3 Crazy Fun Facts About Villanova University Basketball

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The Villanova University Wildcats began playing basketball back in 1920. That was an interesting year because that same year the Montreal Canadiens beat the Quebec Bulldogs with a record 16 points in one game. One Quebec Bulldogs player of the era said, “Hmm, this number is exaggerated. Uh, we were coming back and we would have beat them if we had another 18 or 19 periods.”

Villanova has appeared in the NCAA Championship series an incredible 36 times, achieving Final Four status in 1939 and finally winning it all in 1985. A Villanova Sports Director was quoted as saying, “Sure, it took us 46 years to win the whole gosh darn thing after appearing in the Final Four in 1939, but hey, we’ve had the best hot dogs in the NCAA since 1932.”

The Wildcats won their very first game, beating Catholic University 43-40. A former Catholic University player said, “Hey, you try holding on to a basketball, much less shooting it, after having your knuckles wrapped by a nun for years and years of Catholic School. (Starts to cry.) I mean, it was hell. We had one nun that didn’t even use a ruler. She used this thing. (Holds up a 4-foot large steel T-sqaure ruler.) This isn’t corporal punishment. This is recognized as torture by the United Nations.”