1970-1971 Buffalo Bulls Basketball

by Scott Hollander
University at Buffalo Libraries

By Scott Hollander

The 1960s were definitely over.  The 1970s had arrived. And with it, new opportunities and new challenges to Buffalo Athletics.  The 1970-1971 marked the debut of new Buffalo head coach Ed Muto, who replaced Dr. Len Serfustini.

The previous 1969-1970 season saw both a player boycott and lost games due to UB campus unrest. When it was over, three of the Bulls’ best players, Steve Waxman, Ron Gilliam, and Guy Vickers transferred to other schools. And yet with all the distractions, the 1970-1971 season still held promise. Ed Muto called the upcoming campaign as “The finest schedule this school has ever played.”  It certainly was ambitious.

College Basketball Powerhouses

The Bulls started their season with a home game against Syracuse and road games against Maryland and North Carolina – Charlotte.  It ended it on the road playing the Cincinnati Bearcats. Although Buffalo lost all their games to these traditional college basketball powers (a 109-70 beating against Maryland was particularly brutal), the experience seemed beneficial as the Bulls easily whipped lesser teams.

The Bulls played three of the games in the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium: the season opener against Syracuse, as well as transitional rivals Niagara and Buffalo State. Buffalo State’s Randy Smith hit a jump shot at the buzzer in the Aud as the Bulls lost in heartbreaking fashion, 87-85.

Star Bulls Players

Outstanding sophomore was 6-foot, 6-inch center, Curtis Blackmore. Blackmore scored 28 points and picked off a school-record 29 rebounds to lead the Bulls to a 96-62 trouncing of Stony Brook. He also received the Most Valuable Player award. Others like Tony Ebner, Phil Knapp, Neil Langelier, Rick Mantanle and Roger Kremblas helped to bring victories for the Bulls.

1970-1971 Buffalo Bulls Basketball Season

Date	Home Team	Score	Visiting Team	W-L-T	Location
12/2/1970	Buffalo	70 – 80	Syracuse	L	Buffalo, NY#
12/5/1970	Maryland	109 – 70	Maryland	L	College Park, MY
12/7/1970	North Carolina – Charlotte	64 – 46	Buffalo	L	Charlotte, NC
12/10/1970	Buffalo	106 – 56	Toronto	W	Buffalo, NY
12/12/1970	Buffalo	80 – 73	Central Michigan	W	Buffalo, NY
12/17/1970	Northern Illinois	77 – 71	Buffalo	L	DeKalb, IL
12/26/1970	Buffalo	61 – 80	Northeastern	L	Scranton, PA*
12/27/1970	Buffalo	81 – 60	Fairleigh Dickinson	W	Scranton, PA*
1/15/1971	Eastern Michigan	88 – 76	Buffalo	L	Ypsilanti, MI
1/20/1971	Buffalo	66 – 71	Akron	L	Buffalo, NY##
1/23/1971	LeMoyne	80 – 72	Buffalo	L	Syracuse, NY
1/27/1971	Albany	76 – 61	Buffalo	L	Albany, NY
2/3/1971	Buffalo	77 – 90	Niagara	L	Buffalo, NY#
2/6/1971	Buffalo	86 – 69	Point Park (PA) College	W	Buffalo, NY
2/10/1971	Rochester	72 – 86	Buffalo	W	Rochester, NY
2/12/1971	Buffalo	101 – 83	Wayne State	W	Buffalo, NY
2/13/1971	Buffalo	84 – 68	Ithaca	W	Buffalo, NY
2/15/1971	Buffalo	85 – 87	Buffalo State	L	Buffalo, NY#
2/20/1971	Buffalo	96 – 62	Stony Brook	W	Buffalo, NY
2/23/1971	Ball State	87 – 76	Buffalo	L	Muncie, IN
2/26/1971	Buffalo	87 – 86	Brockport State	W	Buffalo, NY
3/2/1971	Cincinnati	86 – 59	Buffalo	L	Cincinnati, OH

FINAL RECORD: 9-13
Home Court: Clark Memorial Gymnasium
Coach: Ed Muto

^# Game played at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium

* Game played at Scranton, PA as part of the Scranton Holiday Basketball Tournament

## Game plated at Erie Community College.