Warhawks to Raise “402” Banner to Honor Mike Vining
The ULM men's basketball program will honor legendary former head coach Mike Vining by raising a banner featuring the number “402” in a special halftime ceremony during the Warhawks game on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015 against Georgia Southern at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
The 402 represents the total number of Vining's regular season and post-season victories over his 24 seasons as ULM head coach from 1981-2005.
“The number 402 was selected to incorporate and embody all of Mike's accomplishments and his countless contributions to the ULM men's basketball program,” said current ULM head coach Keith Richard. “This banner will serve as a symbol of the enduring legacy of Mike Vining, one of the greatest coaches in ULM history and a member of the ULM family.”
Vining is a member of the ULM Hall of Fame, Southland Conference Hall of Honor, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the LABC Hall of Fame.
In Vining's very first season in 1981-82, he coached the Warhawks to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Atlantic Sun. Vining made return trips to the big dance in 1986, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1996. Additionally, his 1987-88 squad secured a spot in the NIT.
Vining posted six 20-win seasons and won 19 games three other times. His teams earned Southland Conference regular season titles in 1986, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1997. The Warhawks won conference tournament crowns in 1986, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1996 for a total of 14 championships.
Under Vining, ULM was the first team to ever win four straight Southland Conference Tournaments, the first to win season and tournament championships in back-to-back years and the first to go two seasons with only one conference loss each year.
His 1992-93 squad posted the most wins in school history with a 27-4 record. ULM's only other 25-win season came under Vining in 1990-91 when the coached the team to a 25-8 tally.
Seven of his players earned Player of the Year honors, to go along with five Newcomer of the Year selections and 46 All-Conference picks. 16 of Vining's players were 1,000-point scorers and seven-footer Wojciech Myrda set the NCAA record in career blocks in 2002.
In NCAA Tournament games, Vining's ULM teams went up against players like Wake Forest's Tim Duncan, Duke's Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill and Iowa's Acie Earl. Vining matched wits with Mike Krzyzewski (Duke), Lute Olson (Iowa) and Jerry Tarkanian (UNLV).
In 1962, Vining enrolled at ULM after playing on three district championship teams at Forest High School. Though a good basketball player under Lenny Fant, Vining starred on the baseball team and helped ULM to the Gulf States Conference championships as a pitcher in 1964 and 1966.
Following his graduation with a Bachelor's Degree in Health and Physical Education in 1967, Vining spent two years coaching the junior varsity team while studying towards his Master's Degree.
Vining served two years as an Army officer, part of it in Vietnam, before returning to Louisiana to take over as the head coach at Bastrop High School in 1971. In seven years, he coached the Rams to a 175-47 record, six playoff appearances and a state title.
Vining returned to ULM in 1978 and spent one season as an assistant to Fant and two to Benny Hollis. He then took over at the helm in 1981.
The Early Years
It didn't take long for Mike Vining to find success as head coach of the ULM men's basketball program. In his very first season, he guided the Warhawks to their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.
Vining was named head coach in July, 1981 to succeed Benny Hollis who became the school's athletic director. Vining was chosen after spending 10 years as a student-athlete, graduate assistant and assistant coach with the Warhawks.
“I thought I had a pretty good chance of becoming the next head coach at the time. As an assistant, I was a big recruiter and most of the guys on the team were guys I recruited,” said Vining. “There were fans who thought the school should have gone after a big-name guy or an assistant coach from a bigger school, but the ULM president felt I deserved a chance since most of the players were guys I brought here. I also coached local high school here before and most of my players came here and were on the team.”
In the school's final year in the Atlantic Sun Conference (then known as the Trans America Athletic Conference), the Warhawks whipped right through the conference tournament and into the big dance in 1981-82. ULM downed Centenary 98-85 in the championship game to advance with a 19-10 overall record. It was the team's 21st consecutive winning season.
The Warhawks had four returning starters that season in forwards Donald Wilson and Terry Martin, center Gerald Morris and point guard Keith Richard. They rounded out the starting lineup with Vernon Butler, a rare junior college transfer at ULM.
“I knew we had a good team when I took over,” Vining said. “It was actually the first year of the NCAA playoffs where they expanded the field from 32 to 64 teams and all conference-tournament champions were invited. So that gave us a much better chance of playing in the post-season.”
The run-and-gun offense landed the Warhawks in a tie for third-place in the regular season with a 9-7 record. They were then pitted against Houston Baptist in the first-round of the conference tournament, a team that had already defeated them twice in the regular season. Though, the Warhawks had ended the regular season on a high note winning three of their last four, and used that momentum to finally get past the Huskies 54-48. Northwestern State was no match for ULM in the semi-finals, as the Warhawks cruised to an 81-64 victory.
“When we went to the NCAA Tournament it actually didn't seem like it was that big of a deal. In the community, there wasn't much interest at the time. March Madness is obviously much bigger now than what it was back then, but there were only three people with us watching on our very first selection Sunday when they revealed the bracket. It was Hollis, our business manager who had to make the travel arrangements and me, that's it,” Vining said.
In the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament game, ULM got off to a fast start against Iowa in Pullman, Wash., leading 8-0. Iowa led only twice in the first half and the Warhawks took a 29-28 advantage into the intermission. The game was tied 53-53 with just over five minutes left before the Hawkeyes pulled away for a 70-63 win.
“We had size, experience and quickness and were able to compete. I felt we had an excellent chance to win the game. We missed a couple of open looks down the stretch but we could have very easily won that game. It's fun to think what would have happened if we won that game. We went there as a team that nobody had ever heard of and really made a good impression,” Vining said. “Going to the NCAA Tournament my first year was actually one of my proudest moments in my career. I felt I really proved myself to the fans and everyone who wanted a big-name coach.”
A new era for the school began in 1982-83 as ULM joined the Southland Conference. The Warhawks won their first-ever SLC game, defeating Louisiana Tech 66-48 at Fant-Ewing Coliseum on Jan. 15, 1983.
“A lot of the other schools around us that we were competing with were making the move to the Southland Conference so it seemed like the right move to make at the time. It was a good move for us because it created better rivalries in the area,” Vining said. “I was definitely on board with it.”
ULM finished the year 14-14 overall (6-6 SLC), but followed it up with back-to-back 17-12 seasons in 1983-84 and 1984-85.
“The very first person I signed was Martin. He was a big-time a recruit and it seemed like everyone was going after him. Georgia, Ole Miss, Louisville and Louisiana Tech all really wanted him. I think I was closer to him as a person than all the other coaches and we had a connection. I knew his whole family personally and it would have been hard for him to tell me no. I only missed two or three of his high school games since there was no NCAA limitations back then. We had a relationship that he didn't have with other schools. Additionally, we were closer to his home and his family could come see him play,” Vining said. “I still have that relationship with him today.”
Vining coached Martin (1980-84) to 1,523 career points and Wilson (1978-82) to 1,459 points, both are top-10 scorers in ULM history. Morris (1980-84) ended with 1,264 and sits 17th on the all-time scoring list. Additionally, Bruce Williams (1980-84) reach the 1,000-club with 1,016 points.
“Getting Martin led to a lot of other recruits. For example, him and Morris played on the same AAU team. We then grabbed Williams who went under-the-radar but did huge things for us. We were able to keep putting together a team of the top players in the state which led to more-and-more success down the road,” Vining said.
The Late 80's
With three winning seasons in his first four years, Mike Vining was already off to the greatest start of any coach in ULM men's basketball history.
The 1985-86 campaign was destined to be a successful year from the beginning, as the Warhawks returned nearly everyone from their 17-12 squad from the year before. ULM returned 96 percent of its scoring and 94 percent of its rebounding.
A stacked starting line of veteran guard Arthur Hayes and Elgin James, tagged with the inside presence of Bobby Jenkins and Gerard Phillips brought Vining his first 20-win season at the helm. More importantly, ULM won both the regular season and post-season Southland Conference championships.
The conference tournament didn't come easy for ULM, as it found itself trailing Louisiana Tech by six points with two minutes left in the semi-finals. The Warhawks rallied back, and with four seconds left James hit two foul shots on a one-and-one to put them on top, 57-56. The championship game was even more dramatic as a late 11-4 run concluded with a 25-foot buzzer beater by Hayes to beat McNeese State 59-57.
“In the championship game, I thought the game was over and we had lost. Hayes ran across half-court and just threw one up because of the time. The buzzer sounded and it went in, and it was a shock to all of us,” Vining said. “Nevertheless, it was a tremendous feeling.”
A great season continued in the first half of the NCAA Tournament against UNLV as the Warhawks led as late as the six-minute mark in the first half. Jenkins, James and Hayes each scored double-figures, but UNLV used a big second half to take a 74-51 result.
“It was an odd game because we had to play at 11 o'clock in the morning which we had never done before. We came in and played really well. There was a big play at the end of the first half where we missed a dunk and it completely flipped all the momentum. We then missed a couple of close range shots after that and it all snow-balled against us,” said Vining. “We were playing against a very, very good team coached by Jerry Tarkanian during his best years.”
ULM's 20-10 record in 1985-86 marked its 26th consecutive non-losing season, the sixth longest streak in the country. Hayes wrapped up his career with 1,122 points, James with 1,044 points and Jenkins 1,029.
“Those guys were such great competitors. The key to that season was our team chemistry. We had good players, but the big thing was they all trusted each other and complimented each other,” Vining said.
After a re-building year in 1986-87, the Warhawks were back at it in 1987-88 with a huge year from Michael Saulsberry. The senior center, who scored 1,308 points in his career, headlined a ULM squad that finished 21-9 overall and 10-4 in the SLC. It was Vining's winningest season to date.
“We recruited Saulsberry really hard. He actually ended up signing somewhere else out of high school and immediately regretted it. He then came here and had to sit out a year which actually gave him a great opportunity to adjust and mature,” Vining said.
Saulsberry was named to the All-Conference First-Team and All-Tournament Team along with Alvin Jefferson. ULM also had a deadly three-point shooter in Derrick Pollard and a great ball handler in Brian Spencer. The squad broke 14 school records that season, most coming on individual and team shooting percentages.
The Warhawks were selected to play in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) for the second time in school history. They fell to Arkansas State, 70-59, but the highlight of the season may have come at the Utah Classic where ULM knocked off Washington and Utah.
“The Utah Classic was huge for us. Washington's coach was Andy Russo who I had to coach against again because he was at Louisiana Tech before so he really wanted to beat us. I don't think he was expecting to lose that game.” said Vining. “Utah was the home team and we opened up a huge 16-point lead at half. They came back and made it close which actually caused our coaching staff to make a change in our style. We had always called out plays, but the crowd got so loud that we shifted to visual signals for the first time ever. We hung on to beat them and it was a tremendous win for the program.”
ULM rounded out the decade with a 17-12 (9-5 SLC) record in 1988-89. The season turned out to significantly exceed low expectations as Warhawks returned just one starter from the year before. The young ULM team, guided by sophomore Anthony Jones, fell in the championship game of the SLC Tournament, but it was merely just a preview of what was soon to come.
The Glory Days
In his first nine seasons as head coach, Mike Vining tallied two NCAA Tournament appearances and a showing in the NIT, but the ULM men's basketball program had still yet to reach its pinnacle.
The 1989-90 campaign marked the arrival of a highly recruited junior college transfer named Carlos Funchess. Labelled as an “eyebrow raiser” at Copiah-Lincoln CC, Funchess was considered to be the missing piece to the puzzle that included returners Anthony Jones, Fred Thompson, Phillip Craig and Troy Cobb.
“Carlos was a guy that other teams stayed away from when recruiting because he was 6-4 and too small to play the post, and didn't have the ball-handling skills to be a guard. Nobody really knew where to put him on the court. I think Carlos wanted to go to Southern Miss because he was from around that area and played at a community college nearby, but Southern Miss wouldn't commit to him. We saw his athleticism and that's what attracted us to him. We wanted athletes. If you were a good enough athlete, we could find a place for you. We got him signed, and the next thing you knew he was competing in the national slam dunk competition,” Vining said.
The schedule was the toughest to date, as ULM took on six teams that went to either the NCAA Tournament or NIT from the year before. The tough competition prepared the Warhawks for the Southland Conference slate, as they swept right through with only one loss for the regular season title. The conference tournament was no different as ULM breezed by UT-Arlington 65-50 and North Texas 84-68. Jones was named SLC Tournament MVP.
ULM brought a 22-7 (13-1 SLC) record into the NCAA Tournament to face Purdue. The Warhawks led 34-33 at halftime, but the Boilermakers were able to pull away in the second half despite double-figure efforts from Craig, Jones and Thompson.
“Purdue beat us with depth. We only had a five or six man rotation, while Purdue was playing eight or nine guys. We had the players to compete with them but we sort of gave out in the second half. They were more physical than us and we weren't used to how the game was officiated. In the Southland, everything was called really close. In the NCAA Tournament, the refs let the teams play and Purdue's physicality got to us,” Vining said. “Though the thing I remember most about that game was at halftime, you could hear a pin drop on the court. There were 40,000 Purdue fans there that were dead silent when we brought the lead into halftime. It was so quiet that we could hear our footsteps as we walked to the dressing room.”
Expectations were as high as they'd ever been in 1990-91 as the Warhawks returned star players Jones, Funchess and Craig. Nevertheless, ULM lived it up the hype with its first-ever 25-win season which topped the 23-win campaign set by Calvin Natt and company in 1978-79.
The accomplishments in 1990-91 were endless. The Warhawks posted their first-ever undefeated home season with a 14-0 mark at Fant-Ewing Coliseum and they upped their home winning streak to 25 games. ULM became the first SLC team to ever win the regular season and conference tournament championships in back-to-back years and the first to ever lose no more than one SLC game two years in a row. ULM set 23 team or individual awards during the year.
“We had such great crowds those years,” Vining said. “Sometimes people wouldn't come to the game because they said they knew it wouldn't be a close game because we were going to blow out the opposition. There was a stretch where we were blowing everyone out at home and winning by at least 15 points a game on average.”
Jones and Funchess ended their careers with 1,817 and 1,044 points, respectively. In the NCAA Tournament, they went up against the likes of Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill, coached by Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski. The duo shared the league's Player of the Year award and Jones was named tournament MVP for the second year in a row. Additionally, both Jones and Funchess competed in the National College Slam Dunk Championship on ESPN during Final Four weekend.
“Cobb was a graduate assistant for us that year, and before the game Coach K went up to him and said he was glad he didn't have to play against him. That told us that Coach K had been watching film on us from the previous years. So not only had he watched film on us from that year, but who knows how far back he went in his scouting. Most would think that a team like Duke wouldn't be that concerned about a small school like us, but Coach K was,” Vining said. “We hit a three-pointer on the first possession of the game and Duke called timeout just so Coach K could take Hurley and Laettner out. He was upset with them for whatever reason, and then of course their team goes on a tear. It didn't help that Funchess got sick at halftime and couldn't play much in the second half due to an upset-stomach. Though Duke obviously had a great team.”
Initial thoughts were that the 1991-92 Warhawks were going to take a dip after losing their two biggest stars. They lost five of their six leading scorer from a year before and the roster was looking bleak.
However, Vining remained optimistic after bringing in big-name recruits Ryan “China” Stuart, Louis Davis and Keith Johnson. All three players ended up averaging in double-figures as Stuart led the way with 21.6 points per game.
The season was another tremendous success as ULM upped its home winning streak to 29 games and became the first team to ever win the SLC Tournament three years in a row. The Warhawks topped it off with a dramatic 81-77 win over Texas-San Antonio in the championship game.
Vining surpassed the 200-win plateau during the year. Stuart was named an All-American Honorable Mention and registered 20 points in the NCAA Tournament game against USC.
Stuart, Johnson and Davis all returned in 1992-93 which immediately sky-rocketed the team's expectations. The Warhawks did not disappoint as they put together the greatest season in school history with a 27-4 (17-1 SLC) record and a 14-0 mark at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
“That was the best team I've ever had, by far,” Vining said. “China was the first and only player to have ever been both SLC Player of the Year and SLC Tournament MVP two years in a row. He just had a knack for being able to get to the basket and score.”
The season included the biggest upset in program history with an 87-78 victory over No. 9 Arkansas. When league play rolled around, ULM posted 17 wins, the most in league history and finished six games ahead of the runner-up. The Warhawks ended the year second in the nation in field goal percentage at .522.
“The year before we beat Arkansas, we lost a heartbreaker to LSU who had Shaquille O'Neil. We were beating them at their place by six points with just under a minute left in the game after China had one of his best games. Late in the game, Davis got his eye scratched, so LSU was fouling him but he couldn't see when he was at the free throw line. So we kept missing free throws and had some bad turnovers which led to a couple of three pointers from Paul Marshall who later transferred to us,” Vining said. “That loss really setup the Arkansas win because we were in a very similar position against them and we knew how to finish.”
ULM garnered national respect as it ended with seven votes in the final Associated Press Top-25 poll. The Warhawks had all five of their starters average in double-figures for the first time in school history as Stuart averaged 21.1 points per game, Johnson 14.3, Davis 13.5, Maurice Stephens 13.2 and Isaac Brown 11.1.
Stuart netted 1,238 points in just two seasons at ULM including 20 points in his final game against Iowa in the NCAA Tournament.
“We were just one of 14 schools that had been to the NCAA Tournament four years in a row at the time,” Vining said.
The four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances still stands as the longest streak for any SLC program. The string of conference tournament titles was the longest streak in the country at the time and the greatest at ULM for any sport.
More Championships, Another NCAA Appearance
After four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, Mike Vining had built the ULM men's basketball program into the premier team in the Southland Conference and one that garnered national attention.
Following the school's best-ever season in 1992-93 with 27 wins, ULM saw its big three in Ryan Stuart, Keith Johnson and Louis Davis graduate. A program that averaged 23 wins over the previous four seasons found itself rebuilding in 1993-94 around lone returning regular Maurice Stephens, a senior.
There was good reason for optimism though as Stephens had led the way in ULM's historic upset over No. 9 Arkansas with 22 points and 19 rebounds the year before. He averaged 13.2 points per game and also ranked high in the conference in shoot percentage, rebounding and blocks.
Vining also brought in another loaded recruiting class that included Paul Marshall, Larry Carr and Howard Nathan who all transferred to ULM.
The team got off to a slow start in 1993-94, but as usual picked it up when conference play started. Carr began his breakout season by leading the Warhawks to a 4-1 start in SLC action. The Warhawks then had a pivotal stretch of 11 consecutive conference wins which solidified another regular season championship en-route to a 19-9 (15-3 SLC) record.
“Those players saw our tapes and previous success and wanted to be a part of it. The biggest problem we had in recruiting in general was getting them to come visit. Once we got them on campus and they could see the support and enthusiasm we had, they wanted to stay,” Vining said. “One of the reasons we started slow that year was because Nathan was not eligible until mid-term. He was a key part of the team and actually had 35 points and 12 assists in his very first game back.”
Vining coached Carr to All-Conference First-Team and runner-up for Player of the Year with 18.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Alvin Edwards earned Second-Team recognition after leading the team in assists and steals and scoring 14.0 points per game.
Though the one omission to all the wins and honors in 1993-94 came in the conference tournament. After dismissing Stephen F. Austin 92-73 in the semi-finals, the Warhawks were pitted against North Texas, a team they had defeated twice in the regular season. ULM led 30-27 at half, but came out cold in the second half and dug itself a hole. The Warhawks stormed back after a nine-point deficit to tie the game 71-71 with 43 seconds left, but NT answered with a bucket and a free throw. With three seconds left, ULM was unable to get off a potential game-tying three-pointer and fell 74-71 after making just 6-of-29 from long-range.
“We had such a great regular season but mentally we weren't prepared for a tough game in the conference tournament. I think our guys thought it was going to be easy and we just had a really bad game. It was a very disappointing loss,” Vining said.
Still, it was a terrific coaching job from Vining who won another championship after bringing back just one returning starter. He kept the streak alive of having just one losing season in the past 33 years.
The 1994-95 campaign looked even more promising as Carr, Edwards and Marshall all earned SLC Preseason honors.
Though, injuries plagued the Warhawks and they got off to one of the worst starts in school history after playing a non-conference schedule that had them up against 10 teams from either the NCAA Tournament or NIT from the year before.
After an 0-12 start including 0-3 in the league, Vining coached ULM to its greatest turn-around season of all-time. Vining quoted at the time that he was just hoping to win one game that year. The next thing anyone knew, he had guided the Warhawks to a second-place finish in the SLC and to the championship game of the conference tournament.
“Some things happened over the summer that altered what we wanted to do heading into the season. Nathan was ruled academically ineligible right before the season started, so we thought we'd have him but didn't. We then had to play a horrendous schedule and our guys simply lost their confidence. We'd play well and then find ways to lose at the end of each game. It's almost as if we always expected something bad would happen. It just took a little bit for us to get our confidence back,” Vining said.
The championship against Nicholls State was a lot like how ULM's season had gone. The Warhawks (14-18 overall, 11-7 SLC) trailed by 23 and fought back the way they had done the entire year. They showed a lot of heart and cut the deficit down to five late in the game before eventually falling. Carr finished his career with 1,030 points.
Even with the loss of Carr, ULM had every reason to be optimistic heading into the 1995-96 campaign. It returned seniors Marshall and Edwards as well as senior point guard Vince Taylor. The Warhawks ended the previous year so strong that it was almost expected that it would carry over into the new year.
Though, the 1995-96 Warhawks began a lot like the 1994-95 Warhawks with a 3-11 start, including 2-3 in the SLC. Vining was once again put to the test as he had the task of turning around a dismal start.
He got the Warhawks going on a five-game winning streak and from there the team's confidence soared. Marshall, who finished his career with 1,448 points, rallied the team from eight-games under .500 overall to a winning record. A team that couldn't figure out how to win at the end of games turned into a team that just couldn't be beaten. The unbelievable streak landed ULM yet another regular season title with a 13-5 SLC record. The Warhawks ended the year at 16-14 overall.
The conference tournament was no different from the end of the regular season as ULM downed each opponent by double-figures.
The season was a tale of two halves, just like the NCAA Tournament game against Wake Forest. The Warhawks came out slow and found themselves down by 17 at half. A big rally cut the deficit to five points with 3:06 left in the game and ULM had the opportunity to chop it further, but a botched dunk led to an open three-pointer on the other end as the Demon Deacons and Tim Duncan were able to stop the rally.
“We were down by five and had the ball. That was a game we could have won. Once we started pressing, Wake Forest started panicking. We had the ball and one of our players went up for a highlight dunk and missed. If we would have scored there, we would have had all the momentum and we would have setup the press once again. Instead, Wake Forest went down the other way and scored. Everyone in the stands was cheering for us and we were jacked up until we missed that dunk,” Vining said.
The bigger picture was that ULM won the SLC regular season and tournament title for the sixth time each. The Warhawks made their seventh trip to the NCAA Tournament under Vining and their fifth in the 90's.
Going into 1996-97, Vining had to replace the SLC's MVP and leading scorer in Marshall and an All-Conference center in Edwards. For a lot of programs, it would have been too daunting of a task; but for Vining, the expectation was always to win. Even after losing the heart of its team, ULM was picked to win the league preseason.
The team did not disappoint. Despite ups-and-downs, Vining coached the team to another SLC regular season championship after taking out the top teams in the final weeks of the season. ULM's 10-6 record put it in a four-way tie for the top record, but its key wins over the other top teams gave it the regular-season title.
“There was a lot of parody in the league that year. One play seemed to change the outcome of every game,” Vining said.
The Warhawks were in a position to make another trip to the NCAA Tournament after earning the top seed in the conference tournament. They routed Northwestern State 72-54 in the semifinals. In the finals against Texas State (then known as Southwest Texas), ULM led 52-49 with 10 minutes left when the Bobcats came surging back for a 74-64 win.
Vining had finished first or second in the league for 10 straight years and won the regular season title or reached the tournament championship game for eight straight years. Vining's eight SLC Coach of the Year honors were the most in league history, as well as his overall win total.
He won his 300th game the following season in 1997-98, his 17th season, in a 90-66 thumping over McNeese State at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. To everyone in the league, Vining was simply referred to as “The Dean” of SLC coaches.
“I was one of the few coaches that stayed in the league over a long period of time. Usually, coaches would either lose and get fired or win and go to a bigger school. I was happy here. My family was here and this is where I went to school. I wasn't going anywhere and this is where I wanted to be. I was doing what I wanted, and where I wanted to do it.”
Becoming the Winning Coach of All-Time
Having won eight Southland Conference Coach of the Year awards after seven NCAA Tournament appearances and a showing in the NIT, Mike Vining entered the 1999-2000 campaign just six wins away from catching Lenny Fant as the winningest coach in ULM history.
Vining put together another loaded roster that season with four eventual 1,000 point scorers in senior Maurice Bell (1,426 points), sophomore Wojciech Myrda (1,132 points), sophomore Brian Lubeck (1,078 points) and senior Mike Smith (1,062 points).
The historic day came on Dec. 30, 1999 when “The Dean” garnered his 327th victory, passing Fant as ULM beat Nicholls State 73-59. Fant, who coached Vining, was 326-221 in 22 seasons.
“There wasn't really a big celebration when I won No. 327. The media came by and asked me about it but I don't really remember anything big after that win. The big celebration was supposed to be when I got my 400th win, but unfortunately we had a really long losing streak right after I won No. 399, so that wasn't too much fun,” Vining said.
Bell and Smith both averaged over 20 points per game on the season and guided the Warhawks to a runner-up finish in the regular season with a 19-9 (13-5 SLC) record. ULM was upset by seventh-seeded Lamar in the conference tournament, but Smith went on to win SLC Player of the Year honors.
“That was one of the worst losses of my career,” Vining said. “We played Lamar at our place just two games before and we crushed them. We made everything we shot and were pressing. It was like 15-0 to start the game and Lamar couldn't even get the ball across half-court. Though as soon as the pairings came out and I saw we were playing Lamar I was worried. I knew our guys weren't going to take it as seriously as we should have. I knew how well we played them in the last game and I knew how poorly Lamar had played and neither of those things were going to happen again. I still didn't think we were going to lose and we led the whole way. Lamar actually checked out of their hotel so they could drive straight home after the game. Near the end of the game one of their guys, who never even shot any threes, made a three from the corner to put them up by one and we blew the next play. Lamar then made all of its free throws.”
Vining had a unique player on the roster in Myrda who had broken the school single-season blocks record for the second year in a row. He rejected 96 as a freshman and 144 as sophomore. With 123 more as a junior, the spotlight was turned on him for his senior season in 2001-02 as he was closing in on the all-time NCAA record.
“He had great timing,” Vining said. “Even when he wasn't blocking shots, he was contesting everything.”
With fellow All-SLC First-Team selection Lubeck alongside, Myrda broke the record and ended with 535 career blocks after an astounding 172 as a senior. Vining coached the team to his sixth 20-win season and another runner-up regular season finish with a 15-5 mark in SLC play.
Vining won his final game, 70-61 at Stephen F. Austin in 2004-05. He walked away as the winningest coach in both ULM and SLC history with 402 victories in 24 seasons and 14 championships.
“We started my final year really strong. The turning point was when I hit win No. 399 and we played at McNeese State. We led by five with under a minute remaining and lost. Our women's team was actually there watching us and left when we were up five because they thought the game was over. That game really hit our confidence,” Vining said. “SFA actually had a really good team that year, but there was no pressure on us. In my final game, the team was relaxed and we just went out there and played.”
Since then, Vining has been voted into the ULM Hall of Fame, SLC Hall of Honor, Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and LABC Hall of Fame.
“I took a lot of time to think before stepping down. I didn't want people to think that the disappointment of the previous season was the reason that I stepped down, because that wasn't the reason. There were a lot of things going on at the time including a move to the Sun Belt Conference. I told the AD that whenever the school was going to go, I'm out. I looked at the budgets and the travel,” Vining said. “If I was younger, then I probably would have really wanted to go to a new conference and take on the challenge. Though since I was older and near the end of my career, I just felt it was the right time and it would be better for someone new to come in.
“When it's all said and done, I was able to do what I love, where I wanted to do it. Being able to stay here my entire head coaching career is a blessing. You see coaches all over the country having to move around after three or four years, but I never wanted to leave. People always asked me why I didn't leave after my best seasons, and I did have some offers from bigger schools, but I never wanted to go. To me, no offer was better than what I already had. My family and the community were both important to me, and this was my school.
“It is also satisfying to me to see Keith (Richard) back here re-building the program the way it is supposed to be done. He played and coached here, so it's pretty much the same as what I did. I knew that it was going to take someone like him, who truly cares about the University, to come in here and re-build the program to what it was.”
