The answer is...97-98
The question, Alex, is "When was the last time the Falcons Hockey, football, and men's basketball team all had losing seasons in the same year."
For extra credit, it is also the ONLY time this has happened.
I mention this for obvious reasons. The football team is already in the clubhouse with a losing record. The hockey team at 3-8-1 would appear to be on that road as well, and the basketball team will be challenged to be .500. So, this could be the second time.
I don't mean to be negative. As I say, you cannot hide from results.
What was up in 97-98 to build such a grim picture?
The football team was in year three of the Blackney Swoon, and finished 3-8. It was the third year in a six year string of losing seasons. We were outscored 341-191, beating Miami, Akron and NIU, (Miami and NIU in very down eras). We were shut out three times.
The hockey team was in the fourth year of the Powers era. They finished 8-27-3 and 6-21-3 in the CCHA. We were .500 the year before that, and have only been over .500 ONCE since then in hockey. So, that was sort of the start of the hockey slide.
In hoops, it was Dan's first season. The cupboard was bare, Dan was green, and it was painful. We were 10-16, and that includes a win over Ohio Northern. As I recall, we tried everything--midnight practices, wearing coats backwards. That team just didn't have the horses--seems like I recall being down to like 8 guys on scholarship.
So, there you have it. Every other season since hockey started at this school, we have been .500 at least once. So, this year has the potential to bring a level of ineptness we are simply not used to.
There were some close calls...in 80-81 the basketball team won 5 of its last 7 to get to 15-12 (and tie, incidentially, four other teams for the regular season title). Both football and hockey had losing years.
In 2000-01, Coach Dakich's team won its first game in the MAC tourney, and finished 15-14--again, football and basketball had losing years.
And, of course, there was last season. Football (6-5) salvaged that one.
The truth is actually even a little more sobering. In 24 of the 36 years I analyzed, BG had at least one team to hang its hat on--one team that finished with at least a .667 winning %. We are simply not used to have a season when at least one team isn't excelling.
That's what we are dealing with today. Crowds are down, morale is down, and fans are yelling for the coach's head in all three sports. It is no fun at all.
It is even a little worse.
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