The Greatest Upset Never Seen: Virginia, Chaminade, and the Game That Changed College Basketball

by Jack Danilewicz

No one had really heard of Chaminade University—a tiny NAIA Catholic school in Honolulu with fewer than eight hundred undergraduates—until its basketball game against the University of Virginia on December 23, 1982. The Chaminade Silverswords defeated the Cavaliers, then the Division I, No. 1–ranked team in the nation, in what the Washington Post later called “the biggest upset in the history of college basketball.” Virginia was the most heralded team in the country, led by seven‑foot‑four‑inch, three‑time College Basketball Player of the Year Ralph Sampson. They had just been paid $50,000—more than double Chaminade’s annual basketball budget—to play an early season tournament in Tokyo and were making a “stopover” game in Hawaii on their way back to the mainland. The Silverswords, led by forward Tony Randolph, came back in the second half and won the game 77–72.

Chaminade’s incredible victory became known as the “Miracle on Ward Avenue” or simply “The Upset” in Hawaii and was featured in the national news. Never before in the history of college basketball had a school moved so dramatically and irretrievably into the nation’s consciousness. The Silverswords’ victory was more than just an upset; it was something considered impossible. And the team’s wins over major college programs continued in the ensuing years. Today Chaminade is still referred to as “The Giant Killers”—the school that beat Ralph Sampson and Virginia. 

The Greatest Upset Never Seen relives the 1982–83 season, when Chaminade put small‑college basketball and Hawaii on the national sports map.
 

Genres: Basketball

232 pages, Hardcover

Published November 1, 2019

Reviews

[Lance · Rating 5 out of 5]

On December 23, 1982, one of the biggest upsets in college basketball history occurred when Chaminade University, located in Honolulu, defeated the top-ranked University of Virginia 77-72. Not only was the magnitude of the upset noteworthy, but because it didn't finish until the early hours of Christmas Eve, not many people knew about it for a few days. The game itself as well as the two schools and several people involved in the game are the subject of this great book by Jack Danilewicz.

The game itself is covered extensively in chapter 6, and that is the only place in the book where the reader will find information on the actual game itself. That is not necessarily a bad thing, because just that chapter alone would make a great book as the writing is well beyond that of an extended game recap. The reader feels like he is on the benches of the two teams and even sitting on the rim with Richard Haensich of Chaminade in the post-game celebration when reading about the game. It should be noted that this wasn't a game Virginia took lightly or that they didn't play with complete intensity, as Danilewicz makes that clear throughout the chapter. The Silverswords simply outplayed and defeated the Cavaliers. Also noteworthy is the fact that the defeat didn't haunt Virginia for the rest of the season as they went back to their winning ways in conference play and the NCAA tourney, although they fell short of their goal of a championship as they were eliminated in the Final Four.

The rest of the book is a wonderful portrait of both schools and some of the key personnel in the game for both teams. Danilewicz does an excellent job of capturing the essence of the schools without a lot of fluff or unnecessary text as the reader will learn much about both schools, especially Chaminade. It should be noted that their basketball program, while successful in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) before the Virginia game, that win made it even more visible and noticed. That game proved not to be a fluke as the next two years, Chaminade defeated Louisville as well, with the 1984 Louisville team ranked #12 at the time of its defeat. The Silverswords' success led to the creation of one of the most popular college basketball tournaments, the Maui Invitational.

Profiles about some of the people involved in the game are also well written. This is especially true for the two coaches, Virginia's Terry Holland and Chaminade's Merv Lopes. The story of Lopes will especially warm the hearts of the readers, as will the Hawaiian adventures of Tony Randolph, who enrolled at Chaminade after no Division I school recruited him. Randolph played against the star of the Cavaliers, Ralph Sampson, who had a nice portrait in the book as well.

Whether a reader wants to remember the game, learn what the schools were like before the historic game, or what became of them and the players afterward, this book is a very good accounting of the biggest upset in college basketball history. Readers who like to read about the history of that sport will want to add it to their libraries.

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...

[Paul Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meant to be an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary - not this book. The story of #1 ranked UVA with Ralph Sampson losing to ... who?... brings back the memory from my college days in 1982. This book reveals details about the participants and the time, but in a less than compelling way (pictures would've helped). You're left thinking it really WASN'T the greatest upset - Chaminade was pretty good, having beaten other D1 schools; plus UVA under Ralph Sampson NEVER won anything of note in his 4 years. They were chokers on the biggest as well as the smallest stages.

[Rod Zemke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am old enough to remember this game and was intrigued when I saw a review in the WSJ. I enjoyed the book as I was able to relive some of the memories of college basketball from late 70's through the early 80's. That part was fun but disappointed as the author did not reach the bar set by David Halberstam (basically nobody does). The book was about more than the game which could be considered both good and bad. My larger complaint is some factual things as the author refers to three-point shots that did not exist for this game according to the NY Times.

[Tony Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was in high school when Chaminade beat UVa and I followed college basketball pretty closely back then, so this was an enjoyable walk down memory lane. I think the author does an excellent job weaving the Virginia and Chaminade story lines together.

If you’re a sports fan and grew up in the 80s, I highly recommend this book.

[Darrin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good read that really walks you through the history of the two teams and their encounter. Definitely learned a lot while reading it, however Knocked a couple stars off because there was very little retrospective about the aftermath and effect that it had on college basketball. The book just kind of seemed to end abruptly.