Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Basketball Victory over Kansas Nominated for Best Upset ESPY Award
6/24/2005 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
June 24, 2005
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LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell's historic men's basketball victory over Kansas in the 2005 NCAA Tournament is one of four nominees in the ESPY Awards "Best Upset" category, it was announced Friday morning on the Mike & Mike in the Morning Show on ESPN Radio. It marks the first time Bucknell has been nominated for an ESPY.
The ESPY Awards were created by ESPN in 1993 and are presented for "Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly." Held at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, the ESPYs will air on ESPN on Sunday, July 17 at 9 p.m. ET.
One of the special qualities of the ESPYs is that all winners are selected by fans via online voting. Fans may vote for winners in each of 35 categories at www.ESPN.com, keyword ESPY. Voting began Friday morning and will run through July 8.
Bucknell's competition in the "Best Upset" category is Vermont's NCAA Tournament victory over Syracuse; Puerto Rico's men's basketball victory over the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens; and Giacomo's Kentucky Derby win against 50-1 odds.
The ESPYs are also distinguished by its charitable contribution. A portion of the proceeds is donated to The V Foundation, established by ESPN with the late Jim Valvano, and presented at the inaugural ESPYs. Valvano was head coach at Bucknell from 1972-75.
This year's ESPY show is hosted by actor Matthew Perry and will feature a "Who's Who" of celebrities from the world of sports and entertainment to commemorate the past year in sports by recognizing major sports achievements, reliving unforgettable moments and saluting the leading performers and performances.
Bucknell's 64-63 victory over third-seeded Kansas was the first NCAA Tournament win in Bucknell and Patriot League history in the sport of men's basketball. Center Chris McNaughton's jump hook in the paint with 10.5 seconds remaining proved to be the winning shot. While Bucknell was playing its third NCAA Tournament game, and its first since 1989, Kansas was in its 107th tourney contest, fourth-most in NCAA history. The Jayhawks' senior class had appeared in two Final Fours and an Elite Eight in the previous three years. The Bison halted Kansas' streak of 21 straight first-round victories.
Led by head coach Pat Flannery, the Bison finished 23-10 in 2004-05, coming within one victory of the school record.
