The history of Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball from 1973 to 1979 includes the coaching reign of Tom Cooney. Although Le Moyne did not have a losing record in any of the six seasons under Cooney and had an overall record of 82–63, the Dolphins failed to reach the postseason. Rick May became the first Le Moyne player to record 1,000 career rebounds as a senior during the 1973–74 season. The Middle Eastern College Athletic Association (MECAA), the conference in which Le Moyne had been a member since 1955, dissolved following the 1975–76 season. Coach Cooney's first recruiting class turned out to be his best, producing a 15–7 record as seniors in the 1976–77 season. They were led by John Lauer and Pete Hogan, both of whom ended their careers in the top six among Le Moyne's all-time leading scorers. Although the Dolphins were not selected for the 1977 NCAA tournament, Le Moyne athletic director Tommy Niland believed they deserved a bid, and that the best 32 teams were not chosen. The Dolphins played their first ever game against Division I power Syracuse, located only four miles away, during the 1977–78 season. Jene Grey, who was selected in the 1979 NBA draft, finished his Dolphins career as the program's second leading all-time scorer and rebounder.
Tom Cooney takes the reins (1973–1974) On November 16, 1972, Le Moyne announced that Tommy Niland would resign as head coach at the end of the 1972–73 season after 25 years as the Dolphins head coach. On December 19, Le Moyne announced that assistant coach Tom Cooney would succeed Niland. Cooney played for three seasons on Le Moyne's varsity team and was captain as a senior for the 1963–64 season, during which the Dolphins were MECAA champions and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA College Division tournament. Prior to becoming Niland's assistant, Cooney was the head coach at St. Vincent de Paul High School in Syracuse for three seasons.
Le Moyne became a Division II institution, when the College Division was split in 1973. Practices for the 1973–74 season opened on October 15, 1973. The Dolphins lost captain Phil Harlow, who was their all-time leading scorer, Brian Gaetano and Bob Kawa to graduation for Tom Cooney's inaugural season as head coach. Rick May and Bob Quirk returned for their senior seasons and were named co-captains. Junior Tom Moody and sophomores John Ferraro, Brian O'Connor and Mark Bowka also returned. New to the team were 6'0" junior transfer Bob Braunitzer from St. Lawrence, sophomores 6'4" Mark Daly and 5'8" Gary Jackson and freshmen 6'4" Bob Burkhard, 6'5" Pete Hogan and 6'7" John Lauer. Ted Grace, a key player for the Dolphins as a freshman and sophomore the previous two seasons, gave up basketball to devote more time to his Islamic faith.
Radio broadcasts of Dolphins games had ceased after the 1971–72 season. Le Moyne's own WLMU broadcast live coverage of three home games during the 1973–74 season with commentary by Kevin Cooney and Bruce Sedlak. They hoped to expand coverage next season, if the station's budget was adequate.
Dolphins head coach Tom Cooney earned his first victory in his second game at the helm, a 76–74 upset at Potsdam State on December 4. Le Moyne used a full-court press to stage a comeback from a seven-point second-half deficit. John Ferraro, who scored 16 points to lead the Dolphins, hit a pair of free throws on a one-and-one opportunity to break a 74–74 tie with 29 seconds remaining and provide the winning margin.
Le Moyne's Christmas invitational tournament returned in 1973, after a one-year hiatus. The Dolphins were 4–1 and riding a four-game winning streak entering the event. There was heightened interest in the tournament, since one of the participating teams was Catholic, which was coached by former Dolphins star Dick Myers. Myers and Le Moyne head coach Tom Cooney were teammates for three years, and both were starters on Le Moyne's 1963–64 team that went to the NCAA tournament. Both have since been enshrined in the Le Moyne Athletic Hall of Fame. Freshman John Lauer scored 25 points on 9-for-13 shooting to lead the Dolphins to a 95–68 victory over Hamilton in the tournament opener on December 28. Fifteen of Lauer's 25 points came during a decisive second-half run during which Le Moyne outscored the Continentals, 36–22, stretching their seven-point lead to a 21-point bulge with less than five minutes to play. John Ferraro had a double-double for the Dolphins with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
The following evening, Potsdam State closed the game on a 14–3 run over the final 6:25 to erase a seven-point Dolphins lead and win the tournament final, 78–74. Ted Bence scored 23 points to lead the Bears and was named the tournament's most valuable player. Rick May had a double-double for the Dolphins with 19 points and a game-high 14 rebounds and was named to the all-tournament team. Bob Braunitzer had 13 points to go with the 15 he scored against Hamilton and joined May on the all-tournament squad. John Lauer and John Ferraro were each held to 10 points in the final.
Freshman Pete Hogan scored 32 points, and Rick May grabbed 18 rebounds to lead the Dolphins to an 84–77 home triumph over Saint Michael's on January 19, 1974, ending both their own six-game losing streak and the Purple Knights' six-game winning streak. Hogan started in place of freshman John Lauer, who missed his second straight game with a broken bone in his foot. Le Moyne improved to 6–7 on the season with the victory.
Pete Hogan continued to shine, filling in for the injured John Lauer, scoring 20 points in the Dolphins' 72–66 upset home victory over Hartwick on January 23. Le Moyne was also missing injured starting forward John Ferraro, who suffered a sprained ankle in the Saint Michael's game. Freshman Bob Burkhard started in his place and responded with a double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Rick May, who had recently become the ninth player in program history to reach 1,000 career points, contributed nine points and 11 rebounds for the Dolphins, who evened their record at 7–7. Hartwick's loss cast doubt over their NCAA tournament hopes.
John Ferraro returned to the lineup in a 101–81 loss at Assumption on February 2. John Lauer was back in action and scored four points in a 58–54 win at Cortland State on February 6. Pete Hogan scored a game-high 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Dolphins. Rick May had nine points and 12 rebounds. Le Moyne improved their record to 8–9.
Freshman Pete Hogan, a graduate of St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute, just outside of Buffalo, New York, scored 28 points and grabbed nine rebounds in his return home to lead the Dolphins to a 103–97 victory at Buffalo on February 20. Rick May had a double-double for Le Moyne with 17 points and 17 boards. The Dolphins shot 53% from the floor, while holding the Bulls to a 43% clip. The win was the Dolphins' fourth in five games and improved their record to 11–10 on the season. This was Le Moyne's 55th all-time victory over a Division I/major program.
The Dolphins used a 17–0 first-half run to build a 31–12 lead in their February 23 home game against Iona. However, the Gaels battled their way back into the game and trailed by only eight points less than two minutes into the second half. With Le Moyne nursing a three-point edge, Bob Quirk hit a pair of free throws with nine seconds to play, putting away a 79–74 victory for the Dolphins. Quirk and John Ferraro scored 16 points each to lead Le Moyne. The Dolphins improved to 12–10 overall and completed their MECAA slate 2–3 with the win, their 56th all-time against a Division I/major program.
Rick May became the first Le Moyne player to record 1,000 career rebounds in the Dolphins' 105–75 home win over Clarkson on February 26. May had a double-double in the game with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Pete Hogan scored 22 points to lead Le Moyne, who shot 52% from the floor while holding the Golden Knights to 38% accuracy. The Dolphins led by only nine points at halftime but exploded for 62 second-half points to earn the blowout victory. All 12 players on Le Moyne's roster got into the scoring column. The Dolphins improved to 13–10 on the season, ensuring Tom Cooney of a winning record in his first year as head coach.
The Dolphins closed their season with a non-conference home game against NCAA tournament-bound Siena on March 2. The Indians were awarded a tournament bid despite being required by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) to forfeit several wins, because they erroneously used an ineligible player. The selection committee noted that Siena self-reported the violation and had played well since the player was taken out of the lineup. The ineligible player did not appear in Siena's 101–79 home victory over Le Moyne on January 26. Senior co-captain Rick May had a double-double in his final collegiate game with 22 points and 17 rebounds, leading the Dolphins to an 87–81 triumph. He finished as Le Moyne's all-time leading career rebounder with 1,028. Bob Quirk, the Dolphins' other senior co-captain scored 18 points to close his career. Le Moyne finished the season 14–10 on a four-game winning streak and with victories in seven of their final eight games. The Dolphins were 4–5 against teams that secured bids to the 1974 NCAA Division II tournament and 2–2 versus Division I foes.
Early struggles and a strong finish (1974–1975) The Dolphins opened practice for the 1974–75 season on October 15. Co-captains Rick May, Le Moyne's all-time leading career rebounder, and Bob Quirk were both lost to graduation. The arrival of three high-profile freshmen was greatly anticipated. Mike Gehm, a 6'1" guard, Ed Kopp, a 6'5" center, and Steve Singer, a 6'3" forward, were decorated New York state high school stars who had all committed to Le Moyne in the spring. Seniors Bob Braunitzer and Tom Moody, juniors Brian O'Connor, John Ferraro and Gary Jackson and sophomores Pete Hogan, John Lauer and Bob Burkhard all returned to the team. Junior Frank Hojnacki and sophomore Jim Fletcher were added after successful seasons on the junior varsity team. The Dolphins also welcomed Dan Maycock, a 6'4" sophomore transfer frontcourt player, who was a Navy veteran and previously played at LSU. Dave Zalewski, a 5'11" sophomore, was added to the roster at the conclusion of the preseason. Gehm earned a spot on the varsity roster during the preseason, while Kopp and Singer were added to the junior varsity team.
The Dolphins hosted Canisius, featuring Larry Fogle, the top scorer in college basketball the previous season with an average of 33.4 points per game, on December 9, 1974. The Golden Griffins took control of the game early, building a 15-point lead with less than five minutes remaining in the first half. A burst that included three baskets by John Lauer cut the Dolphins' deficit to nine points at intermission. Le Moyne kept the game tight in the second half, and five straight points by Lauer gave the Dolphins a 49–48 lead with 3:46 remaining. After Canisius went back in front by a point, captain Bob Braunitzer's basket put Le Moyne ahead, 51–50, with 2:57 to play. The Golden Griffins responded with an 8–0 run, getting two baskets each from Tim Stokes and Kenny Kee, to secure a 58–53 victory. The Dolphins held Fogle to 23 points, only 10 of which came after halftime, and 10 rebounds. Braunitzer scored 15 points to lead Le Moyne, and Lauer had a double-double with 13 points and 11 boards. The loss dropped the Dolphins to 0–4 on the season.