page_title: Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball
section_title: Joe Cipriano (1963–80)
hierarchical_section_title: Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball / History / Joe Cipriano (1963–80)
caption_attribution_description: English: Nebraska basketball coach Joe Cipriano
context_page_description: The Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team represents the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the Big Ten Conference of NCAA Division I. The program's first year of competition was 1897, and since then NU has compiled an all-time record of 1,501–1,373, with seven NCAA Tournament and 16 NIT appearances. The team is currently coach by Fred Hoiberg.
  Nebraska has the distinction of being the only major conference program to have never won a game in the NCAA Tournament, and did not make the tournament until 1986. Much of the team's modest success came during the 14-year tenure of Danny Nee, Nebraska's all-time winningest head coach. Nee led the Cornhuskers to five of their seven NCAA Tournament appearances and six NIT bids, including the 1996 NIT championship, NU's only national postseason title. After Nee was fired in 2000, Barry Collier was hired and led the program for six years, until leaving to become athletic director at Butler University. Nebraska then hired Doc Sadler from UTEP, who led the Cornhuskers through the school's transition from the Big 12 to the Big Ten, but like Collier, failed to make an NCAA Tournament appearance.
context_section_description: In March 1963, Bush was replaced as head coach by 31-year-old Joe Cipriano, who had been the head coach at Idaho for three seasons. Nebraska athletic director Tippy Dye had coached Cipriano at Washington, where they led the Huskies to the 1953 Final Four (third place) and a 79–15 (.840) record during the energetic Cipriano's varsity career. Following graduation, he served as an assistant coach at his alma mater until he was hired by Idaho in May 1960. His Vandals improved each year and posted a 20–6 record as an independent in 1962–63, led by future Basketball Hall of Famer Gus Johnson. "Slippery Joe" brought an up-tempo style of basketball to the Coliseum; his Nebraska teams pressed full-court and ran a fast-break offense, which led the Big Eight in scoring average in 1966, 1967, and 1968.
  Cipriano's first two teams struggled, with a combined record of 17–33. But his third team, in 1965–66, was one of the most successful in school history, finishing 20–5 and second to Kansas in the Big Eight, and split the season series with the Jayhawks. That was not enough to garner a postseason bid, however; in those days, only the conference champion was guaranteed a berth in the 22-team NCAA Tournament. All-Big Eight guard Grant Simmons became the first Cornhusker to earn academic All-Big Eight honors.
  The 1966–67 team finished 16–9 and made the school's first postseason appearance, in the 14-team National Invitation Tournament (NIT) at the old Madison Square Garden. Guard Stu Lantz was a two-time All-Big Eight pick and led the Cornhuskers in scoring and rebounding in both 1966–67 and 1967–68. Guard Marvin Stewart and center Chuck Jura earned All-Big Eight honors for Cipriano in 1971 and 1972, respectively. Guard Jerry Fort, who finished his career with a then-school record 1,882 points, was the first Nebraska player chosen first-team all-conference three times, from 1974 through 1976. With Fort's leadership, Nebraska began a string of fourteen winning seasons.
  In the fall of 1976, NU basketball moved out of the Coliseum and into the state-of the-art Bob Devaney Sports Center. Located on the State Fairgrounds, the $13 million athletic complex was financed by a special cigarette tax.
  Cipriano coached Nebraska to another 20-victory season in 1977–78. The Cornhuskers, led by All-Big Eight guard Brian Banks, finished with a 22–8 record and advanced to the second round of the NIT. By the 1979–80 season, Cipriano's failing health – he would die of cancer in November 1980 – meant he had to share coaching duties with assistant Moe Iba, and they took Nebraska to the NIT again. For their efforts, the duo shared United Press International Big Eight Coach-of-the-Year honors.
  Cipriano brought Nebraska into the modern era, coaching 17 seasons and 450 games. His record of 253–197 (.562) gave him nearly one-fifth of Nebraska's all-time wins, and 168 more than any previous NU head coach.
caption: Joe Cipriano
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