Norm started coaching at MU in 1967
Posted on: April 21, 2019 at 19:14:31 CT
FIJItiger
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Much of that time it wasn't a 64 team tourney and required winning your conference to earn a bid. 1978 was the first time the phrase Final Four was used, and around 1981 is the first time it was positioned as a tangible accomplishment. Nobody made a Final Four before that time, it is just people retroactively applying a modern day concept to a period of time when it didn't exist.
His first team that had a real shot was in 1982, but lost by 1 point to Houston's Phi Slamma Jamma team in the Regional Semi Final. His 1989 team was probably good enough, but Norm left the team due to cancer and didn't coach in the NCAA tourney when MU again lost in the Regional Semi Final. His 1990 team was definitely good enough, but suffered the worst NCAA tourney upset in program history. And in 1994 he again fielded a Final Four caliber team, but lost in the Regional Final. After 1994 he never had enough talent to reach that level again.
Edited by FIJItiger at 19:18:16 on 04/21/19