A Decade of Dominance and Half a Century of Success

Athletic programs across the country, in every division, have enjoyed notable eras of success, but Beloit’s story is unique. 很少有项目像伯洛伊特大学的男子篮球项目那样迅速崛起，或保持成功的时间如此之长, even as it endured what became known as the “ouster scandal.”

Beloit’s rise to national prominence began in 1945, when Dolph Stanley became head men’s basketball coach. A distinguished high school coach from Taylorville, Ill., 第二次世界大战后，随着伯洛伊特大学和中西部大学体育大会重返赛场，斯坦利开创了一个创新的比赛风格的新时代.

教练道尔夫·斯坦利带领伯洛伊特在篮球比赛中战胜了当时最顶尖的对手.Stanley’s high-scoring, 快攻风格很快引起了全国篮球迷的注意，并在会议上掀起了风暴. His team won the conference championship in 1945-46, Beloit’s first since 1924, and the first in a string of six consecutive championships. Beloit was playing basketball powerhouses like Marquette, Bowling Green, Valparaiso, DePaul, and Loyola. After going unbeaten in three straight conference seasons, 斯坦利在1950-51赛季组建了第四支不败的球队，这是全国得分最高的球队.

That season was pivotal. Led by the “Bucket Brigade,这是一个由五名球员组成的小组，其中包括最终的金牌得主、奥运队队长罗恩·邦滕普斯(Ron Bontemps), Beloit registered signature wins. 以94比60战胜德保罗创造了芝加哥体育场的得分纪录, 以141比53战胜康奈尔大学，创造了新的全国纪录.

在西部冠军赛中以74-58战胜劳伦斯的比赛引发了争议:斯坦利和海盗队因在比赛的最后六分钟拖延以保持领先而受到高度批评. (This was before the shot clock existed.)伯洛伊特后来获得了参加全国邀请赛的机会, 在麦迪逊广场花园举行的一场比赛中，第一轮就输给了西顿·霍尔.

The high scores, big stages, premier opponents, 不断增加的宣传激怒了会议教练和管理人员. 他们的敌意在1951年5月的一次会议上达到了顶峰, 当时9所学校中有6所投票将伯洛伊特从联盟中除名. 伯洛伊特的体育政策“似乎违背了精神和传统原则，也违背了(美国大学体育委员会)的最大利益”。.”

当时的感觉是，贝洛伊特的运作方式就像现在一级联赛的球队一样, 一些体育项目产生的收入可以资助整个体育部门. Meanwhile, 会议的理念更符合今天的第三区思维模式, 在哪里，学术是优先考虑的，体育是由一般教育预算资助的.

这一决定显然是针对伯洛伊特大学成功的篮球项目, but it hurt the entire department. Immediately following the meeting, 联盟成员决定，任何联盟学校都不能安排伯洛伊特参加下赛季的任何运动, forcing all Beloit teams, especially fall sports, to scramble to fill their schedules.

Whether fair or not, 联盟开除伯洛伊特的决定是迄今为止联盟历史上最严厉的纪律措施. 在发生了很多变化之后，贝洛伊特终于在1958-59赛季重新入选. 现在，学院的校长米勒·厄普顿(Miller upton)换了一个人——他对体育有着不同的理念——而伯洛伊特对学校的体育规则进行了彻底的修改，并重组了体育系.

斯坦利于1957年辞职，成为德雷克大学的体育主任. 在12个赛季里，他带领海盗队取得了238胜57负的总战绩. After his departure, President Upton hired Bill Knapton, a rising star in the collegiate coaching ranks, to take over the program.

Knapton, also a successful high school coach, had spent three years as an assistant at Marquette, the fifth-ranked team in the nation, before coming to Beloit.

His philosophy, “Always do what’s best for the game,” generated respect and admiration from players, fans, colleagues, and administrators alike.

Following a brief rebuilding period, Knapton constructed his own successful legacy, spanning 40 years.

比尔·纳普顿教练被称为三分球之父.By the time he retired in 1997, Knapton had accumulated 557 wins, 在第三级联赛中，他的教练胜率仍排在前30名, and 345 victories in conference play, the most in league history. Knapton captured 10 league titles, including three consecutive championships from 1980-1983, and made 11 trips to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Possibly even more impressive, 纳普顿率领海盗队的最后34个赛季中有31个获胜. 1981年，他的球队连续5周蝉联全国第一，取得了24胜2负的战绩.

Knapton embodied the Division III philosophy, 证明了他是球队解散后接手的最佳人选. Duke University Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski, 和纳普顿一起在全国篮球教练协会的董事会工作的人, was quoted in a Sports Illustrated 一篇描述纳普顿的文章:“(比尔)觉得他在做的事情很重要，事实也确实如此. 在这个过程中，他得到了同龄人的高度尊重，而他的同龄人也是一级联赛的教练. He is a big success.”

His connections created incredible opportunities for Beloit. His friendship with Stan Albeck, the Chicago Bulls’ head coach, 为迈克尔·乔丹和1985年的公牛队在学院的运动场训练打开了大门.

纳普顿后来担任了两年的NABC主席, only the third Division III coach to hold that position. 很多人可能不知道，他还被称为“三分球之父”.在1986-87赛季之前，他是NCAA篮球规则委员会的成员, Knapton switched his vote from no to yes, 有效地将三分球带入了大学篮球.

Two legendary coaches with two differing styles. 以最快的速度上升到统治地位，在联盟中取得了最长的成功. The sole blemish, now part of history, 但这并没有玷污两位最优秀的教练在贝洛伊特建立和维护的遗产, Dolph Stanley and Bill Knapton.

安吉拉·凯尔姆(Angela Kelm)是伯洛伊特学院的体育信息总监.