Lettermen's AssociationLITTLE ROCK – The 1985-86 men's basketball team that upset Notre Dame in the 1986 NCAA Tournament will be inducted into the Little Rock Trojan Athletic Hall of Fame at halftime of Little Rock's men's basketball game vs. South Alabama on Feb. 6 at the Jack Stephens Center.
"The 1985-86 basketball team deserves a great deal of credit for placing the Little Rock Trojans and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on the map," Director of Athletics
Chasse Conque said. "The success of this team singlehandedly changed the course and expectations for our basketball program. The stories of the Notre Dame win among our fan base are still fresh in some minds and shared often. I expect our fans will be thrilled to see this team return to Little Rock."
The event will run in conjunction with Lettermen's Weekend, which will include the Lettermen's Reception and Hall of Fame unveiling on Friday from 6:30-9 p.m. The Trojans Team Store will be open for the event.
Festivities on Saturday include a campus and facilities tour and reception on the concourse of the Jack Stephens Center. Complimentary tickets for lettermen are available through the Little Rock Ticket Office.
Hall of Fame rings will be presented to the team and all former lettermen in attendance will be recognized at halftime of Saturday's game.
The 1985-86 Trojans put together one of the most historic seasons in school history. In Mike Newell's second season as head coach, the team compiled a 23-11 record, captured TAAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships and earned the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament bid.
Nationally, the team is best known for pulling off one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history. The No. 14-seeded Trojans topped No. 3-seeded Notre Dame 90-83 in Minneapolis, Minn., to advance to the NCAA Round of 32. Pete Myers and Michael Clarke combined for 56 points in the win.
The win was the first for a 14 seed against a 3 seed in NCAA Tournament history. Led by head coach Digger Phelps, the Fighting Irish entered the first round matchup ranked 10th in the country. Little Rock was in just its seventh season as a Division I program.
Little Rock nearly pulled off a second upset vs. North Carolina State the following round, leading by as many as five points in the first overtime period before falling 80-66 in the second extra period. Myron Jackson led Little Rock with 23 points while Myers posted a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
The Trojans set or tied more than 50 school and conference records that season. The team won 19 of its final 21 games, with both of those losses – at Houston Baptist and vs. North Carolina State – coming in overtime.
The 1986 NCAA Tournament appearance marked the first of five consecutive postseason appearances for the Trojans. The following year, the Trojans won a school-record 26 games and advanced all the way to the semifinals of the 1987 National Invitation Tournament by defeating Baylor, Stephen F. Austin and California.
The two leading scorers on the 1985-86 team, Jackson (19.4) and Pete Meyers (19.2), both went on to become members of Little Rock's 1,000-point club. The duo's point totals that season rank first and third on the program's individual single-season scoring list.
Jackson and Newell were inducted into the Little Rock Trojan Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007 and 2011, respectively.
"It is hard to believe it has been 30 years, and we could not be more proud of what this team accomplished," Conque said. "We look forward to officially welcoming this team into the Little Rock Trojan Athletic Hall of Fame in February."
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