December 29, 1934: The 1st Madison Square Garden Doubleheader

December 29, 1934: Madison Square Garden in Midtown Manhattan hosts its 1st college basketball doubleheader. It was set up by Edward S. "Ned" Irish, then head of promotions for The Garden.

Irish, then 29 years old and a native of Brooklyn, had covered Manhattan College basketball games for the New York World-Telegram, and saw that their games, especially against other teams in New York City, had more demand than the seats had supply. So he quit his job to become promotions director for The Garden, whose current version, built in 1925, was between 49th and 50th Streets, and 8th and 9th Avenues.

Ned Irish

For the 1st doubleheader, each game featured a New York City-based team vs. one from outside the city. In the 1st game, New York University, of Manhattan, beat the University of Notre Dame, of South Bend, Indiana, 25-18. NYU would finish the 1934-35 season 19-1, and were recognized as National Champions. In the 2nd game, St. John's University, of Queens, lost to Westminster College, of New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, 37-33.

If those scores seem low to you, consider the state of the sport at the time: It was almost all slow, skinny white guys; there was no shot clock; and, until 1938, there was a center jump after every basket. In other words, what would become known as the fast break was not only difficult, it was completely impractical.

A crowd of 16,138 attended, then the largest crowd ever to pay to see a basketball game, at any level, marking the experiment as a success. Another doubleheader was set up for a week later, on January 5, 1935. NYU beat Kentucky, 23-22, before a new record high, 16,539.

Though defeated, Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp liked the idea so much that he suggested that there should be a national college basketball tournament. That was such a good idea that, by the end of the decade, there were 2: The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) started in 1938, the 1st one won by Temple University of Philadelphia; and the NCAA Tournament started in 1939, the 1st one won by the University of Oregon.

After the 1934-35 season, being invited to play in a "Garden doubleheader" was a sign that a school had made the big time. Already known as "The Mecca of Boxing," The Garden became known as "The Mecca of Basketball."

But the point-shaving scandal of 1951 crippled New York City basketball, with only St. John's among the City's schools emerging unscathed. After that, the pro game became more popular, with Ned Irish becoming the founding owner of the New York Knicks. The event that opened the new Garden in 1968 was a doubleheader. Dave DeBusschere scored the new Garden's 1st basket -- not for the Knicks, but for the Detroit Pistons in the 1st game of the doubleheader.

In 1959, Irish sold the Knicks to Irving Felt, but remained team president. He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1964. In 1968, he and Felt moved the Knicks into the current Madison Square Garden, between 31st and 33rd Streets, and 7th and 8th Avenues. He retired as team president in 1974, and died in 1982.

The event that opened the new Garden in 1968 was a doubleheader. Dave DeBusschere scored the new Garden's 1st basket -- not for the Knicks, but for the Detroit Pistons, in the 1st game of the doubleheader.

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December 29, 1934 was a Saturday. ABC News reporter Tom Jarriel was born on this day.

The NBA hadn't been founded yet. Baseball was in the off-season. No college football games were played that day, as there were, as yet very few bowl games. The NFL season had ended 20 days earlier, with the New York Giants beating the Chicago Bears in the Championship Game.

There were 2 games played in the NHL: The New York Americans beat the Montreal Canadiens, 3-1 at the Montreal Forum. and the Montreal Maroons beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-2 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

And in English soccer, Arsenal and Hampshire team Portsmouth played to a 1-1 draw at Highbury in North London.

March 30, 1944: College Basketball's Red Cross Benefit

March 30, 1944: For the 1st time, college basketball has the equivalent of a boxing "unification bout." It features the winners of the NCAA Tournament and the winners of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), for a true, if unofficial, National Championship.

Two days earlier, the University of Utah, coached by Vadal Peterson, won the NCAA Tournament, beating Ivy League school Dartmouth in the Final, 42-40 at the old Madison Square Garden. Arnie Ferrin was named the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

(A freshman, Ferrin was eligible to play under wartime conditions. It would be 1972 before the NCAA allowed freshmen to play varsity sports under normal conditions, unaffected by a wartime manpower drain or a tragedy, as in the 1970 plane crashes that killed most of the players on the football teams at Wichita State and Marshall universities.)

The NIT was won by St. John's University, of Jamaica, Queens, New York City. They were coached by Joe Lapchick, who had starred as a player with the top professional team of the 1920s, the New York-based Original Celtics. The Redmen, a.k.a. the Johnnies, had 11 players. One was from nearby Cliffside Park, New Jersey. The other 10 were all from the City.

Since the entire NIT was played at The Garden, SJU's secondary home court, they were essentially playing at home in each round, including the Final, 47-39 win over DePaul University of Chicago. DePaul were coached by Ray Meyer, and had a rising star, 6-foot-10 sophomore George Mikan. They would be back.

With the Utah Redskins still in New York, the unofficial national championship game was set up, as a benefit for the International Red Cross. Utah won, 44-36.

Ferrin went off to war, came back alive, and, as a senior, led Utah to the NIT title in 1947. He later had his Number 22 retired by the school, won 2 NBA Championships with the Minneapolis Lakers, and was the last surviving member of both the '44 Redskins and the '49 Lakers, living until 2022.

Both schools would abandon their racist mascots. In 1972, Utah abandoned "Redskins" for "Utes," to honor the Native America tribe for which the State was named. In 1995, St. John's abandoned "Redmen" for "Red Storm."

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March 30, 1944 was a Thursday. Baseball was in Spring Training. Football was out of season. The NBA hadn't been founded yet. Hockey was in the Semifinal round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, both of which were clinched on this night. The Montreal Canadiens beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 11-0 at the Montreal Forum. And the Chicago Black Hawks beat the Detroit Red Wings, 5-2 at the Olympia Stadium in Detroit. The Canadiens went on to win the Cup.