February 10, 2000
Texas A&M will honor its 1980 basketball team, generally regarded as the greatest in school history, as part of the annual former players reunion during Saturday's A&M-Colorado game at Reed Arena.
The 1980 Aggies, led by the famed "Wall" of Rudy Woods, Rynn Wright, Vernon Smith and Claude Riley, won the Southwest Conference regular season and tournament titles and went on to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, where they fell in overtime to eventual national champion Louisville. The team finished 26-8, the most wins in school history, and defeated Dean Smith's North Carolina team, 78-61, in double overtime to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
Woods, Wright, Smith, Riley and David Britton, the MVP of the 1980 SWC Classic, each went on to become NBA draft picks and all but Smith, who died in 1992, are scheduled to attend the reunion.
Other members of the 1980 team expected to attend are Dave Goff, R.C. Buford, John Schlichter, Jay McHugh, Steve Sylestine, student manager Mike Owen, student trainer Jay Harris, head coach Shelby Metcalf and assistant coaches Bob Gobin and Barry Davis.
More than 75 former A&M basketball players, from as far back as the 1930s, also are expected to attend. The former players will be recognized at halftime and at a reception following the game, which tips off at 5 p.m.