Eastern Kentucky University Athletics

The 1971-72 Colonels formed a special team that many fans remember as one of this university’s most exciting.  This team, coached by Hall of Famer Guy Strong, was a home-grown team with four of the five starters hailing from Kentucky, including EKU Hall of Fame selections George Bryant (Burnside) and Charlie Mitchell (Louisville Seneca); the heart and soul of the team point guard Billy Burton from Louisville’s Pleasure Ridge Park who played the game with passion; and dependable power forward Daryl Dunagan (Mill Spring).  The other starter was 6-foot-11 center Dan Argabright who came to EKU from Indiana.
 
This team had an impressive in-season tournament championship when it went to Oklahoma City and won the All-College Classic with wins over Texas Tech, Santa Clara and Oklahoma City.  In one of its most outstanding games of the season, the regular season finale in Alumni Coliseum before a standing room only crowd of 8400, EKU destroyed Morehead State 121-91 as Bryant led the way with 39 points followed closely by Mitchell with 36. 
 
After gaining a share of the Ohio Valley Conference regular season title, the Colonels defeated Morehead State 98-86 in Frankfort’s Sports Center for the right to represent EKU in the NCAA Tournament.  As it turned out, the Colonels faced one of the first rounds toughest teams in Florida State, but EKU battled the Seminoles to the end before losing 83-81.