[Editor’s note: Welcome back to the return of “Collector’s Corner” to Uni Watch. Although no longer run by Brinke Guthrie, it has been ably resurrected by Chris Weir. Chris approached me about restarting CC, vowing to uphold the old look and style, but with one new twist: he will make each edition timely with what is going on currently in the sports world (i.e. rivalry games, big events, anniversary of events). Enjoy and please give Chris some feedback about the new (old) feature. — PH]
by Chris Weir
It’s conference tourney week so let’s delve into some stuff from the “Power Conference” tournaments.
• We’ll start with the original which would be the ACC Tournament. When the ACC was composed of just These Teams the tournament games would be the third matchup between the teams that season. Home and home conference schedules are the thing I miss most about the old college basketball landscape. Nothing like the revenge home game against a team that had beaten you a few weeks prior.
• A lot of mid-century college basketball and football program covers featured standard boilerplate art often with players in generic uniforms. This 1972 ACC Tournament Program is a nice break from those generic programs with its fisheye photography and very early 70’s font. This 1971 ACC Tournament Program design is still a bit basic but at least attempts to be original. South Carolina won its first ever ACC Tournament in 1971 and then promptly left the conference in a very “I’m taking my ball and going home” moment.
• Everything made in 1994 was teal in color including this Hat from the 40th annual ACC Tournament.
• Speaking of the 40th annual ACC Tournament, it looks like this Card Set of ACC Champions is complete with all 40 teams.
• Illustrated players or coaches were all the rage for 80’s tournament programs including this 1986 ACC Tournament Program. Len Bias is featured on the cover three months before his death.
• The most fun I’ve ever had at a conference tournament is at the Big East Tournament at MSG. There is just something about The Garden that makes every game more important and every crowd more electric even if it is a Cincinnati vs. South Florida game (yes that was an actual Big East Tournament game in 2011). This Shirt is from simpler times when the teams were a little bit more recognizable as Big East schools.
• I love everything about this Shirt including Sam Adams spinning a basketball on his finger.
• Tom Izzo recently said that during his first coaches meeting in 1995 he was told by Bob Knight to vote “no” on whether the league should have a postseason tournament. The coaches ended up voting “no” but it didn’t matter as the Big Ten established the Big Ten Tournament in 1998 that came along with a rather weak logo shown on this Pennant.
• I think it’s time to officially pour one out for the rather strong Big Ten Tournament Pinwheel Logo. They got rid of it, brought it back, and then got rid of it again. I think it’s simply a matter of not being able to fit all 18 teams into the pinwheel without it getting way too cluttered. Another victim of conference expansion and realignment.
• The one tournament I’ve always wanted to go to is the SEC Tournament when it’s in Nashville. This Faux 2008 SEC Tournament Concert Poster is such a great item that melds basketball and music together.
• To me the coaches featured on this 1985 SEC Tournament Program just give off that crooked televangelist vibe.
• This Pin from the 1994 SEC Tournament features the Memphis Pyramid which of course is now a hotel / Bass Pro Shop.
• Didn’t find anything decent for the Big 12 Tournament so I went looking for Big 8 Tournament stuff and found this Program from the 1994 Big 8 Tournament. I have no idea what that OU mascot is but his “Top Daug” jersey is just painful.
• I had no idea conferences held “Pre Season” Tournaments back in the 60s. I love when official University Seals are featured on sports items like this Program from the 1964 Big 8 Pre Season Tournament.
• There is a little something from every school on the cover of this Program from the inaugural Pac 10 Tournament in 1987.
• These Watches were given to the 1988 Pac 10 Tournament Champion Arizona Wildcats seem to be on the pricier side when it comes to postseason watches. I’m not a watch guy but apparently the conference went all out having Bulova make their watches.
Hit me up at collectorscorneruniwatch@aol.com or on X @uwcollect with some of your favorites to be featured on Collector’s Corner.
“This Shirt is from simpler times when the teams were a little bit more recognizable as Big East schools.”
Even that one throws me off with Miami on it. But yes, it’s a lot simpler than the 2010s.
“To me the coaches featured on this 1985 SEC Tournament Program just give off that crooked televangelist vibe.”
I was thinking more of a heated congressional subcommittee meeting.
Great looking stuff today!
…or a heated Securities and Exchange Commission meeting.
“I had no idea conferences held “Pre Season” Tournaments back in the 60s.”
I was just looking at the 1966-67 UCLA schedule this morning, checking on who they played that season, and was surprised to see that they played Southern California 3 times, which included their first game of the season. After reading this I wondered if that was a conference pre season game, though it did count as an “Regular” game on the stat sheet. However, when I dug deeper the second time they played was in the L.A. Classic, that was played the week between Christmas and New Years, at the LA Sports Arena, which was the home of USC. My first time going to a game was the day before this, UCLA vs Georgia Tech. I remember wondering why it wasn’t at Pauley Pavilion. Also, surprised that both UCLA and USC opened their seasons with a conference game. Back then if you didn’t win your conference, you didn’t go to the tournament.
‘1971 ACC Tournament Program’ link has a secondary picture featuring a Creighton Shirtmakers ad in the program. It stars Casanova and Friend, an artist’s conception of an off-duty Seventies cop and loose cannon who plays by his own rules, side by side with his girl “friend.” Creighton was an ancestor of today’s Tanger factory outlet chain.