Grabbing Your A10tion
St. Bonaventure Bonnies
Location: St. Bonaventure, N.Y.
Founded: 1858
Enrollment: 2200
Nickname: Bonnies
Colors: Brown and White
President: Sr. Margaret Carney
Director of Athletics: Ron Zwierlein
Joined the A-10: 1981
Driving distance from Charlotte: 662 miles
Website: www.GoBonnies.com
Sports in which the 49ers and Bonnies will compete: Baseball, Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball, Men’s Cross-Country, Women’s Cross-Country, Men’s Golf, Men’s Soccer, Women’s Soccer, Softball, Men’s Tennis, Women’s Tennis
Other Sports: Women’s Lacrosse, Men’s and Women’s Swimming
Recent League Tournament Titles: Baseball (2004); Men’s Tennis (2003; 2001)
Recent NCAA appearances: Baseball (2004); Men’s Basketball (2000); Men’s Tennis (2003)
1.) Where’s Olean, New York? This is the first of two popular questions about St. Bonaventure. The school is located in the southwest corner of New York State between the city of Olean and the village of Allegany nestled in the Enchanted Mountains. It is a little less than two hours from Buffalo. The good news is that’s south of Buffalo. The bad news is it’s still very much in the cold and snowbelt. Olean is four hours west of Syracuse, and even though it’s in the same state, it’s a surprising seven hour drive from New York City.
2.) How cold is Olean, N.Y.? The 49ers men’s soccer team will be the first to find out, visiting St. Bonaventure October 7th. Last year, on that date, Olean struck a comfortable high of 73.6 degrees with a low of 38.1. The average was 55.8. For those looking ahead to what the winter might hold, last year over a foot of snow fell in the area during severe storms, Jan. 16-17 and again, Jan. 22. Total snowfall for the winter months in the Olean area was 74 inches, which is about normal. The average temperature in January and February is in the mid-20’s.
3.) Small School... The Bonnies post an enrollment of just 2200, making the school the smallest in the Atlantic 10.
4.) Centers of Renovation... St. Bonaventure’s facelift is highlighted by a new men’s basketball locker room and new sports medicine facilities. St. Bonaventure’s soccer, baseball and softball teams are also receiving new locker rooms.
5.) Hostile Home... The 6,000 seat Reilly Center, home of the Bonnies men’s and women’s basketball teams, has received national recognition for its boisterous crowds. In January 2001, ESPN’s Jay Bilas tabbed the Reilly Center one of the nation’s top five most “Hostile Homes.” The others were Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium, Kansas’ Allen Fieldhouse, Arizona’s McHale Center and Michigan State’s Breslin Center.
6.) Post Season Success... St. Bonaventure’s men’s basketball team has both a proud distant past and recent history in making the NIT and NCAA Tournament. The Bonnies have appeared in five NCAA’s, most recently in 2000. They have made 14 NIT appearances, including this past season when they were 18-12. While the 49ers were in the 1977 NCAA Final Four, St. Bonaventure was winning the NIT, just one year after the 49ers made the NIT Finals
7.) Basketball Hall of Famer... Arguably the Bonnies most famous athlete is basketball Hall of Famer Bob Lanier (1966-70). He led the Bonnies to the NCAA Final Four in 1970 and was a three-time All-America. He holds the school’s records for rebounds in a game, season and career and is third on the all-time scoring list. The 6-11, 265 pound Buffalo native was the first overall pick in the 1970 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons(1970-79) and also played for the Milwaukee Bucks (1980-84). He was an eight-time all-star who scored 19,248 points (20.1ppg) and grabbed 9,698 rebounds(10.1 rpg) in his career. He was inducted into the St. Bonaventure Hall of Fame in 1975, the Michigan Hall of Fame in 1990 and the NBA Hall of Fame in 1992. He had a brief acting career, appearing in the movie The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh.
8.) No Strangers on the Court... Under head coach Bobby Lutz, the 49ers have met the Bonnies three times, with St. Bonaventure capturing two victories. Charlotte scored a 66-56 victory over the Bonnies at Halton Arena, Nov. 23, 1999, but less than a week later dropped a 75-66 decision in Pepperdine’s Sparklett’s Invitational in Malibu, Ca. The following season, the 49ers hit the road for New York (but not Olean), with the Bonnies pulling out a 79-78 victory in Rochester.
9.) “Little Napolean”... You have to go back, back, back - but included in St. Bonaventure’s Hall of Fame is the legendary John McGraw, Class of 1895. McGraw, from Truxton, New York, was a hard-hitting third baseman with the Baltimore Orioles in the 1890’s, but is best known for his 30 years as manager of the New York Giants, where he earned the nickname “Little Napolean.” McGraw’s teams won 10 pennants. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937 and the St. Bonaventure Hall of Fame in 1969.
