1979–80 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team

The 1979–80 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team represented University of Toledo as a member of the Mid-American Conference during the 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by head coach Bob Nichols and played their home games at Centennial Hall in Toledo, Ohio. Toledo won the MAC championship, finishing three games ahead of the field, and reached the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season (only time in program history), and finished with a record of 23–6 (14–2 MAC).

1979–80 Toledo Rockets men's basketball
MAC champions
ConferenceMid-American Conference
Record23–6 (14–2 Mid-American)
Head coach
Assistant coachGreg Kampe (2nd season)
Home arenaCentennial Hall
Seasons
1979–80 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Toledo 14 2   .875 23 6   .793
Bowling Green State 11 5   .688 20 10   .667
Northern Illinois 9 7   .563 16 13   .552
Kent State 7 9   .438 16 11   .593
Ball State 7 9   .438 14 15   .483
Miami (Ohio) 7 9   .438 9 18   .333
Eastern Michigan 7 9   .438 11 16   .407
Western Michigan 7 9   .438 12 14   .462
Central Michigan 6 10   .375 12 13   .480
Ohio 5 11   .313 8 18   .308
1980 MAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

As of the 2022–23 season, this marks the most recent appearance in the NCAA tournament for the Toledo men's basketball program.

Roster

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1979–80 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
F Dick Miller 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Milwaukee, Wisconsin
C Jim Swaney 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Sr
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Schedule

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site
city, state
Regular season
Dec 1, 1979*
at Charlotte L 60–64  0–1
Charlotte Coliseum 
Charlotte, North Carolina
Dec 3, 1979*
UMass W 84–74  1–1
John F. Savage Hall 
Toledo, Ohio
Dec 5, 1979*
Michigan W 67–64  2–1
John F. Savage Hall 
Toledo, Ohio
Dec 8, 1979
Northern Illinois W 67–58  3–1
(1–0)
John F. Savage Hall 
Toledo, Ohio
Dec 15, 1979*
Cal Poly W 83–60  4–1
John F. Savage Hall 
Toledo, Ohio
Dec 18, 1979*
vs. No. 5 Indiana L 56–80  4–2
Market Square Arena 
Indianapolis, Indiana
Dec 22, 1979*
at Butler W 76–66  5–2
Hinkle Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, Indiana
Dec 28, 1979*
Northwestern W 74–69  6–2
John F. Savage Hall 
Toledo, Ohio
Dec 29, 1979*
Washington L 70–71  6–3
John F. Savage Hall 
Toledo, Ohio
Jan 2, 1980*
Charleston W 82–75  7–3
John F. Savage Hall 
Toledo, Ohio
Jan 5, 1980
Kent State W 81–65  8–3
(2–0)
John F. Savage Hall 
Toledo, Ohio
Jan 9, 1980
at Ohio W 69–62  9–3
(3–0)
Convocation Center 
Athens, Ohio
Jan 12, 1980
at Central Michigan W 115–88  10–3
(4–0)
Rose Arena 
Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Jan 16, 1980
Ball State W 72–60  11–3
(5–0)
John F. Savage Hall 
Toledo, Ohio
Jan 19, 1980
at Bowling Green State L 71–74  11–4
(5–1)
Anderson Arena 
Bowling Green, Ohio
Jan 23, 1980*
Miami (OH) W 69–64  12–4
(6–1)
John F. Savage Hall 
Toledo, Ohio
Jan 26, 1980
at Eastern Michigan W 81–68  13–4
(7–1)
Bowen Field House 
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Jan 29, 1980*
Dayton W 76–75  14–4
John F. Savage Hall 
Toledo, Ohio
Feb 2, 1980
Western Michigan W 87–68  15–4
(8–1)
John F. Savage Hall 
Toledo, Ohio
Feb 4, 1980
at Northern Illinois W 73–70  16–4
(9–1)
Chick Evans Fieldhouse 
DeKalb, Illinois
Feb 6, 1980
Ohio W 75–62  17–4
(10–1)
John F. Savage Hall 
Toledo, Ohio
Feb 9, 1980
at Kent State L 73–83  17–5
(10–2)
Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center 
Kent, Ohio
Feb 13, 1980
at Miami (OH) W 75–72  18–5
(11–2)
Millett Hall 
Oxford, Ohio
Feb 16, 1980
Central Michigan W 85–65  19–5
(12–2)
John F. Savage Hall 
Toledo, Ohio
Feb 20, 1980
at Ball State W 102–73  20–5
(13–2)
Irving Gymnasium 
Muncie, Indiana
Feb 23, 1980
Bowling Green State W 71–69  21–5
(14–2)
John F. Savage Hall 
Toledo, Ohio
MAC Tournament
Feb 27, 1980*
vs. Ball State
Semifinals
W 91–83  22–5
Crisler Arena 
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Feb 28, 1980*
vs. Bowling Green State
Championship game
W 85–70  23–5
Crisler Arena 
Ann Arbor, Michigan
NCAA Tournament
Mar 7, 1980*
vs. Florida State
First round
L 91–94  23–6
E. A. Diddle Arena 
Bowling Green, Kentucky
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
ME=Mideast.

[1][2]

Rankings

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[3]

Awards and honors

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References

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  1. ^ "1979–80 Toledo Rockets Schedule and Results". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
  2. ^ "1979–80 Toledo Rockets Schedule". UTrockets.com.
  3. ^ *ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 867–868. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.