The unofficial online home for fans of the Western Michigan University Broncos. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Here's a list of top wins I've seen for Bronco football/basketball/hockey, in-person or on TV.

1.) Hockey CCHA Championship over Michigan (2012)
2.) Football MAC Championship over Ohio (2016)
3.) Basketball MAC Championship over Toledo (2014)
4.) Football Bahamas Bowl over Middle Tennessee St (2015)
5.) Football over #25 Toledo (2015)
[I actually didn't watch this game. I had given up on the season but it deserves to be on here]
6.) Hockey GLI Championship (2014)
7.) Football over 8-4 over Northwestern (2016)
8.) Football Michigan MAC/Cannon Trophy (2014)
[wanted a win over CMU on this list]

I could make the argument for a couple other 2016 football wins, a couple hockey sweeps over top NCHC teams, and I had a couple 2014 basketball games in mind as well like the Akron semi-final game, but this is a list I've had ongoing.. Maybe I'll add them to get to 10 but this is where it is.

Can't have a list like this without some of those hockey wins in the mid 80's against MSU, including the GLI, when WMU had perhaps it's best hockey team ever.

...and I still think the football win in 2016 at Northwestern was one of the biggest ever. Northwestern was supposed to be very good that year, and as the opener for both schools, it meant a lot, and set the tone for the Broncos season. The first of two wins against B10 teams, which are always high value.

I also like the football wins against Iowa. Iowa is always a tough school to beat, especially at their place.

WMU Basketball win in the tourney over Clemson is still my favorite of all time.
Also WMU bball wins over DePaul with Mark Aguire, College of Charleston in Bracket Buster, and UofM multiple times. WMU football wins over Marshall, Illinois, Iowa, Virginia, and Ohio in MAC Championship. WMU hockey over UofM, MSU both multiple times, and GLIAC championship.

Beating Va Tech in”76 NCAA making it to Sweet 16. At ND Joyce Center. Undefeated IU vs St. John’s was 2nd game. Sea of Red in stands. Most rooting for a midwestern underdog. Wooden and Enberg on the call. It was rockin!

Beating Miami with SI on hand to write up game and feature article on team. 10,500+ at Read. Photos in B+ W.

(05-31-2020 09:50 PM)ru4wmu Wrote:  WMU Basketball win in the tourney over Clemson is still my favorite of all time.
Also WMU bball wins over DePaul with Mark Aguire, College of Charleston in Bracket Buster, and UofM multiple times. WMU football wins over Marshall, Illinois, Iowa, Virginia, and Ohio in MAC Championship. WMU hockey over UofM, MSU both multiple times, and GLIAC championship.

Saddi’s squad over Clemson. national stage upset that busted more than a few brackets early.
also have the game at Northwestern up there, started the undefeated season and run to the Cotton Bowl.
#1 for me - the game at Ford Field, also my son’s first college football experience when he was 6, with my dad, father in law and best friend.

(05-31-2020 09:50 PM)ru4wmu Wrote:  WMU Basketball win in the tourney over Clemson is still my favorite of all time.
Also WMU bball wins over DePaul with Mark Aguire, College of Charleston in Bracket Buster, and UofM multiple times. WMU football wins over Marshall, Illinois, Iowa, Virginia, and Ohio in MAC Championship. WMU hockey over UofM, MSU both multiple times, and GLIAC championship.

Good list here. I'll adopt it.

(05-31-2020 09:50 PM)ru4wmu Wrote:  WMU Basketball win in the tourney over Clemson is still my favorite of all time.
Also WMU bball wins over DePaul with Mark Aguire, College of Charleston in Bracket Buster, and UofM multiple times. WMU football wins over Marshall, Illinois, Iowa, Virginia, and Ohio in MAC Championship. WMU hockey over UofM, MSU both multiple times, and GLIAC championship.

Wasn't the home win over DePaul "post Aguire"?

Terry Cummings, Skip Dillard, etc.?

(06-01-2020 06:51 AM)ess Wrote:  

(05-31-2020 09:50 PM)ru4wmu Wrote:  WMU Basketball win in the tourney over Clemson is still my favorite of all time.
Also WMU bball wins over DePaul with Mark Aguire, College of Charleston in Bracket Buster, and UofM multiple times. WMU football wins over Marshall, Illinois, Iowa, Virginia, and Ohio in MAC Championship. WMU hockey over UofM, MSU both multiple times, and GLIAC championship.

Wasn't the home win over DePaul "post Aguire"?

Terry Cummings, Skip Dillard, etc.?

Aguirre. He didn’t play 1st half. Missed bus and driven up by Joe Meyer. Dennis McGuire, no relation to Al, started in his place. I think I overheard some nearby ask, “I thought he was black” when McGuire was introduced in starting lineup.

(05-31-2020 10:30 PM)Cucumber Salad Wrote:  Beating Va Tech in”76 NCAA making it to Sweet 16. At ND Joyce Center. Undefeated IU vs St. John’s was 2nd game. Sea of Red in stands. Most rooting for a midwestern underdog. Wooden and Enberg on the call. It was rockin!

Beating Miami with SI on hand to write up game and feature article on team. 10,500+ at Read. Photos in B+ W.

In that VaTech game Broncos were down double digits with just a few minutes to go in first half, went on a little run to close to 39-30 at half and get momentum. Finally tied it and forced OT where we won it.

Having played ND at the Joyce a couple weeks earlier might've helped.

Eldon Miller and Hokies' Don DeVoe were both candidates for vacant Ohio State job. DeVoe played for the great Buckeye teams of early '60s along with Lucas, Havlicek, Knight, et al.

Winning that NCAA game probably got Eldon the job in Columbus. And DeVoe a ticket to Laramie WY.

(06-01-2020 07:42 AM)MajorHoople Wrote:  

(05-31-2020 10:30 PM)Cucumber Salad Wrote:  Beating Va Tech in”76 NCAA making it to Sweet 16. At ND Joyce Center. Undefeated IU vs St. John’s was 2nd game. Sea of Red in stands. Most rooting for a midwestern underdog. Wooden and Enberg on the call. It was rockin!

Beating Miami with SI on hand to write up game and feature article on team. 10,500+ at Read. Photos in B+ W.

In that VaTech game Broncos were down double digits with just a few minutes to go in first half, went on a little run to close to 39-30 at half and get momentum. Finally tied it and forced OT where we won it.

Having played ND at the Joyce a couple weeks earlier might've helped.

Eldon Miller and Hokies' Don DeVoe were both candidates for vacant Ohio State job. DeVoe played for the great Buckeye teams of early '60s along with Lucas, Havlicek, Knight, et al.

Winning that NCAA game probably got Eldon the job in Columbus. And DeVoe a ticket to Laramie WY.

Yup. Interesting backstory.

Not sure if that was the beginning of Bobby Knight’s dislike for Eldon. With Fred Taylor being fired, both DeVoe’s and Knight‘s former head coach, the General wanted a brethren in. Eldon did not fit the bill.

Not only that but Bobby wanted to replace Taylor. OSU administration did not want two coaches like Woody Hayes and Knight in their most prominent programs and so went with Eldon, who was about as different personality-wise from Knight (and Woody) as one could be.

So yes going forward Knight had a lot of animosity toward his alma mater and the man they hired instead of him.

(06-01-2020 08:00 AM)MajorHoople Wrote:  Not only that but Bobby wanted to replace Taylor. OSU administration did not want two coaches like Woody Hayes and Knight in their most prominent programs and so went with Eldon, who was about as different personality-wise from Knight (and Woody) as one could be.

So yes going forward Knight had a lot of animosity toward his alma mater and the man they hired instead of him.

Didn’t realize he wanted job. Thought he was happy with his own fiefdom but wanted to make sure it stayed under the Taylor Family Tree.

As I recall in spite of his phenomenal success in Bloomington Knight was having a problem with his AD at the time (probably over something relatively trivial) and so the idea of going "home" to OSU and replacing his old coach apparently was appealing to him.

(06-01-2020 08:42 AM)MajorHoople Wrote:  As I recall in spite of his phenomenal success in Bloomington Knight was having a problem with his AD at the time (probably over something relatively trivial) and so the idea of going "home" to OSU and replacing his old coach apparently was alluring to him.

Chokeholds not allowed?

That year they had 2 prized freshman transfer at the end of the season. One Indiana bred Rich Valavicous and Bobby Bender.

My high school team played against Bender in a Christmas tournament my senior year. Played for Bloomington Catholic Central. I just ripped up my knee 10 days before. We missed a jumper at the buzzer to win it.

Bender was very impressive. Only kid I ever saw throw a bounce pass on a fast break between his legs at full speed. Granted he was right handed and it was passed with his right hand. Slacker! Recipient took it on one bounce running at full speed and laid it in. Keep in mind it was before we were allowed to dunk. It helped having his father be the coach. Most wouldn’t of tolerated it back in that day. In retrospect in between the legs pass is a leading indicator of the oil and water mixture type relationship Bender and Knight had for that one year.

Valavicous disappeared into obscurity but Bender transferred to Duke.

Played for the straight haired Bill Foster not the curly permed hair Bill Foster of Clemson. Straight haired Foster later was Header at Northwestern.

Interesting fact, Bender is one of just a handful who played in 2 Final 4’s for two different teams. He later coached the Huskies of the University of Washington and the Philadelphia 76ers Among may be a couple other NBA teams.

At Duke he played with Gene “Tinker Bell” Banks, center Mike Gminski and a Garden Stater shooting guard who now does color on ESPN, Jim Spanarkle. Kenny Dennard was their power forward. If I’m not mistaken they lost to Kentucky.