Favorite Year as a Bills fan

[Westy03]

as a rather younger fan(25yrs old) I would have to say the 97'98 year with Hughes has to be my favorite. Eventhough I remember spoonball with H, Clags, Highmark, Dobbs, and Robinson I still have to go with the 98 team. I got to see all the NCAA tourney games those 3 seperate years and Atlanta was by far the most exciting. After beating UMASS and staying the extra day to watch us and UK play was an amazing experience, the dome was sold out and there were maybe 3,000 SLU fans. For those SLU pessimists that think college basketball wont flourish in St. Louis under Majerus go check the attendence in 93, 94, 98. The arena/keil center was jammed every night.

What was your favorite year as a bills fan?

[NH]

the year we beat Southern Miss and Memphis in the tourney. It was my first tournament

[powerballer]

My favorite year was last year. It was the only year I had season tickets.

[Quality Is Job 1]

I agree that the Year of the Legend (1997-98) was the best for SLU fans, but 94-95 squad deserves an honorable mention. Led by Claggett, Highmark, Waldman, Robinson, and Harris, the Bills finished second (?) in the Great Midwest, pushed Cincinnati to the brink in the GMC title game, and then knocked off Minnesota in a nail-biter before succumbing to Wake Forest and Tim Duncan in the NCAA Tournament. The SLU students at the game chanted, "We are.... Saint Louis!" after the hard-fought victory over the Gophers (I didn't know at that time that they copied that from Marquette -- besides, "Saint Louis" has a better ring to it than "Mar-Ket").

But I believe there are better days ahead than even those memories.

[kshoe]

I agree that the Year of the Legend (1997-98) was the best for SLU fans, but 94-95 squad deserves an honorable mention. Led by Claggett, Highmark, Waldman, Robinson, and Harris, the Bills finished second (?) in the Great Midwest, pushed Cincinnati to the brink in the GMC title game, and then knocked off Minnesota in a nail-biter before succumbing to Wake Forest and Tim Duncan in the NCAA Tournament. The SLU students at the game chanted, "We are.... Saint Louis!" after the hard-fought victory over the Gophers (I didn't know at that time that they copied that from Marquette -- besides, "Saint Louis" has a better ring to it than "Mar-Ket").

But I believe there are better days ahead than even those memories.

For my money its the 93-94 season. Largely unexpected, we start the season 14-0, climb to 19-1, a 14 national ranking and the city was on fire with Spoonball. No, we didn't win an NCAA game that year but when something great happens that is totally unexpected its hard to not love it.

[thetorch]

Several years were extremely memorable.

88-89 and 89-90 getting to go to NYC with the team as a youngster was one of best times in my life.

Claggett and Highmark's jr and Sr years it was just a madhouse every game.

Trip to Atlanta was fantastic. I was 18 and roadtripped down there with a bunch of buddies.

Marque Perry's senior year was also great. He wasn't the best player ever, the team wasn't that great but he just willed games for us. So many times he would completely take over the game singlehandedly. Perry may be my favorite billiken ever.

[Clock_Tower]

Several years were extremely memorable.

88-89 and 89-90 getting to go to NYC with the team as a youngster was one of best times in my life.

Claggett and Highmark's jr and Sr years it was just a madhouse every game.

Trip to Atlanta was fantastic. I was 18 and roadtripped down there with a bunch of buddies.

Marque Perry's senior year was also great. He wasn't the best player ever, the team wasn't that great but he just willed games for us. So many times he would completely take over the game singlehandedly. Perry may be my favorite billiken ever.

My favorite year was probably the Senior year of Gray and Douglas which also was the Junior year of Bonner. While the talent level and achievements were greater under H, Clags and Highmark and also under Larry, there was something about those years under Grawer. Probably a combination of how far the Bills had come (Ron Ekker years to talk of Division III to last chance with Grawer), how much excitement was there without the overly high expectations, the old Kiel was more intimate, the crowds smaller, nice rivalry with X and quite a few local players as well.

[slufanskip]

Several years were extremely memorable.

88-89 and 89-90 getting to go to NYC with the team as a youngster was one of best times in my life.

Claggett and Highmark's jr and Sr years it was just a madhouse every game.

Trip to Atlanta was fantastic. I was 18 and roadtripped down there with a bunch of buddies.

Marque Perry's senior year was also great. He wasn't the best player ever, the team wasn't that great but he just willed games for us. So many times he would completely take over the game singlehandedly. Perry may be my favorite billiken ever.

Perry is my favorite Bill and I would rate his Sr season as my favoite for the same reason as the one you listed. Next would be the Clag, H, Highmark Sr year.

[BLIKNS]

Perry is my favorite Bill and I would rate his Sr season as my favoite for the same reason as the one you listed. Next would be the Clag, H, Highmark Sr year.

I would agree that 93-94 was mine,everything came out of nowhere,being ranked nationally,I remember ESPN lead with a story about the Bill-i-cans.SI doing a story about Spoonball.Knowing the first invite to the NCAA`s were coming after 37 years without.

others 94-95

97-98

88-89 and 89-90(getting to NY for the NIT championship,beating Wisconsin and New Mexico on the road,R.Gray)

[slu72]

I would agree that 93-94 was mine,everything came out of nowhere,being ranked nationally,I remember ESPN lead with a story about the Bill-i-cans.SI doing a story about Spoonball.Knowing the first invite to the NCAA`s were coming after 37 years without.

others 94-95

97-98

88-89 and 89-90(getting to NY for the NIT championship,beating Wisconsin and New Mexico on the road,R.Gray)

Surprised no one mentioned the Miracle in Memphis year of 99-00. Didn't go far in the tourney but getting there was more than half the fun.

[MusicCityBilliken]

I have to say the 70-71 season. That team had Harry Rogers, Jimmy Irving, Mike Lockette, Carlos Martinez, Bill Paradowski, Jesse 'the Ghost' Leonard, and Bill Stallworth.

Talk about a unreal schedule>they played in the tough OLD MVC (that had Louisville and Memphis), plus non-conference games aganist a Austin Carr at Notre Dame, Dean Miminger and Jim Chones at Marquette, Missouri, Michigan, Illinois and the National Champion UCLA. I recall going up to Bradley with several busloads of Bills fans to watch a 2 point heartbreaker loss to Louisville in a playoff.

That team was tough and if the NCAA had 65 team Tourney rather then the 32 team tourney, they would have gotten in.

[kshoe]

Surprised no one mentioned the Miracle in Memphis year of 99-00. Didn't go far in the tourney but getting there was more than half the fun.

Before those 4 wonderful days in Memphis that was a pretty crappy season. We underachieved most of the conference season and some pretty bad losses in there. To me, ranking the seasons depends heavily on the excitement level around the program for the whole year which is why I voted for the 93-94 season.

[Box and Won]

Easily the 93-94 season. Seeing the momentum build as the Bills opened the season with a lengthy winning streak (weren't we 13-0 or 14-0 before losing to Marquette on the road) was incredible. I seem to remember that on selection Sunday, we were one of the last teams chosen, which was tough to endure. We lost to Maryland in the tourney on St. Patty's Day that year, but just being a part of it for the first time in 50 years was an absolute blast.

[willie]

I have to say the 70-71 season. That team had Harry Rogers, Jimmy Irving, Mike Lockette, Carlos Martinez, Bill Paradowski, Jesse 'the Ghost' Leonard, and Bill Stallworth.

Talk about a unreal schedule>they played in the tough OLD MVC (that had Louisville and Memphis), plus non-conference games aganist a Austin Carr at Notre Dame, Dean Miminger and Jim Chones at Marquette, Missouri, Michigan, Illinois and the National Champion UCLA. I recall going up to Bradley with several busloads of Bills fans to watch a 2 point heartbreaker loss to Louisville in a playoff.

That team was tough and if the NCAA had 65 team Tourney rather then the 32 team tourney, they would have gotten in.

I'm too old to remember that game at Bradley.With the exception of Easy Ed and the Legend, Harry Rogers may have been the best player to wear the Billiken Uniform. If I remember we were in a three way tie for first and drew the short straw, thus the game at Bradley.

[cheeseman]

I'm too old to remember that game at Bradley.With the exception of Easy Ed and the Legend, Harry Rogers may have been the best player to wear the Billiken Uniform. If I remember we were in a three way tie for first and drew the short straw, thus the game at Bradley.

That was a great game and season. The drive up with 5 of my friends after classes was a great time and the close loss made the drive back to SLU even harder then it normally is - if memory serves me correctly, some part of that drive was only 2 lanes then. Long day and longer due to the loss.

[willie]

That was a great game and season. The drive up with 5 of my friends after classes was a great time and the close loss made the drive back to SLU even harder then it normally is - if memory serves me correctly, some part of that drive was only 2 lanes then. Long day and longer due to the loss.

If I remember Sudden Sam Williams had an unbelievable game,thowing in shots from everywhere.

[Quality Is Job 1]

I have to say the 70-71 season. That team had Harry Rogers, Jimmy Irving, Mike Lockette, Carlos Martinez, Bill Paradowski, Jesse 'the Ghost' Leonard, and Bill Stallworth.

Talk about a unreal schedule>they played in the tough OLD MVC (that had Louisville and Memphis), plus non-conference games aganist a Austin Carr at Notre Dame, Dean Miminger and Jim Chones at Marquette, Missouri, Michigan, Illinois and the National Champion UCLA. I recall going up to Bradley with several busloads of Bills fans to watch a 2 point heartbreaker loss to Louisville in a playoff.

That team was tough and if the NCAA had 65 team Tourney rather then the 32 team tourney, they would have gotten in.

I wasn't even living in St. Louis then (not to mention the fact that I turned only two during that season). But my book knowledge tells me that that was the last Billikens team to win (or share) a regular-season conference championship. It must have been a really good team.

[Box and Won]

Marque Perry's senior year was also great. He wasn't the best player ever, the team wasn't that great but he just willed games for us. So many times he would completely take over the game singlehandedly. Perry may be my favorite billiken ever.

Good call. I really wish we could have made the tournament that year - Marque deserved it. He was so clutch that year - how many buzzer-beaters did he have? He would have had one more against Mizzou at the Scottrade had "Chia-Head" not made the only three-pointer of his collegiate career moments later. A win in that game might have given us a high enough RPI for an at-large bid - I remember that we were on the bubble at the end.

[Battlecat455]

Good call. I really wish we could have made the tournament that year - Marque deserved it. He was so clutch that year - how many buzzer-beaters did he have? He would have had one more against Mizzou at the Scottrade had "Chia-Head" not made the only three-pointer of his collegiate career moments later. A win in that game might have given us a high enough RPI for an at-large bid - I remember that we were on the bubble at the end.

We have probably had better teams, but those teams in 88-89 and 89-90 really were exciting. As ClockTower noted, we were seriously close to dropping to DivIII before Grawer turned things around. I was an undergrad during the Ekker debacle. It was a thrill to see the team turn things around and AB was an absolute beast.

[thetorch]

Good call. I really wish we could have made the tournament that year - Marque deserved it. He was so clutch that year - how many buzzer-beaters did he have? He would have had one more against Mizzou at the Scottrade had "Chia-Head" not made the only three-pointer of his collegiate career moments later. A win in that game might have given us a high enough RPI for an at-large bid - I remember that we were on the bubble at the end.

That was the year before. Pretty Q chickened out playing us for Perry's senior campaign.

[BLIKNS]

That was the year before. Pretty Q chickened out playing us for Perry's senior campaign.

Didn`t Marque hit what we all thought was a game tying 3 in the C-USA tourney,against Tulane,only to have it reviewed and said it was a fraction of a second too late?Ah Marque,Louisville.

[Box and Won]

Didn`t Marque hit what we all thought was a game tying 3 in the C-USA tourney,against Tulane,only to have it reviewed and said it was a fraction of a second too late?Ah Marque,Louisville.

Yeah, that was a killer. It was up there with Reggie Bryant's shot against Arizona that would have sent the game to overtime had his toe not been on the three-point line.