In this edition of March Madness Memories, There was once a time where the Gonzaga Bulldogs were an underdog. The 1999 version featured guards Richie Frahm and Matt Santangelo along with forward Quentin Hall.
They started their magical run as the 10 seed and faced off against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. (Ironically enough, Gonzaga coach Dan Monson would become the Gophers head coach after the tournament.) Gonzaga pulled off the victory, 75-63.
They had a collison-course with the 2nd seeded Stanford Cardinal who had made a Final Four appearance in the previous season. Gonzaga continued their run with a 82-74 win.
In the Sweet Sixteen, they faced the 6th ranked Florida Gators. The Gators featured future NBA players Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem. Gonzaga kept the game close and had the ball down by one with 10.6 seconds left.
Then, Gus Johnson's infamous call happened. Gonzaga's Quintin Hall threw up a runner which was batted in by Casey Calvary.
Florida had a shot to win but guard Eddie Shannon's three-point attempt rimmed out. Gonzaga continued their run to the Elite Eight.
Although they lost to top seed UConn in the Elite Eight, Gonzaga's reputation as a small school ended there. Now, we recognize them as a legitimate threat in every NCAA Tournament they make. They can thank the 1999 Gonzaga Bulldogs for that.
March Madness Memories: The Runner
