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X Honors 1958 National Championship Team
By
Jay Skeldon,
2/10/2008
 | 1958 XU NIT Championship Trophy
| | |  | Replica jerseys presented to 1958 XU Team.
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The 1958 Xavier Men’s basketball team was honored at halftime of the Xavier-Saint Joe's men's basketball game on Sunday afternoon at Cintas Center for its famed NIT Championship. Ten members of the championship team were in attendance along with various other team staff including trainers and assistant coaches. In addition, many family members including the daughter of head coach Jim McCafferty attended.
Each player or family member representing the player was introduced and greeted by Xavier President Michael Graham, S.J. and Athletic Director and Associate Vice President Mike Bobinski. In addition, the 1958 team members received a commemoritive 1958 Xavier NIT Championship Fossil watch and replica uniform.
The team recorded a 78-74 win over Dayton to secure the first ever National Championship for basketball by an Ohio school. Highlights from the game played at Madison Square Garden in New York City were shown on the video board at half. Sport magazine called the upset win “one of the greatest upsets ever.”
Xavier head coach Sean Miller talked to his team before the game about “playing for players of the past, traditions of the past.”
"I'm happy our guys didn't give up, particularly today when we're trying to honor our past guys,” said XU guard Stanley Burrell. “We were trying to honor the Xavier tradition."
With Xavier’s hard fought, determined comeback performance against Saint Joe’s, the team members in attendance surely must have been proud.
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