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Dave reports on the BU Gala and Auction-
http://www.bradleyhoops.com/homepage...of-gala-s-game
Kirk Wessler's column-
http://www.bradleyhoops.com/homepage...of-gala-s-game
Kirk Wessler's column-
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For those generally not inclined to clicking on links...
at least read what Kirk Wessler says...very nice......
"As Peorians, the Braves are our team. They put us on the map, and they
did so in a positive way.
Then, in the 1930s, in the middle of the Great Depression, multi-sport coach
A.J. Robertson assembled a group of versatile athletes whose basketball
accomplishments ultimately would change the focus, scope and name of tiny
Bradley Tech, perched on Peoria’s West Bluff. The Famous Five, as they
became known, opened our eyes to what was possible. We could dare to
dream big. More, we learned big dreams could come true.
In 1937-38, one season after posting a 15-4 record by beating up the likes
of Knox and Eureka and Coe colleges, Bradley went 18-2, with victories over
Indiana, Nebraska, Utah, Saint Louis and Western Kentucky. The team was
summoned to Madison Square Garden to play in the inaugural National
Invitation Tournament at the end of that season, and the next one, too.
Peoria might have been a vaudeville town, the target of a million one-liners.
But Bradley basketball was no joke. The nation knew it. And Peorians
embraced it. Whether we had attended Bradley mattered not at all. We
didn’t even have to much like basketball. The important thing was this
nationally prominent team was from our town, from our school. They were
our boys.
Doggone it, they were us.
And so it continues, 70 years later.
Bradley basketball has seen better days. Glory days of the type experienced
by few programs. You know how many schools have played in two NCAA
championship games? Thirty, and Bradley is one. How many schools have
finished a regular season ranked No. 1 in the nation by The Associated Press
poll? Twenty-seven, and Bradley is one.
Bradley, though, belongs to Peoria, and the passions here run wide and deep
and long.
It’s amazing. We hear about the Braves’ aging fan base, the loyal “bluehairs”
who have been coming to games since the ’30s and ’40s, and ask, “What
happens when they’re gone?” Then we go to a game, and we see the court
surrounded by children, dressed in Bradley red, waiting anxiously for their
chance to slap hands with a Brave during the introduction of the starting
lineups. And we know. Bradley basketball has been written into Peoria’s
genetic code." -
Where can we find a list of auction items and their winning bids?Comment
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Great article by KW...very entertaining read!
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I doubt Bradley will publish the winning bids for all the silent auction items.Originally posted by Murph View Post
Most of the final bids were close to or slightly above the suggested value posted in the auction catalog.
A sampling of the live auction results can be found in the thread titled-
BU Preseason Gala and Bid for the Braves
Here is the auction catalog with a listing of all the items and their suggested value-
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What a FANTASTIC article by Kirk Wessler!!
I really enjoyed reading this. Thank you!Comment
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An absolutely great article. Makes me wish I was still at BU. Unfortunately, I actually had to grow up and graduate, despite my wishes. Bradley really is a special place, the number of University's that have twice their student population show up to a basketball game are very few. Here's hoping those kids grow up to be BU alums and continue a century's old tradition of proud Bradley Braves.Comment
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