PILOTS RANKED #25!!!

Lots of quotes from Coach Rev... Amazing accomplishment for the program:
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/34208760/ns/sports-college_basketball/

Did I hear the radio correctly that this is the first AP ranking in fifty years?

martymoose wrote:Did I hear the radio correctly that this is the first AP ranking in fifty years?

Yes, you heard correctly.

well, isn't it more like 53 years (1956-57)??

2009 - 1959 = 50

Portland ends drought in AP poll; Florida debuts at 13

Nov. 30, 2009
CBSSports.com wire reports

Only once before has the Associated Press college basketball poll changed as much as it did Monday.

Only once before has Portland been in the Top 25.

The Pilots were among a record-tying seven teams to move into the rankings Monday, their first appearance in the poll since February 1959.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/12596766/florida-enters-ap-poll-at-13-portland-ends-drought


maybe 50 2/3 years, but that doesn't scan so well.

I remember being something like 10-0 in Jack Avina's tenure, and Sports Illustrated ranking UP third best in the West. But I guess an AP ranking didn't go with that.

PilotDrummer wrote:

martymoose wrote:Did I hear the radio correctly that this is the first AP ranking in fifty years?

Yes, you heard correctly.

Nice.

That said, I hope we can knock off a top 25 team on Wednesday.

:-)

Congrats Pilots and fans.

You guys played a great tournament, even when you weren't shooting particularly well.

Feed Smeldeurs as much as possible. He is good. Inside out. Got it?

Should be a fun year for a bunch of us.

I've done nothing but smile all day since I checked the rankings this morning. I've been going to games regularly since before I can remember (over twenty years) and all those hard years of bitter disappointment make this recognition of our ascent into relevancy all the more sweet. I can't wait to see our nationally ranked team take the floor on Wednesday. Awesome!

mattywizz wrote:well, isn't it more like 53 years (1956-57)??

I thought I had heard that our last ranking was 1957 in the AP by the ESPN announcers and that we had never been ranked by an ESPN poll...but, then again ESPN came with the beginning of cable tv several years later. Haha... In any case, CONGRATS UP!

GO PILOTS!

VillaGorilla wrote:I've done nothing but smile all day since I checked the rankings this morning. I've been going to games regularly since before I can remember (over twenty years) and all those hard years of bitter disappointment make this recognition of our ascent into relevancy all the more sweet. I can't wait to see our nationally ranked team take the floor on Wednesday. Awesome!

I'd love to see a video of the crowd response when UP is announced at that game as the "nationally ranked Pilots." I hope Chiles is packed!!

Half a century is a long time to wait.

especially if you are less than 50 years old

It looks like we lost to DePaul in the tourney in 1959 according to wikipedia...12 years before I was conceived.

Stonehouse wrote: As excited as I am, I had to take a moment and think about what a journey it's been... so many disappointments, seemingly endless years of futility, and now we are truly among the best. What a wonderful accomplishment for the staff and the team... I am so proud of them and what they have done on The Bluff. Words can't really describe the mix of emotions I'm feeling right now... what a wonderful day to be a Pilot fan.

Like Stonehouse, I've been with this team since the last time it went to the Dance. I was only 14 at the time but I still remember how cool it felt. I've watched a lot of games over the years, some good, some bad, but I always kept following the Pilots. Switching teams because one is not doing so well is not how I operate.

And now this happens. It's a happy coincidence I discovered the Mid-Majority blog through a post here this weekend because there is some outstanding writing there, this essay included:

In matters of life, love, or money, no yield is ever guaranteed. But with spectator sports, you get out what you put in, and that's bankable truth. The amount of time you spend on the thrillcoaster will parallel the size of your payoff. It'll determine the depth of your feeling. And isn't that why we do this, for the feeling?

What a great ride it's been so far, and I think it's only going to get better.