Oklahoma City Stars | |||
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University | Oklahoma City University | ||
Head coach | Mark Berokoff (1st season) | ||
Conference | Sooner Athletic Conference | ||
Location | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | ||
Arena | Abe Lemons Arena (Capacity: 3,500) | ||
Nickname | Stars | ||
Colors | Blue and white [1] | ||
NCAA tournament Elite Eight | |||
1956, 1957 | |||
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen | |||
1952, 1953, 1956, 1957, 1963, 1965 | |||
NCAA tournament appearances | |||
1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1973 | |||
NAIA tournament champions | |||
1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2007, 2008 | |||
Conference tournament champions | |||
Midwestern City Conference 1981 [2] Sooner Athletic Conference 1994, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2013, 2019 [3] |
The Oklahoma City Stars men's basketball team is the basketball team that represents Oklahoma City University (OCU) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Sooner Athletic Conference.
Oklahoma City competed in NCAA Division I for many years, and the program was especially noted for its success under coaches Doyle Parrack (1950–1955) and his successor Abe Lemons (1955–1973 and 1984–1990). [4] OCU appeared in eleven NCAA Men's Division I Basketball tournaments.
In 1985, the school moved from the NCAA to the NAIA citing the number of required NCAA sports, the Midwestern City Conference's insistence that teams host their games in arenas with seating capacities greater than 7,500, and MCC member's concerns of the lack of geographic proximity to their institutions as reasons for the move. [5] Since the move to the NAIA, OCU has won six national championships. [6]
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The Chiefs appeared in 11 NCAA Division I basketball tournaments from 1952 to 1973, making them the most prolific tournament team that is no longer in Division I. Their record in tournaments was 8-13, giving them the second most wins of non-DI teams after New York University. [7]
Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1952 | Sweet Sixteen Regional Third Place | Wyoming UCLA | L 48–54 W 55–53 | |
1953 | Sweet Sixteen Regional Third Place | Kansas TCU | L 65–73 L 56–58 | |
1954 | First Round | Bradley | L 55–61 | |
1955 | First Round | Bradley | L 65–69 | |
1956 | First Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | Memphis State Kansas State SMU | W 97–81 W 97–93 L 63–84 | |
1957 | First Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | Loyola (LA) Saint Louis Kansas | W 76–55 W 75–66 L 61–81 | |
1963 | First Round Sweet Sixteen Regional Third Place | Colorado State Colorado Texas | W 70–67 L 72–78 L 83–90 | |
1964 | First Round | Creighton | L 78–89 | |
1965 | First Round Sweet Sixteen Regional Third Place | Colorado State San Francisco BYU | W 70–68 L 67–91 W 112–102 | |
1966 | First Round | Texas Western | L 74–89 | |
1973 | First Round | Arizona State | L 78–103 |
The Chiefs played in the National Invitation Tournament twice. [8]
Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1959 | Quarterfinals | NYU | L 48–63 | |
1968 | First Round | Duke | L 81–97 |
Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1987 | 1 | First Round Second Round | Northwood (16) Georgetown (KY) | W 101–66 L 64–67 |
1991 | 2 | First Round Second Round Elite Eight Fab Four National Championship | Concordia (NE) (15) Concord St. Mary’s (MI) (6) Pfeiffer (5) Central Arkansas | W 80–77 W 107–85 W 112–94 W 100–83 W 77–74 |
1992 | 1 | First Round Second Round Elite Eight Fab Four National Championship | Columbia Union (16) Urbana Cumberlands (5) Pfeiffer (7) Central Arkansas | W 107–73 W 96–89 W 97–63 W 102–92 W 82–73 |
1993 | 6 | First Round Second Round | Spring Hill Lenoir–Rhyne | W 84–79 L 67–85 |
1994 | 5 | First Round Second Round Elite Eight Fab Four National Championship | Siena Heights St. Mary's (TX) (4) Drury (16) Oklahoma Baptist Life | W 104–99 W 86–75 W 90–70 W 86–85 W 99–81 |
1995 | 3 | First Round Second Round Elite Eight | Iowa Wesleyan (14) Transylvania (11) Pfeiffer | W 107–75 W 98–67 L 78–92 |
1996 | 14 | First Round Second Round Elite Eight Fab Four National Championship | St. Xavier (3) The Master’s (6) Birmingham–Southern Belmont (1) Georgetown (KY) | W 94–58 W 108–85 W 82–66 W 80–77 W 86–80 |
1998 | 8 | First Round Second Round | The Master’s (9) Incarnate Word | W 84–73 L 52–63 |
1999 | 6 | First Round Second Round | Houston Baptist Life | W 61–59 L 74–87 |
2000 | 5 | First Round Second Round | Westmont (12) Spring Hill | W 70–62 L 67–77 |
2001 | – | First Round Second Round | (15) Xavier (LA) (2) Azusa Pacific | W 91–69 L 54–94 |
2002 | 16 | First Round Second Round Elite Eight | Houston Baptist (1) Georgetown (KY) (9) Azusa Pacific | W 88–82 W 74–59 L 72–80 |
2003 | – | First Round | (9) St. Xavier | L 56–82 |
2004 | – | First Round Second Round Elite Eight | (7) Columbia (MO) (10) Lewis–Clark State (15) Mobile | W 81–48 W 79–65 L 62–75 |
2005 | – | First Round Second Round | (6) Mobile Carroll (MT) | W 77–74 L 65–66 |
2006 | 7 | First Round Second Round Elite Eight Fab Four National Championship | Columbia (MO) (10) Houston Baptist Lindsey Wilson (3) Robert Morris (IL) Texas Wesleyan | W 91–64 W 99–77 W 77–67 W 94–92 L 65–67 |
2007 | 2 | First Round Second Round Elite Eight Fab Four National Championship | Wiley (15) Illinois–Springfield (10) Azusa Pacific Faulkner (4) Concordia (CA) | W 90–74 W 90–78 W 84–68 W 76–61 W 79–71 |
2008 | 7 | First Round Second Round Elite Eight Fab Four National Championship | Cumberland (10) California Baptist (2) Lee Campbellsville (5) Mountain State | W 81–64 W 69–63 W 86–66 W 78–64 W 75–72 |
2010 | 16 | First Round | Southern Poly | L 70–78 |
2013 | – | First Round | (1) Columbia (MO) | L 37–68 |
2015 | – | First Round | (10) Concordia (CA) | L 62–74 |
2016 | 6 | First Round | (3) MidAmerica Nazarene | L 82–87 (OT) |
2017 | 7 | First Round | (2) Dillard | L 65–86 |
2018 | 2 | First Round Second Round | (7) Xavier (LA) (3) Georgetown (KY) | W 65–50 L 83–91 |
2019 | 7 | First Round Second Round | (2) Stillman (3) Carroll (MT) | W 101–84 L 69–80 |
Note: The NAIA shifted from national to regional seeds in 2016. [9]
Frederickson Fieldhouse was an athletics facility on the campus of Oklahoma City University. It was built in honor of a major OCU benefactor George Frederickson of Oklahoma City. It was built by the John Henry Frederickson Jr. Construction company, also of Oklahoma City. John Frederickson was the General Contractor, and his son, Chris Frederickson, also worked on the job as a laborer. George Frederickson was the uncle of John Henry Frederickson Jr. In his gift to OCU, George stipulated that the building should be built by his nephew, John Henry.
Frederickson Field House 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2) facility was at the time of its construction (1959) the largest hyperbolic paraboloid structure on earth. The Frederickson construction company was in fact a pioneering company in the design and building of extremely thin-shell concrete buildings, of which Frederickson Field House was one. Another famous thin-shell concrete structure built by John Henry Frederickson was the First Christian Church, also in Oklahoma City. That building has an "eggshell" shaped roof that is actually thinner (in proportion) than that of a real eggshell.
The Frederickson Field house venue held 3,400 for basketball. Asked why the scoreboard at the Field House was the first one to have a three digit placement for the team scores, Abe Lemons, the coach at the time, said come to the first game and you will find out. Teams rarely scored in the 100s at the time (late 1950s) but in the first game at the Field House OCU beat Florida State Univ by scoring 129 points in the game. The Chiefs (now the STARS) were to be one of the highest scoring teams in the country, scoring over 100 points a game on many occasions. As a Division I team OCU was an Independent team until joining the Midwestern City Conference, now known as the Horizon League. OCU dropped to NAIA status in 1985. It was replaced with the more modern Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activities Center in 2000, and torn down in 2005.
The NAIA men's basketball national championship has been held annually by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics since 1937 to determine the national champion of men's college basketball among its members in the United States and Canada.
The NAIA women's basketball tournament has been held annually by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics since 1981 to determine the national champion of women's college basketball among its members in the United States and Canada.
Oklahoma City University (OCU) is a private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
A.E. "Abe" Lemons was an American college basketball player and coach. As a head coach at Oklahoma City University, Pan American University and the University of Texas at Austin, he compiled a record of 594–343 in 34 seasons.
The 1994 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 17, 1994, and ended with the championship game on April 4 in Charlotte, North Carolina, played at Charlotte Coliseum. A total of 63 games were played.
The 2007 Buffalo Funds - NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament was held from March 14 to 20 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. This was the 70th annual NAIA basketball tournament and features 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. This tournament had the most total points scored for both teams in one game in the history of the NAIA tournament. Totaling 243pts when Concordia (CA) got 124pts and beat Robert Morris (IL) who has 119pts. That game went into 4 overtimes. Concordia would go on to be the 2007 runner-up to Oklahoma City University. Oklahoma City University would beat Concordia 79 to 71.
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The 64th NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament was held in March at the Tulsa Convention Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was the second tournament held in the Tulsa Convention Center and the last tournament to be held in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 64th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. 2001 would bring four new teams to the NAIA national semifinals. The first tournament since 1969 tournament to do so.. It surpasses the 15 year gap between a fresh set of semi-finalist that was between 1947-1969. It would be the only time this would happen outside of Kansas City.
Gary Weir Hill was an American professional basketball player. Before playing professional basketball in the NBA, Hill came from Rocky, Oklahoma, where Bud, Henry and Ron Koper, Jay and Dennis Harris and Steve Fite came from before starring at Oklahoma City University. They became known as the Rocky Rockets. Hill scored 2,739 points and averaged 24.5 points, setting state records and becoming an all-American during his high-school career.
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The West Georgia Wolves are the athletic teams that represent the University of West Georgia, located in Carrollton, Georgia, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Wolves compete as members of the Gulf South Conference for all 13 varsity sports. West Georgia has been a member of the GSC since 1983. On September 8, 2023, West Georgia announced they would be joining NCAA Division I as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN), effective July 1, 2024. The football team will join the United Athletic Conference, a football-only partnership between the ASUN and the Western Athletic Conference, at the same time.
The Texas–Pan American Broncs were the varsity athletic teams representing University of Texas–Pan American in Edinburg, Texas in intercollegiate athletics. The university sponsored 15 teams including men and women's basketball, cross country, golf, tennis, and track and field ; soccer and volleyball for women only; and baseball for men only. The last varsity sport to be established for the Broncs was women's soccer, added for the 2014 season, with men's soccer added in 2015, the year that the merger took place. The Broncs compete in the NCAA Division I and are currently members of the Western Athletic Conference.
The Oklahoma City Stars are the athletic teams that represent Oklahoma City University, located in Oklahoma City, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) for most of its sports since the 1986–87 academic year. The Stars previously competed at the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the Midwestern City Conference from 1979–80 to 1984–85; in the D-I Trans America Athletic Conference during the 1978–79 school year, and as a Division I independent prior to that. Its women's wrestling team competed in the Women's College Wrestling Association (WCWA).
Kenneth Franklin Trickey Sr. was an American basketball and baseball coach, best known for his two stints as the head coach for the men's basketball team at Oral Roberts University (ORU) in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was especially remembered for ORU's high-scoring "run and gun" teams of the early 1970s, which helped the young, small school attain national attention and competitive success, including a spot in the Elite Eight in the 1974 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. After his death in 2012, the Tulsa World called him "one of the most influential and colorful characters in this state’s basketball history".
The 1981 Midwestern City Conference men's basketball tournament was held March 3–5 at campus sites (quarterfinals), Frederickson Fieldhouse in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (semifinals), and Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati, Ohio (finals).
Jerry Lee Wells was an American professional basketball player. He played at Ralph Bunche High School in his hometown of Glasgow, Kentucky, and committed to play for the Oklahoma City Chiefs alongside high school teammate Charlie Hunter as the first two African-Americans to play for the Chiefs basketball team. Wells' scoring ability helped take the Stars to three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. He led the Chiefs in scoring during his junior and senior seasons. Chiefs head coach Abe Lemons stated that, "for his size, [Wells was] as good as a player I've had in 10 years at OCU" and "an All-American if there ever was one".
The 1980–81 Oklahoma City Chiefs men's basketball team represented Oklahoma City University in the 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season as a member of the Midwestern City Conference. They finished the season 14-15 overall, tied for second in the MCC regular season title with a 7–4 record and won the 1981 Midwestern City Conference men's basketball tournament. However, the conference did not receive a bid to the NCAA tournament. They were coached by Ken Trickey in his second season as head coach of the Chiefs. They played their home games at Frederickson Fieldhouse in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The 1984–85 Oklahoma City Chiefs men's basketball team represented Oklahoma City University in the 1984–85 NCAA Division I men's basketball season as a member of the Midwestern City Conference. They finished the season with a 6–20 overall record, and a 1–13 conference record. They were coached by Abe Lemons in his twentieth season as head coach of the Chiefs. They played their home games at Frederickson Fieldhouse in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This was the program's final season in NCAA Division I as OCU moved its athletic programs to the NAIA following the season.