Athletics Department. Men's Basketball Records
Wake Forest University's men's intercollegiate basketball team was established in 1906 and plays under the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). This collection documents the historical and current activities of the Demon Deacons Men's Basketball team. Materials in this collections include games programs, player cards, schedules, and posters, as well as news relating to former coaches and team alumni.
Biographical and Historical Note
The sport of basketball was first introduced to the student body by Dr. J. Richard Crozier in 1905. WFC students played against each other until the first intercollegiate basketball game was held between Wake Forest and Trinity College (now Duke University) in 1906. Crozier coached the team until 1917, after which a succession of coaches and informally organized seasons followed.
The team played independently until joining the Southern Conference in 1936, with Murray Greason coaching from 1936-1953. Intercollegiate play paused during WWII (1941-1944). The team first made the NCAA tournament during the 1938 under Greason.
In 1953, Wake Forest helped found the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) alongside NC State, UNC Chapel Hill, Clemson University, Duke University, the University of Maryland, the University of Virginia, and the University of South Carolina. The Wake Forest basketball team made an appearance in the final round of the inaugural ACC men's basketball tournament in 1954. After the Greason era, the team was taken over by UNC Chapel Hill alum Horace "Bones" McKinney. McKinney was followed by head coaches Jack Murdock (1965-1966) and Jack McCloskey (1966-1972). From 1972-1985 the Demon Deacons Men's Basketball team was coached by Carl Tacy. Bob Staak succeeded Carl Tacy in 1985 and coached the basketball team until 1989. Dave Odom (1989-2001) coached the Deacons to back-to-back ACC championships in 1995 and 1996.
George Edward "Skip" Prosser coached the Deacons from 2001-2007 and was followed by Dino Gaudio (2007-2010) and then Jeff Bzdelik (2010-2014). In 2014, Daniel "Danny" Manning (2014-2020) became the first black head coach of the men's basketball team. The men's basketball team has since been coached by Steve Forbes (ACC Coach of the Year in 2022).
Overall, the Demon Deacons Men's Basketball Team has made 23 NCAA basketball tournament appearances, and notable alumni include NBA players Tim Duncan, Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues, Chris Paul, Josh Howard, and actor Marc Blucas.
Sources:
- The History of Wake Forest College, Volume II, 1865-1905, 1943, page 321-333. ZSR Special Collections and Archives, http://hdl.handle.net/10339/33246
- The History of Wake Forest College, Volume III, 1905-1943, 1943, page 118-128. ZSR Special Collections and Archives, http://hdl.handle.net/10339/33247
Collection Overview
This collection contains game programs, season media guides, player cards, posters and schedules, as well as news clippings relating to former coaches, the team, and alumni including Tim Duncan, Dickie Hemric, and Frank Johnson.
Common abbreviations found throughout this collection include Atlantic Coast zconference (ACC), National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), and the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Collection Arrangement
This collection is arranged into four series: Series 1. Season and administrative materials, Series 2. Promotional materials Series 3. Coach and player materials, and Series 4. Publications All materials in Series 1, 2, and 3 are arranged alphabetically. Series 4. Publications contains printed materials that cover season-by-season information as well as individual game day programs. Bulk publications are arranged alphabetically and game-day programs are listed chronoligaclly.
Administrative Information
- Publication Information
- Processed by Immanuel Eggers, 2019 January 22
- Revision Description
- Revised by Finley Turner, Revised by Ashelee Gerald Hill - new materials added, 2019 March, 2019 November, 2025 July
- Access Restrictions
- This collection is open for use.
- Copyright Notice
- The nature of the WFU Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Archives and Special Collections of ZSR Library claims only physical ownership of most materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
- Preferred Citation
- Athletics Department. Men's Basketball Records (RG 21.3.men), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.