Jacksonville Dolphins

The Jacksonville Dolphins hold a singular place in college basketball history as the smallest school ever to reach the national championship game, a feat powered by the legendary Artis Gilmore in 1970. Playing at Swisher Gymnasium, the Dolphins have long punched above their weight relative to their enrollment. That improbable title-game run remains the defining moment of the program's identity, a Cinderella story still referenced whenever mid-major magic strikes in March. Jacksonville continues to compete as a scrappy Atlantic Sun program chasing another signature run.

Jacksonville basketball's defining moment came in 1970, when center Artis Gilmore led the Dolphins to a stunning 27-2 season and a berth in the national championship game, where they fell to John Wooden's UCLA Bruins 80-69. At the time, Jacksonville was the smallest school ever to reach the title game, an underdog story that remains a touchstone in NCAA Tournament lore. Gilmore's rebounding numbers from that era still stand among the best in Division I history. The Dolphins have never returned to that level of success, but the 1970 run cemented Jacksonville's name in college basketball history.