The most exciting St. Francis basketball game that I ever witnessed at the Stokes Center, Jack Phelan’s record-breaking performance against Duquesne in 1977
Copyright: St. Francis University
… and yet it was not the biggest win of the season
When I was asked about a decade ago to join the selection committee of the St. Francis University Hall of Fame, I gave a list of names of people whom I would recommend. On it I had names like Joe Aston, Sandy Williams, and Jack Phelan, among others like Jay Roberts.
When I talked about those three, the people on the committee looked at me with blank stares — they had no clue who I was talking about. They had no sense of St. Francis athletics history. They represented all segments of the campus, alumni, academics, admissions, and so on, so they were diverse — but clueless about SF history.
How could they not know about Jack Phelan, the player who established the single-game scoring record at St. Francis in a scintillating performance against a tough Duquesne team in January 1977?
I have seen hundreds of St. Francis basketball games, some awesome, more forgettable, but this was the most exciting games ever at the Stokes Building, even though it was not the greatest win of the season for Coach Pete Lonergan’s squad that year.
How could anyone forget about Jack Phelan?
Friday night he will be inducted into the SF Hall of Fame -- finally.
Not the leading scorer — except on this night
Phelan great up in Hartford, Connecticut, and he was an outstanding high school player. He matriculated at St. Francis, recruited by Lonergan to be somewhat of a swing player.
In truth, Phelan was a true leader, but not the highest scorer for the Red Flash that season. That belonged to Nick Leasure from Tyrone, but this was a true example of team basketball. Phelan was an all-around player, a sort of swing forward and guard combined into one. He could do it all.
On this night, though, he put together the greatest single-game scoring record in SF history as the Flash defeated a very talented Duquesne team, 89-85. What made the game more exciting was the quality of the Dukes squad.
John Cinicola’s team had a plethora of talent, led by guard Norm Nixon, who led the Dukes to the NCAA tournament with a championship in the Atlantic 10. He went on to a 12-year career in the NBA, scoring more than 12,000 points.
However, Phelan was the star player that night. Whenever the Dukes would make a run, it seemed like Phelan would answer. He connected on 20 field goals and two free throws, in a performance that Coach Pete Lonergan called “the best individual performance I ever witnessed …” by a St. Francis player.
The Stokes building rocked
Despite the story on the SF website, the game was not played in “DeGol Arena.” This was 1977, and the DeGol name was not affixed until the late 1980s.
This was a building named for the greatest player in St. Francis history, Maurice Stokes. And the Stokes Center rocked that night like it had not in history.
Duquesne was always a tough battle, and the Dukes had a winning record against the Flash. However, this game — along with one a few weeks later — would be the greatest in wins in Lonergan’s career.
At that time, the red seats in Stokes were pretty much packed primarily with season-ticket holders. They never forget the individual performance of Phelan, and that record remains today.
Defeating Cornbread Maxwell
While the Duquesne game was the most exciting I have ever seen, the victory over the University of North Carolina-Charlotte a short time later was even more impressive.
The reason was that Charlotte earned a spot in the NCAA Div. I Final Four later that season. Led by Cedric Maxwell, nicknamed Cornbread, Charlotte was very, very tough. However, the biggest play of the game occurred off the floor.
At halftime, Maxwell and SF center Pat Sweeney became embroiled in a scuffle that turned into a fist-fight. I witnessed that also, and what occurred immediately after that gave the Flash a huge chance.
Both Maxwell and Sweeney were ejected by the officials. That favored the Flash since Maxwell was a huge star while Sweeney was just a good player, their 6-8 center, but someone not in a league with Maxwell who became a first-round pick and a star with the Boston Celtics after leaving Charlotte.
The Red Flash went on in the second half to win that game, 96-87, so Phelan was part of two of the biggest wins in SF history.
Phelan was drafted in the sixth round by the Golden State Warriors in 1977, but did not make the squad. He was so versatile that he was given a tryout by the Pittsburgh Steelers, too, but did not make that roster either.
Despite this, the question I still have is this: Why didn’t people at St. Francis recognize names like Joe Aston, Sandy Williams, and Jack Phelan?
Thankfully, this class of St. Francis inductions is one of the best in a long time. It covers a group that includes people from a variety of successful sports, some like Phelan and Roberts and women’s basketball player Colleen Joyce Simmons, top receiver Michael Caputo, wrestler Dick Condo, men’s basketball player Jeff Hamilton, cross-country and track runner Erika Jacobs, and golfer Samantha Milosh.
The events will also honor the 2000 men's cross country team.
Not the leading scorer — except on this night
Phelan great up in Hartford, Connecticut, and he was an outstanding high school player. He matriculated at St. Francis, recruited by Lonergan to be somewhat of a swing player.
In truth, Phelan was a true leader, but not the highest scorer for the Red Flash that season. That belonged to Nick Leasure from Tyrone, but this was a true example of team basketball. Phelan was an all-around player, a sort of swing forward and guard combined into one. He could do it all.
On this night, though, he put together the greatest single-game scoring record in SF history as the Flash defeated a very talented Duquesne team, 89-85. What made the game more exciting was the quality of the Dukes squad.
John Cinicola’s team had a plethora of talent, led by guard Norm Nixon, who led the Dukes to the NCAA tournament with a championship in the Atlantic 10. He went on to a 12-year career in the NBA, scoring more than 12,000 points.
However, Phelan was the star player that night. Whenever the Dukes would make a run, it seemed like Phelan would answer. He connected on 20 field goals and two free throws, in a performance that Coach Pete Lonergan called “the best individual performance I ever witnessed …” by a St. Francis player.
The Stokes building rocked
Despite the story on the SF website, the game was not played in “DeGol Arena.” This was 1977, and the DeGol name was not affixed until the late 1980s.
This was a building named for the greatest player in St. Francis history, Maurice Stokes. And the Stokes Center rocked that night like it had not in history.
Duquesne was always a tough battle, and the Dukes had a winning record against the Flash. However, this game — along with one a few weeks later — would be the greatest in wins in Lonergan’s career.
At that time, the red seats in Stokes were pretty much packed primarily with season-ticket holders. They never forget the individual performance of Phelan, and that record remains today.
Defeating Cornbread Maxwell
While the Duquesne game was the most exciting I have ever seen, the victory over the University of North Carolina-Charlotte a short time later was even more impressive.
The reason was that Charlotte earned a spot in the NCAA Div. I Final Four later that season. Led by Cedric Maxwell, nicknamed Cornbread, Charlotte was very, very tough. However, the biggest play of the game occurred off the floor.
At halftime, Maxwell and SF center Pat Sweeney became embroiled in a scuffle that turned into a fist-fight. I witnessed that also, and what occurred immediately after that gave the Flash a huge chance.
Both Maxwell and Sweeney were ejected by the officials. That favored the Flash since Maxwell was a huge star while Sweeney was just a good player, their 6-8 center, but someone not in a league with Maxwell who became a first-round pick and a star with the Boston Celtics after leaving Charlotte.
The Red Flash went on in the second half to win that game, 96-87, so Phelan was part of two of the biggest wins in SF history.
Phelan was drafted in the sixth round by the Golden State Warriors in 1977, but did not make the squad. He was so versatile that he was given a tryout by the Pittsburgh Steelers, too, but did not make that roster either.
Despite this, the question I still have is this: Why didn’t people at St. Francis recognize names like Joe Aston, Sandy Williams, and Jack Phelan?
Thankfully, this class of St. Francis inductions is one of the best in a long time. It covers a group that includes people from a variety of successful sports, some like Phelan and Roberts and women’s basketball player Colleen Joyce Simmons, top receiver Michael Caputo, wrestler Dick Condo, men’s basketball player Jeff Hamilton, cross-country and track runner Erika Jacobs, and golfer Samantha Milosh.
The events will also honor the 2000 men's cross country team.
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