans’ reactions before the game ranged from a modest, ‘Siena will win,’ to an analysis of why the Great Danes would be in trouble tonight. “The tension between Dane fans [and] Siena counterparts rose steadily as the second half of the JV game wore down on. “Although outnumbered, Siena’s supporters were up to the task, screaming word-for-word with the Albany crowd, including its most vocal group, the Albany State Potter Club. “By game-time, everyone of the nearly 3,000 spectators were psyched and ready. “When Siena dominated the first half, the gym belonged to Indian fans, and they took full advantage of it, hurling chants and taunts at the Albany majority. “Halftime brought relief for the subdued Albany fans, when some of their members paraded their posters around the court. “Regrouping as the Albany team did, the State fans came alive in the second half. “By the time the minutes dwindled down to a precious few, the Great Dane partisans, whom Doc Sauers said were worth a good 10 points to his team, reached full stride. “The sides of the gym became seas of clapping hands with clenched fists of victory jutting in and out. “The Albany fans[‘] favorite tactic, stomping feet and rhythmic [clapping] took on the characteristics of a fast approaching train, spurred on by their team’s rally. “And though the Siena fans battled to the buzzer with their team, State got in the last word both on and off the court. “The second after the game was decided, the Dane rooters got in the last chant of the evening, ‘Check that score!” Less than a week later, I attended a basketball game in the Hudson Valley where I teach. The refs doing that game were talking animatedly about the Albany-Siena game. Especially emphasized was the observation that the refs working the Albany game could not hear each other’s whistles, so loud were the State fans.