Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball

Le Moyne Dolphins
2023–24 Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball team
University	Le Moyne College
First season	1948–49; 75 years ago
All-time record	1,081–837 (.564) through 2023–24 season
Athletic director	Bob Beretta
Head coach	Nate Champion (4th season)
Conference	NEC
Location	DeWitt, New York
Arena	Le Moyne Events Center (Capacity: 2,637)
Nickname	Dolphins
Colors	Green and gold
Uniforms
Home Away
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
Division II: 2018
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
Division II: 1959, 1964, 2018
NCAA tournament round of 32
Division II: 1959, 1960, 1964, 1965, 1988, 2018
NCAA tournament appearances
Division II: 1959, 1960, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1988, 1996, 1997, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019
Conference tournament champions
Middle Eastern College Athletic Association (MECAA): 1960 Mideast Collegiate Conference (MECC): 1988 New England Collegiate Conference (NECC): 1996 Northeast-10 Conference (NE10): 1997, 2018
Conference regular season champions
MECAA: 1959, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1969, 1973 MECC: 1984, 1988 NE10: 1998, 2017, 2018, 2020
Conference division season champions
NE10 Southwest Division: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020

The Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball program is the men's college basketball team of Le Moyne College. The Dolphins compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the Northeast Conference and are currently coached by Nate Champion. The Dolphins have played their home games on Ted Grant Court at the Le Moyne Events Center in DeWitt, New York since 1962. The Dolphins are currently transitioning to Division I and are ineligible to participate in the NCAA tournament until the 2027–28 season.

History

Birth of a program (1948–1950)

The Dolphins' first varsity basketball game was a home game at the State Fair Coliseum against Siena on December 7, 1948, a 41–39 loss for Le Moyne. Trailing by eight points with seven minutes remaining in the first half, Le Moyne went on a 21–6 run to claim a seven-point lead at the break. The Dolphins came out cold in the second half, scoring just a single basket in the first 16 minutes to surrender the lead. Le Moyne bounced back to tie the game in the final minute, but a buzzer-beating set shot by Roy Peters gave the Indians the victory. The opening game against Siena had been treated by Le Moyne's students as not simply a debut of the Dolphins as a basketball team but as the first game of what was expected to become a heated rivalry. In anticipation of the game, "BEAT SIENA!" was the front-page headline of the school newspaper. A pep rally was held the night before the Siena game and attended by the team, the head coach, the athletic director and, of course, the cheerleaders.

Le Moyne's first head coach was Tommy Niland, who mentored the team for 25 years, until 1973. Niland remained at Le Moyne after his coaching career ended, continuing in his role as the athletic director until his retirement in 1990. Le Moyne's athletics center is named in his honor.

Le Moyne's first victory came on the road at the Geneva Armory against Hobart on December 10, 1948. Dave Lozo scored three early baskets to give Le Moyne a lead they never relinquished. Coach Niland pulled the Dolphins' starters off the floor midway through the second half with a 22-point lead. Lozo finished the game with 13 points, and team captain Don Savage added 11, as Le Moyne cruised to a 50–37 victory.

During the first three years of its varsity basketball program, Le Moyne was led on the court by Don Savage. Savage had appeared in Le Moyne College's first ever intercollegiate contest on December 4, 1947, a 62–57 overtime victory for the freshman basketball team over Utica. Savage had eight points in that game, while Dave Lozo had a game-high 18 for the Dolphins. Joe Boehm served as captain of that freshman team, which was coached by Tommy Niland in an effort to build the basketball program from the ground up. Niland pulled double duty, serving as coach of both the varsity and freshman teams through the end of the 1949–50 season.

The challenge faced by Le Moyne during its inaugural varsity season was unique. The Dolphins were not simply a first-year basketball team; Le Moyne College was a second-year institution. Therefore, the Dolphins were composed entirely of sophomores and faced teams with experienced juniors and seniors in every game.

More than halfway through their inaugural season, a 53–31 loss at Siena on January 29, 1949, left the Dolphins with a 5–6 record. A 70–40 home victory over McMaster proved to be the turning point, sparking a five-game winning streak. After losing on a neutral floor to Brockport State in Auburn, New York, the Dolphins won their final two games of the season, both on the road, to make it seven wins in their final eight games and finish 12–7, a respectable mark for an all-sophomore team.

Following a disappointing 1949–50 regular season that saw the Dolphins finish 8–12, Le Moyne was invited to a four-team post-season tournament sponsored by the Utica Optimist Club and played in the Utica Free Academy gymnasium. In the semifinal, the Dolphins avenged a loss earlier in the season by beating Brockport State, 67–60. The following night, Le Moyne found themselves in a tight contest, clinging to a 57–55 lead over Utica, playing on their home court. Captain Don Savage was fouled with about a minute remaining and sank both free throws to extend the Dolphins' lead to four points. Utica scored the game's final basket, but the Dolphins held on for a 59–57 victory and took the tournament title. Savage scored 25 points in the semifinal and 26 in the final to claim the tournament's outstanding player award.

Aside from the victory in the Utica Optimist Club tournament, the highlight of Le Moyne's 1949–50 season was the 40 points scored by Don Savage on December 16, 1949, in a 78–68 loss to St. Francis (NY). The point total was a new high for a Le Moyne player as well as the most points scored by any player in a college or professional game at the State Fair Coliseum.

First national postseason tournament appearances (1950–1958)

In June 1950, Le Moyne became a charter member of the Eastern Catholic Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (ECIAC). Earlier in 1950, Le Moyne had declined an invitation to join the conference during its initial formation stage. The major concern was the expected difficulty in scheduling home games, since Le Moyne was sharing the State Fair Coliseum with both the Syracuse Nationals and the Syracuse Orangemen. The ECIAC did not schedule conference games for its members. Instead, teams were expected to schedule at least five conference games in order to be considered in the standings of the league, the champion of which would be determined by winning percentage in conference games. The Dolphins scheduled seven conference matchups for the 1950–51 season, five of which were road games. Shortly before the start of the season, one more home game and one more road game were added to the conference schedule. After only one season, the ECIAC ceased publicizing itself as a conference and became an association of its member schools with no basketball champion crowned, leaving Le Moyne an independent again for 1951–52.

By the 1950–51 season, team captain Don Savage was a seasoned senior. Despite efforts to prepare the team, including scheduling preseason scrimmages against the Syracuse Nationals featuring future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Dolph Schayes, Le Moyne got off to a terrible start, losing their first five games (one of which was against the New York Athletic Club which in 1953, was retroactively erased as a collegiate contest by the Bevo Francis rule) and six of their first seven, all of which were on the road. Savage led the Dolphins to a win over rival Siena, who had beaten Le Moyne in double overtime in the season opener, and the team's fortunes turned from there. It was the first time the Dolphins had ever beaten Siena after five losses. The victory ignited a seven-game winning streak and a run of 10 wins in 11 games, giving the Dolphins an 11–7 record (11–6 in collegiate contests, as retroactively adjusted in 1953).

The Dolphins were again invited to participate in the second annual Utica Optimist Club tournament. Le Moyne recorded two blowout victories, first over Utica, which was playing on its home court, 86–69, in the semifinal and then over Hartwick, 86–65, in the title game to secure their second straight tournament championship. Don Savage scored 27 points in the clincher and was named most valuable player. These two wins along with a 20-point home victory over King's in their regular-season finale gave the Dolphins six straight wins and a run of 13 wins in 14 games, pushing their record in collegiate contests to 14–6. As one of the hottest teams in college basketball, Le Moyne was awarded an at-large berth in the prestigious National Catholic Invitational Tournament (NCIT), the program's first major postseason appearance. At the time, it was not unusual for a team to participate in more than one postseason tournament.

The 1951 NCIT was played in Albany, New York, in the backyard of rival Siena, which also received an invitation and got a bye to the quarterfinals. In the first round, Don Savage set a new single-game scoring record for an NCIT game with 33 points, and the Dolphins cruised to a 95–67 blowout victory over Saint Michael's.

The Dolphins faced Siena, ranked no. 18 in the AP major-program poll, in the quarterfinals in what was essentially a road environment, but Le Moyne came away with a 57–53 victory. A Dave Lozo layup in the second half gave the Dolphins a 32–31 lead they never relinquished. Le Moyne's lead grew as large as nine points, and the Indians continued to claw their way back into the game, but the Dolphins remained in front. Siena's All-America finalist, Billy Harrell was frustrated on the boards by Le Moyne's Joe Endres and guarded ferociously by Billy Jenkins. Harrell finished with only four points. Don Savage led the Dolphins with 20 points.

Despite 14 points from Don Savage and 12 from Billy Jenkins, the Dolphins fell in the NCIT semifinals, 84–66, to St. Francis (NY). Le Moyne went on to defeat Mount St. Mary's, 63–61, in the third-place game, the final game in the collegiate career of Don Savage, who went on the play parts of two seasons in the NBA with the Syracuse Nationals. The Dolphins had a 61–50 lead with four minutes to play, but Mount St. Mary's went on an 11–0 run to tie the game. Jim Hand's one-handed shot 10 feet from the basket with 13 seconds on the clock provided the winning margin for the Dolphins. Savage was named to the all-tournament first team.

During the 1950–51 season, Don Savage and Dave Lozo became the first Dolphins to reach the 1,000-career-points plateau. Savage was the first to achieve the mark in a home game against Brockport State on January 6. Lozo followed exactly two weeks later, at home against Oswego State.

In March 1951, Le Moyne announced it would play its home games during the upcoming season in the new Onondaga County War Memorial. Most of the games would be part of doubleheaders that would also feature Syracuse Orangemen home games.

In April 1951, the NCAA granted a blanket waiver allowing freshmen at schools with fewer than 1,000 male students to play varsity basketball to address a manpower shortage caused by the Korean War. Le Moyne opted not to field a freshman team for 1951–52, and allowed freshmen to try out for the varsity team instead. The Dolphins did, however, field a junior varsity team.

The Dolphins elected senior Jim Hand and junior Billy Jenkins co-captains for the 1951–52 season. As they had done the previous year, Le Moyne played several scrimmages against the Syracuse Nationals during training camp.

Despite a disappointing 5–14 regular-season record, Le Moyne was invited to the 1952 Utica Optimist Club tournament for the third straight year. Sparked by Jim Hand's 22 points, the Dolphins rushed to a 21–8 lead at the end of the first quarter and were ahead by 37–16 at halftime, cruising to a 72–42 victory over host Utica in the semifinal. Billy Jenkins had 16 points, while Fred Sheridan added 14, and Hand had 13 to lead the Dolphins to a 72–61 victory over Hartwick in the tournament title game, avenging a loss earlier in the season. Jenkins was named the tournament MVP.

Following the victories in Utica, Le Moyne was invited to the NCIT for the second consecutive season. The 1952 tournament was played in Troy, New York, and Le Moyne's student newspaper speculated that the Dolphins may have been invited, at least in part, because of support shown by their fans the previous year. In the first-round game against Providence, the Dolphins surged ahead in the second quarter after trailing by three points at the end of the first quarter. Dick Shea, who finished with 10 points, fouled out midway through the fourth quarter. A short time later, Jack Young, Billy Jenkins and Fred Sheridan all fouled out, leaving Le Moyne thin on manpower and clinging to a four-point lead. The Dolphins went into a deep freeze for the final three minutes to protect their lead. Le Moyne waived the free throws on five Friars fouls during this deep freeze in order to maintain possession of the ball. Providence was unable to regain possession, and Le Moyne held on for a 67–63 victory.

Despite 20 points from Freddy Sheridan, the Dolphins fell in their NCIT quarterfinal game, 75–61, to St. Francis (NY).

Le Moyne moved its home games to the West Jefferson Street Armory in Syracuse for the 1952–53 season. With the other 1951–52 co-captain, Jim Hand, having graduated, the Dolphins elected senior Billy Jenkins captain for 1952–53. All 11 of Le Moyne's scheduled home games were to be broadcast on WOLF with the station's sports director, Red Parton, doing the play-by-play. Despite an improved 12–8 record in collegiate contests and finding their way through a more difficult schedule than the previous season, Le Moyne did not participate in the 1953 postseason.

During training camp in November 1953, Le Moyne scrimmaged against the Syracuse Nationals, the Syracuse Orange and Cornell. In addition to carrying Le Moyne home games, WOLF also planned to broadcast select Dolphins road games during the 1953–54 season with Red Parton continuing in his role as the play-by-play man. Dick Shea was elected Le Moyne's team captain for the 1953–54 season. Prior to the 1953–54 season, the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) passed a regulation barring freshman from playing varsity basketball, unless the institution had fewer than 500 male students. Le Moyne had fewer than 1,000 male students, the NCAA's criteria for allowing freshmen to play, but more than 500 male students. Although Le Moyne was not yet a member of the ECAC, many of its opponents were. The college decided to voluntarily comply with the ECAC rule to maintain good relations with the conference's members. Don Savage was appointed head coach of the hastily formed freshman team. The Dolphins finished the 1953–54 season 10–6.

Le Moyne had four of their five regular starters, including leading scorer Dick Kenyon, from the previous season return for 1954–55. The addition of Ron Mack, who had an outstanding season on the freshman team in 1953–54, to the varsity team was highly anticipated. However, Mack suffered torn ligaments in his ankle during a pre-season scrimmage. Patsy Leo, the only senior on the squad, was named team captain for 1954–55.

For the first time in team history, the Dolphins won their season opener, 71–57, over Saint Peter's at the West Jefferson Street Armory on December 4, 1954. Bob Dietz scored 21 points, 17 of them coming on free throws, for Le Moyne in the first game the team played under the NCAA's new one-and-one free throw rule. The Dolphins outscored the Peacocks, 35–15, from the charity stripe. Dick Kenyon added 16 points, all coming on field goals, for Le Moyne. Ron Mack did not appear in the game, but he made his varsity debut three days later at Niagara. Kenyon set a new Le Moyne single-game scoring record with 41 points on January 7, 1955, in a home victory over Saint Joseph's. After starting the 1954–55 season 9–3, the Dolphins slumped in February, losing five straight collegiate contests, and finished 11–8.

In April 1955, the Dolphins and Syracuse Orange reached an agreement to schedule their home games for the 1955–56 season as doubleheaders at the Onondaga County War Memorial.

In June 1955, Le Moyne became a charter member of the new Middle Eastern College Athletic Association (MECAA). The MECAA included teams that were also members of other conferences, a practice not uncommon at the time. When the NCAA split its members into the College Division and University Division in 1956, the MECAA included four teams (St. Francis (NY), Iona, St. Bonaventure and Siena) that were placed into the University Division, while Le Moyne and Saint Peter's were placed into the College Division. St. Francis was also a member of the Metropolitan New York Conference, and St. Bonaventure was also a member of the Western New York Little Three Conference. Nevertheless, all six schools initially continued their affiliation with the MECAA after the split.

Seniors Dick Kenyon and Lenny Mowins were elected co-captains for the 1955–56 season. Syracuse University radio station WAER began broadcasting all Dolphins home games, all of which were part of doubleheaders that also included Syracuse Orange home games, during the 1955–56 season. Hunter Low, the station's sports director, and John Laudermilch handled the play-by-play.

Although one of the stated goals of the MECAA's founding institutions was to avoid overemphasis on athletics, Le Moyne had its best season on the court up to that point in the inaugural MECAA campaign, their final year in the pre-division NCAA. The Dolphins started the season with seven straight wins in collegiate contests, including two at the Quantico Christmas tournament. After stumbling at mid-season, the Dolphins closed the campaign by winning seven of their final eight games to finish 15–6. Le Moyne's 4–2 conference record fell just short of capturing the MECAA title, which was won by St. Francis (NY), whom the Dolphins did not play, with a record of 4–1. Dick Kenyon became Le Moyne's all-time career points leader, surpassing Don Savage, in a 73–58 home victory over Cortland State on February 29, 1956. Kenyon played four years of varsity basketball, because freshmen were temporarily allowed to play in 1952–53, while Savage was a varsity player for only three seasons. Kenyon's efforts were recognized: he was named a first-team MECAA All-Star, while Bob Dietz was named to the second team.

Senior Ron Mack was elected team captain for the 1956–57 season. The Dolphins lost two prolific scorers, Dick Kenyon and Bob Dietz, to graduation and were plagued by a rash of injuries, finishing the season 10–9. Four of Le Moyne's losses came against teams that received NIT bids. A fifth loss came at the hands of Saint Michael's, who went to the NCAA College Division tournament. Dolphins senior Don Cavellier was named All-MECAA second team, and Bob Smolinski earned All-MECAA honorable mention.

Le Moyne ended its agreement with the Syracuse Orangemen to play home games as part of doubleheaders at the Onondaga County War Memorial and moved back to the West Jefferson Street Armory for the 1957–58 season. Senior Frank Bergen was elected team captain. The Dolphins started the season 4–8 but rebounded to finish 11–11 with five of their losses coming against teams that received NIT bids. Le Moyne sophomore Dick Lynch was named All-MECAA first team, and senior John Young earned honorable mention. Lynch set a new record for points scored in a MECAA game on February 21, in an 81–67 loss at Saint Peter's. A printer's error that affected Le Moyne's 1957–58 media guide was presumed to be the reason the MECAA identified Dick Lynch as John Lynch in its press releases.

Glory era (1958–1968)

First two NCAA tournaments

The 1958–59 season was the start of a golden era for Le Moyne Dolphins basketball. They appeared in six of the 10 NCAA College Division tournaments between 1959 and 1968, reaching the Sweet 16 in 1964. During training camp in November 1958, the outlook was less than rosy. Although Le Moyne's leading scorer, Dick Lynch, was returning for his junior season, the team was thought to be undersized and lacking enough rebounding to be competitive.

After a 58–54 loss at Iona on February 15, 1959, the Dolphins' over all record stood at 11–5, and they were knocked from the MECAA's first-place perch, which they had occupied all season, falling to 3–1 in the league, while Iona stood at 3–0. It was thought by Dolphins followers that impressive wins in the next two games against Hartwick and highly ranked Steubenville would be enough to secure a berth in the NCAA tournament. However, after Le Moyne beat Hartwick, 82–62, on February 18, and Steubenville, 74–56, on February 20, the tournament selection committee remained silent. The Dolphins hit the road for back-to-back games, beating Scranton, 79–67, on February 22, and King's, 67–66, in overtime the following night. These two victories improved the team's record to 15–5 and were enough for the Dolphins to get the call from the Middle Atlantic States regional selectors, earning their first berth in the NCAA College Division tournament.

Before the NCAA tournament, there remained unfinished business in the MECAA, specifically a home game against archrival Siena. Iona had beaten St. Francis (NY) at Madison Square Garden on February 26, to improve their league record to 4–0 with one conference game remaining at Saint Peter's. The Siena-Le Moyne game and the Iona-Saint Peter's game were both scheduled for February 28. A Le Moyne win and an Iona loss would give both teams a 4–1 MECAA record and a share of the conference title, even though Le Moyne had lost its head-to-head matchup with Iona. Aside from their desire to go undefeated in the league and win the MECAA crown outright, Iona was thought to be on the bubble for a bid to the NCAA tournament and desperately needed a win.

The Peacocks gained a 73–60 victory over the Gaels to finish 3–1 in MECAA play and drop Iona to 4–1. Le Moyne had an eight-point lead with four minutes to play against Siena, but the Indians stormed back and cut the Dolphins' lead to one point with two minutes to play. Le Moyne tried to freeze the ball for the remainder of the game to protect the lead, but a steal by Jerry Brehm, who had 25 points, gave Siena possession with a minute and a half on the clock. Siena went into a deep freeze to hold for the final shot, which came from Jack Weaver and fell short with two seconds to go, giving the Dolphins a 60–59 victory and a share of the MECAA title, the first conference championship in the program's history. Iona's loss to Saint Peter's may have cost the Gaels an NCAA tournament bid. St. Bonaventure had withdrawn from the MECAA just as the 1958–59 season was getting under way. The Brown Indians only had four games scheduled against MECAA opponents. St. Bonaventure ultimately won all four of those contests.

Le Moyne entered the postseason 17–5 and ranked no. 20 nationally (tied with Stetson) in the small college coaches' poll. The Dolphins won their first ever NCAA tournament game, 72–66, over Williams in Burlington, Vermont. Dick Lynch led Le Moyne with 33 points, shooting 14-for-22 from the floor.

In the Regional Final Sweet 16 game, Le Moyne fell short, 71–70, against Saint Michael's, who was ranked no. 15 in the small college coaches' poll and playing on their home court. Saint Michael's had led by as many as nine points and was on top, 71–64, with 1:16 on the clock. Le Moyne used a full-court press to get back into the game, and Dick Lynch, who had 20 points, was fouled with 23 seconds to play and the Dolphins down, 71–68, but he missed both free throws. After Ralph St. Peter missed the front end of a one-and-one for Saint Michael's, the Dolphins collected the rebound and called timeout with four seconds remaining. Denny Morrissey drove to the basket in the hopes of drawing a foul. He scored at the buzzer, but there was no foul, and the Dolphins lost by a point. Three of Le Moyne's six losses during the 1958–59 season came at the hands of Saint Michael's, all in Burlington. Lynch was unanimously named to the All-Regional team.

Le Moyne junior Dick Lynch was named to the All-MECAA first team for the second straight year. Senior Bob Hollembaek made the second team, and sophomore Chuck Sammons earned honorable mention. Dolphins head coach Tommy Niland was unanimously selected as 1959 MECAA coach of the year.

Dick Lynch, the Dolphins' leading scorer the previous two years, returned for his senior season in 1959–60, but Le Moyne lost three regular starters to graduation. Junior Chuck Sammons was the other returning starter. Lynch was named team captain.

Sporting an 11–3 record in collegiate contests, including impressive home wins over Saint Michael's and Iona and a road victory at St. Francis (NY), the Dolphins were offered a berth in the NCAA tournament on February 23. The team was on the road at the time and recorded another victory over St. Lawrence that night, before accepting the bid the following day.

Before moving on to the NCAA tournament, Le Moyne had a home game with archrival Siena, and a win would clinch at least a tie for the MECAA title. An Iona home loss against Saint Peter's that same night along with a Dolphins victory would give Le Moyne the MECAA championship outright. The Peacocks did their part, beating the Gaels, 67–57. Although the Dolphins were less efficient on offense than they had been in recent home games, they recorded their 20th consecutive home victory, 61–48, over the Indians to win the MECAA crown outright. However, the win came at a great cost. Early in the game, Dolphins captain and leading scorer, Dick Lynch, collided with Jim Mannix of Siena and twisted his ankle. Lynch was removed from the game but returned and played until the closing minutes, when the outcome was no longer in doubt. Later, it was learned that the ankle injury would impair Lynch's ability to participate in the NCAA tournament.

The 1960 NCAA tournament's Northeast Regional was hosted by St. Michael's in Burlington, Vermont, as it had been the previous year. It was there that the Dolphins met Saint Anselm in the regional semifinals on March 3. Le Moyne and Saint Anselm had coincidentally been scheduled to play each other in Syracuse on March 1, but the teams cancelled the game when they were matched up in the tournament. Playing without Dick Lynch, the Dolphins fell behind early, 10–1. Saint Anselm stretched the lead to 24–13, and junior Chuck Sammons was called for his fourth personal foul with eight minutes to play in the first half. The Burlington Memorial Auditorium erupted in cheers from all sides, when coach Tommy Niland replaced Sammons with Lynch, who was clearly hobbled and in obvious pain. Two minutes later, Lynch was taken out of the game. A Dolphins flurry led by Bill Stanley, who had 22 points in the game, in the final minute of the first half cut the Saint Anselm lead to seven points. Sammons, who finished with 10 points, finally fouled out with eight minutes to play, and John Caveny was disqualified three minutes later with the Dolphins trailing, 76–69. Saint Anselm controlled the final five minutes of the game to put away an 88–75 victory. The Dolphins and their fans were left to wonder what could have been.

The following night, the Dolphins lost the regional third-place game to Assumption, 94–68, to finish fourth in the region. Bill Stanley had 20 points in the consolation game and was named to the All-Regional second team.

Le Moyne's head coach, Tommy Niland, was unanimously chosen as 1960 MECAA coach of the year. Niland was also named Catholic small college coach of the year. Dick Lynch was named a MECAA All-Star. John Caveny and Bill Stanley were both named All-MECAA second team. The 1959–60 Dolphins were inducted into the Le Moyne College Athletic Hall of Fame as a team in 2011.

Seniors Tommy Burns and Chuck Sammons were named co-captains of the 1960–61 Dolphins. Le Moyne lost only one player from the previous season's starting lineup, but that player was Dick Lynch, the captain, leading scorer and among the best players in the program's history.

Up to the 1959–60 season, some MECAA teams did not play full round-robin conference schedules, and others played each conference opponent with home-and-home series versus some but not all conference members. The uneven scheduling created controversy about which team deserved the championship in cases where it had been decided in favor of a team that had scheduled one extra or one fewer game, since the conference title was awarded based on winning percentage against conference opponents. St. Francis (NY) had won the 1955–56 conference championship with a 4–1 record, while both Le Moyne and St. Bonaventure were 4–2 versus conference opponents that season. In both 1959 and 1960, Saint Peter's had finished with a conference record of 3–1, one-half game behind the MECAA champions each year. To address this perceived inequity, the MECAA staged the 1960 Christmas tournament, which was originally planned to be held annually in December to determine a champion with all conference teams on equal footing. The MECAA had six members at the time: Le Moyne, St. Francis (NY), Iona, King's, Saint Peter's and Siena. King's was not eligible for the 1959–60 regular-season MECAA championship, since it joined the conference shortly before the start of the season and had only three games scheduled against MECAA members; King's did not participate in the Christmas tournament. Therefore, three other teams (Fairleigh Dickinson, Long Island and Wagner) were invited to create an eight-team bracket and ensure the tournament champion would need to win three games.

The Dolphins drew host Saint Peter's in the MECAA tournament quarterfinal. The Dolphins entered the game 5–0 on the season, and the Peacocks were riding a five-game winning steak. In a game that was tight throughout, Saint Peter's took a 62–61 lead with 1:06 to play. John Caveny's basket with 46 seconds to go gave Le Moyne a 63–62 lead. After an empty possession for the Peacocks, Bill Stanley, who had a game-high 22 points, hit a free throw to extend the Dolphins' lead to two points with four seconds on the clock. Saint Peter's got off a long shot at the buzzer, but it missed, and Le Moyne held on for a 64–62 victory.

The second-half rebounding work of John Cavney and Chuck Sammons allowed Le Moyne to pull away from Iona, after leading by just four points at the break, and take a 90–60 victory. Cavney led the Dolphins with 23 points. Bill Stanley had 16 points, and Tom Burns added 15 for Le Moyne, who scored 54 points in the second half.

Le Moyne defeated Long Island in the final, 66–57, to claim the MECAA tournament title on December 29, 1960. Bill Smith of Saint Peter's was voted the tournament's most valuable player.

Despite the initial plans, the 1960 Christmas tournament was the only tournament the MECAA ever held. The tournament was unique, since it could be differentiated from a conference tournament, because it was not held at the end of the season and included non-member teams. It also does not resemble an in-season multiple-team event, since five of the six MECAA teams participated rather than limiting tournament entries to one team per conference.

Prior to the 1960–61 season, Siena moved from the NCAA's University Division to the College Division. This left the MECAA with two University Division teams (St. Francis (NY) and Iona) and four College Division teams (Le Moyne, Siena, Saint Peter's and King's).

Off to an undefeated 8–0 start and riding a 22-game home winning streak, Le Moyne was stunned at home, 83–68, by Saint Anselm on January 6, 1961. The Dolphins' previous home loss had been a 65–50 drubbing at the hands of St. Bonaventure on February 5, 1958. Tom Burns had 20 points for Le Moyne in the Saint Anselm game.

In early January, Le Moyne was ranked no. 13 in the country among all Catholic schools. This ranking included both University Division and College Division institutions. However, the Dolphins fell out of the rankings after the loss to Saint Anselm.

The MECAA awarded its regular-season championship for the 1960–61 season to the team with the best winning percentage against conference opponents, excluding games played during the Christmas tournament. The title was again decided by the result of an extra game. The final game of the season between conference opponents matched Iona and Siena with Iona and Saint Peter's tied for first place at 3–1. Siena's upset victory over Iona, who had given Saint Peter's their only conference loss, dropped the Gaels' record to 3–2 and gave the Peacocks the championship. Had Le Moyne defeated Saint Peter's on February 21, the Dolphins would have won their third straight league championship. Le Moyne suffered a home loss in that game, 68–61.

The Dolphins were slowed by injuries and slumped in the later part of the season, losing four of their final six games, and finished 16–7 in collegiate contests.

Le Moyne's Bill Stanley was unanimously named a 1961 MECAA All-Star. John Caveny and Tom Burns were named second team MECAA All-Stars.

Bill Stanley and John Caveny returned to the Dolphins for their senior seasons in 1961–62, and were named co-captains. The previous season's co-captains, Tommy Burns and Chuck Sammons, were lost to graduation. The Dolphins had anticipated moving into their newly constructed fieldhouse during the 1961–62 season, with their February 5 game against Providence the target for the opening of the venue. However, by November 1961, construction delays made it apparent that this would not happen, and Le Moyne played all their home games at the West Jefferson Street Armory.

Starting with the 1961–62 season, the MECAA began to play a round-robin schedule with each team playing one conference game against each other member. If conference members scheduled more than one game against each other, one game was designated in advance as the game that would count in the conference standings. This system continued for the remainder of the MECAA's existence, except for a few instances in which conference games could not be scheduled or needed to be cancelled.

A fiercely contested 61–58 overtime win at home against Iona on January 27, gave the Dolphins an 8–2 record and put them in first place in the MECAA with a 2–0 league mark. The Gaels had control of the game until the middle stage of the second half, when Le Moyne went on a run sparked by the pressure defense applied by Tom Cooney and the scoring of Bill Stanley. With the score tied at 54 late in regulation, the Dolphins went into a deep freeze, holding the ball for the final shot. Stanley's shot was off the mark, sending the game to overtime. A Stanley jump shot, after retrieving a jump ball, with a minute and a half to play in the extra session put Le Moyne in front, 60–58. After a missed jump shot by Iona, the Dolphins collected the rebound with one minute on the clock and froze the ball. The Gaels fouled with ten seconds to go, and Stanley hit a free throw to complete the scoring.

A week later, the Dolphins suffered their first home loss of the season, a 59–52 defeat at the hands of Gannon, despite 18 points from Bill Stanley and 16 from John Caveny. Le Moyne trailed most of the second half but cut the Golden Knights' lead to 50–48 inside the final two minutes. Al Lawson's tip-in extended Gannon's lead and put the game out of reach.

Two days later, the Dolphins hosted reigning NIT champion Providence in a game that was originally planned to celebrate the grand opening of their new fieldhouse. Bob Yahn did an admirable job rebounding with Providence stars Jim Hadnot and John Thompson, and Le Moyne's defense swarmed around the Friars' big men. Tom Cooney's ball hawking on Providence point guard Vincent Ernst was disruptive and kept the Dolphins in the game. After Le Moyne started hot and raced to an early 10–0 lead, Providence did not find themselves in front until 17 minutes into the game and held a slim two-point edge at the break. The Friars opened the second half with an 8–0 run to extend their lead to 10 points, and the Dolphins were unable to get back into the game the rest of the way, falling 53–46. Despite their defensive efforts, Le Moyne was unable to stop Ray Flynn, who had 22 points on 10-for-16 shooting from the floor for Providence.

The home losses against Gannon and Providence were the start of a second-half slide that saw the Dolphins lose seven of their final 12 games to finish the season 13–9. By the time Le Moyne dropped a 64–62 overtime decision at home to Saint Michael's on February 17, which left the Dolphins with an 11–6 record, hopes for an NCAA tournament berth had faded.

Despite their late-season struggles, the Dolphins continued to play well in MECAA games and had an opportunity to clinch at least share of the league title, if they could get a home victory over King's on March 2. Bill Stanley and John Caveny exploded for 30 and 27 points, respectively, to lead Le Moyne to an 83–51 romp over King's and guarantee the Dolphins no worse than a tie for the MECAA championship with a 4–1 league record. Leading by seven points at the break, Le Moyne started the second half with a 14–6 run to push their bulge to 15 points. By the midpoint of the second half, the Dolphins held a 66–38 lead over the Monarchs. With no doubt remaining about the outcome, Stanley, playing his final collegiate game, reached a career total of 999 points. The crowd of 1,100 fans was breathless as Stanley went to the line and missed both free throws with 7:30 to play. Two minutes later, Stanley was fouled again; this time, he hit both free throws to become the seventh player in program history to break through the 1,000-point barrier. Earlier in the season, Caveny had also topped 1,000 points, and he finished his career with 1,069. Ralph Yahn had a strong game, finishing with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Stanley had 11 rebounds to go with his point total.

With their season completed, the Dolphins became spectators, and the team to watch was archrival Siena. The Indians won their ninth straight game, a streak which included a non-conference victory at Le Moyne, on March 6, when they routed Saint Peter's, 77–54, in their home finale. The loss eliminated the Peacocks from contention for the MECAA title. Siena was the last remaining MECAA team with only one loss and could claim a share of the MECAA championship with a win at Iona on March 10. Coincidentally, Iona had been denied the MECAA title the previous season, when the Gaels were upset at Siena in their season finale. Iona got its revenge, beating the Indians, 73–59, to give Le Moyne the outright MECAA championship.

The MECAA named Bill Stanley 1962 most valuable player and Tommy Niland coach of the year. It was the first time a Le Moyne player had earned a conference MVP award and the third MECAA coach of the year honor for Niland. It was Stanley's second straight MECAA All-Star selection. John Caveny was named to the MECAA All-Star second team.

By September 1962, the construction of Le Moyne's new fieldhouse was completed. Initially, it was referred to as the Le Moyne Athletic Center.

Mickey Flynn and Chris Pitman were named co-captains of the 1962–63 team. The Dolphins lost their previous season's co-captains, John Caveny, who was second-team all-conference, and MECAA MVP Bill Stanley to graduation, but several rotation players returned, including Ralph Yahn, Dick Myers, Bob Yahn and Tom Cooney.

The first intercollegiate contest in the new Le Moyne Athletic Center was the Dolphins' season opener against their archrival and MECAA opponent, Siena, on December 1, 1962. A crowd of 2,100 witnessed the return of former Le Moyne moderator of athletics, Rev. Vincent B. Ryan, S.J., who was on hand to throw out the first ball in a pre-game ceremony. John McGrath, who finished with a game-high 19 points, hit a jump shot to give Le Moyne a 2–0 lead and score the first points in the new arena. The Dolphins' pressure defense, led by Tom Cooney, forced Siena into turnovers and fueled the offense, putting Le Moyne in front, 23–15 at the half.

During the intermission, Rev. John J. O'Brien, S.J., who was the current moderator of athletics, introduced Le Moyne's first team, which played Siena in the program's inaugural game in 1948, former team captains and members of the Dolphins' 1,000 career points club. Former players on hand for the festivities included Don Savage, Lou Donahue, Joe Boehm, Bob Hurley, Dave Lozo, Dick Riley, Patsy Leo, Len Mowins, Dick Kenyon, Ron Mack, Denny Morissey, Dick Lynch, John Caveney and Bill Stanley. Syracuse mayor William Walsh was also present.

When the action resumed, the Indians came out flying, opening the second half with a 10–2 run to erase Le Moyne's lead and tie the game at 25 in only five minutes. Siena extended the run to 18–5 to push ahead, 33–28. Midway through the second half, Dick Myers fouled out, the Dolphins trailed 37–33, and Siena appeared to have the momentum. The Indians answered each of Le Moyne's next two baskets with one of their own and led, 41–37, with 3:14 to play. McGrath drew a foul and hit both free throws to cut Siena's lead to two points. After an empty Indians possession, Chris Pitman was fouled and knocked down both shots to tie the game at 41 with just over two minutes to play. Siena's Paul Thorpe missed a layup inside the 1:50 mark, and Pitman grabbed the rebound. The Dolphins froze the ball, holding for the final shot, until Mickey Flynn's 12-footer from the left side fell through the hoop with five seconds left, giving Le Moyne a 6–0 run and a 43–41 lead. The Indians' final desperation shot was blocked by the Dolphins, sealing the Le Moyne victory. Flynn finished the game with nine points.

The Dolphins' first four games of the 1962–63 season were at home, and Le Moyne won all four. The Dolphins opened the road portion of their schedule with another victory to improve to 5–0. However, a five-game mid-season losing streak dropped the Dolphins' record to 6–6. In the final game of that streak, the Dolphins fell behind, 49–33, early in the second half at Saint Michael's before going on a 12–0 run, which they extended to 18–3, to cut the lead to 52–51. However, the Knights outscored Le Moyne, 22–5, over the final 10 minutes to secure a 74–56 win.

Le Moyne broke the losing streak with an impressive home win over St. Francis (NY), a team that would end up playing in the NIT, on February 2, 1963. Although the Terriers never led in the game, the Dolphins were unable to hold the 10-point halftime lead they built with pressure defense, transition baskets and outside shooting. St. Francis applied pressure defense of their own in the second half and forced turnovers. The Dolphins began to shoot poorly from the free-throw line. Suddenly, a game that seemed well in hand for Le Moyne was tied at 50 with five minutes to play. In the closing moments of regulation, with the score tied at 56, Mickey Flynn, who finished with a game-high 20 points, missed a potential game winner, sending the game to overtime. Flynn redeemed himself with two straight jump shots early in the extra session to give the Dolphins a four-point lead. The Terriers fouled to regain possession, and Le Moyne recovered their free-throw shooting touch, scoring their final five points from the charity stripe. Two late Terriers baskets came after the game was out of reach, and the Dolphins earned a 65–64 victory.

The Dolphins finished 1962–63 with a 12–10 record in collegiate contests. Mickey Flynn was named All-MECAA first team.

Three straight NCAA tournament bids (1963–1966)

Seniors Ralph Yahn and Tom Cooney were named co-captains for the 1963–64 season. The Dolphins sputtered to a 3–4 record in their first seven games. Things started to turn around, when Le Moyne visited a pair of MECAA foes in the New York metropolitan area. In Jersey City, Le Moyne dominated Saint Peter's, 86–71, on January 10, 1964, to even their over all record at 4–4 and their MECAA mark at 1–1. Dan Frawley had a game-high 21 points to the Dolphins, who had four players in double figures. After the Peacocks had an early 15–14 lead, Le Moyne pushed ahead for good and never looked back.

The following day, the Dolphins met St. Francis (NY) at the 69th Regiment Armory in Manhattan. After falling behind, 3–0, Le Moyne went on a 13–0 run to move ahead and held the lead the rest of the way. The Dolphins again had four players in double figures in the scoring column, led by sophomore Gary DeYulia, who posted 14 points.

The Dolphins took control of their January 18 game at Alfred in the second half and went on to a 70–66 victory. Gary DeYulia had 22 points for Le Moyne, and Tom Cooney added 20.

After watching a 40–26 halftime lead disappear in their January 25 home game against Saint Michael's, as the Knights second-half switch to a zone defense seemed to confuse Le Moyne, the Dolphins fought back and recovered their outside shooting touch to get back into the game. Le Moyne outscored Saint Michael's, 6–2, in the closing moments to secure a 75–71 victory, their fourth straight. All five Dolphins starters scored in double figures, led by Gary DeYulia's 18 points.

The Dolphins took over first-place in the MECAA with a 3–1 record with a dominant home win over Iona on February 1. Le Moyne scored the first five points of the second half to extend their six-point halftime lead. The Gaels never got closer than seven points behind the rest of the way, and the Dolphins cruised to a 74–56 victory. Gary DeYulia led Le Moyne with 28 points. Tom Cooney and Dick Myers had 19 points each.

Following an 87–56 home win over Clarkson, the Dolphins clinched at least a share of the MECAA title with a 54–46 win at Siena, their seventh straight victory. Le Moyne pulled away from the Indians with a 6–0 run late in the first half to extend their lead to eight points, and Siena never got closer than four points behind the rest of the way. Gary DeYulia led the Dolphins with a game-high 15 points.

After pulling away from St. Lawrence late on the road and cruising to an 85–69 win, the Dolphins journeyed to Massachusetts for a pair of road games with their eight-game winning streak inspiring talk of a possible bid to the NCAA tournament, provided their trip was successful.

The Dolphins fell behind early at Stonehill on February 14, but recovered on the strength of Gary DeYulia's scoring to get back into the game. The teams battled back and forth until Dick Munson's jump shot in the closing seconds broke a tie and gave the Chieftains a 53–51 lead. Le Moyne called timeout with just three seconds to play. The ensuing inbounds pass went to DeYulia, who drained a 35-footer at the buzzer to send the game to overtime. The Chieftains suffocated DeYulia during the extra session, but an offensive rebound put-back by Dick Myers put the Dolphins in front. Tom Cooney hit a jump shot and followed that with a steal and a layup. Le Moyne held on for a 61–58 triumph, their ninth straight victory. DeYulia finished with 35 points.

The following night, the Dolphins visited Assumption, who were ranked no. 6 in the College Division media poll at the time. After Le Moyne had a one-point lead at halftime, Assumption opened the second half with an 18–4 run over the first seven minutes and later extended their lead to 16 points. The Dolphins chipped away at the lead during the later stages of the second half and cut the deficit to four points with 10 seconds to go. However, Assumption hit their free throws and scored a basket in the closing moments to secure a 74–66 victory.

Iona had a 13-point lead with seven minutes to play, when they hosted Saint Peter's on February 22. The Gaels, facing the pressure of a possible NIT bid, fell apart down the stretch and suffered a home loss, 68–66, on Tim Kehoe's buzzer-beater. The Iona loss dropped them to 3–2 in MECAA play and gave Le Moyne the 1964 MECAA championship outright.

Followers of the Dolphins thought the loss to Assumption might keep Le Moyne out of the NCAA tournament. However, the Dolphins' 65–63 late-season victory at Buffalo ended the Bulls' 45-game home winning streak. It was the Dolphins fourth straight win and 13th in their previous 14 games. That was enough to capture the selection committee's attention and secure an invitation to the NCAA tournament.

Le Moyne entered to the NCAA tournament with a 17–5 regular-season record and winners of five straight and 14 of their previous 15 games. The Dolphins were matched with Youngstown State, ranked no. 6 nationally in the Associated Press College Division poll at the time, in the regional semifinals. Le Moyne's stifling defense, fierce rebounding and hot shooting led to a six-point burst in just a minute and a half that put them ahead, 54–44, with 4:08 to play, and their lead never fell below 10 points for the rest of the game. Gary DeYulia shot 8 for 12 and had a game-high 20 points. As a team, the Dolphins shot 57% from the floor, while their zone defense limited the Penguins to 39% shooting.

The Dolphins met Akron, the region's top seed, who were playing at home in the Mideast Regional Final Sweet 16 game. The Zips scored early and often. Meanwhile, it took six and a half minutes for the Dolphins to put their first points on the board. Akron dominated the game from start to finish, winning by a score of 62–38. Akron's defense frustrated Le Moyne's top scorer Gary DeYulia, who finished with six points on 2-for-15 shooting. Le Moyne's Tom Cooney was named to the All-Regional team. Cooney had 24 points in the two tournament games.

Tommy Niland was named 1964 MECAA coach of the year, the fourth time he was so honored. Gary DeYulia was named All-MECAA first team, and Tom Cooney was selected for the second team. De Yulia was also named an ECAC All-Star.

In April 1964, Le Moyne College announced that it would sponsor and participate in a four-team Christmas invitational basketball tournament to take place on December 29 and 30. Buffalo had already committed to participate. Le Moyne athletic director and men's basketball coach would serve as the tournament director.

The Dolphins lost three seniors (Ralph Yahn, Tom Cooney and Dick Lynch) to graduation for the 1964–65 season, but leading scorer Gary DeYula returned along with Dan Frawley, the team's second leading rebounder. Dick Martyns and Jerry Glose, both of whom played well in limited action the previous season, also returned. Tom Mullen lost weight during the offseason and was expected to compete for the starting center role. Frawley and Dan Lawler were named co-captains.

The Dolphins were coming off a home loss to Hartwick and were 2–2 on the young season as their Christmas invitational tournament got under way. In the opening game, Saint Michael's outscored Buffalo, 93–86, setting a new venue record for most combined points by two teams in the brief history of the Le Moyne Athletic Center. The Dolphins took an early 21–8 lead, which they increased to 40–24 by halftime, against Oswego State on their way to an 81–64 victory. Gary DeYulia led Le Moyne with 18 points. Tom Mullen and Dan Frawley both had double-doubles with each player collecting 10 rebounds to go with 17 points for Mullen and 15 for Frawley.

The following evening, Buffalo defeated Oswego State, 88–59, in the tournament consolation game. Tom Mullen's solid guarding held Purple Knight Richie Tarrant, who entered the contest averaging more than 32 points per game, to just 19 points. Gary DeYulia was exceptionally efficient on offense, scoring a game-high 22 points on 11-for-12 shooting from the floor. Dan Frawley had a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Despite how well the Dolphins performed, the lead changed hands several times, and Le Moyne found themselves with a one-point advantage at 64–63 with 1:09 to play. A Frawley layup extended the lead to three points. Tarrant hit a free throw to cut the Dolphins' lead to two. Dick Reece scored just four points in the game for the Dolphins, but two of them came by hitting both ends of a one-and-one with 45 seconds to play to give Le Moyne a four-point lead. Tarrant fouled out on the play. Saint Michael's got a pair of free throws with 30 seconds left, but the Dolphins were able to run out the clock and secure a 68–66 victory and the tournament championship. DeYulia was named the tournament's most valuable player and presented a trophy by the Very Rev. William Reilly, S.J., president of Le Moyne College. Coach Tommy Niland accepted the tournament championship trophy from the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce on behalf of the team.

The Christmas tournament turned out to be the launching point of a record-breaking Dolphins winning streak, which reached 10 games, the longest in program history, when Le Moyne defeated St. Francis (NY), 53–46, on February 6. Three straight baskets by Dick Martyns broke open a close game and gave the Dolphins a 48–38 lead with four minutes to go. Le Moyne used a pressing defense to frustrate the Terriers, who had a three-inch average height advantage. St. Francis shot just 29% from the floor. Gary DeYulia led the Dolphins with 17 points. Tom Mullen had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Gerry Glose had two key rebounds in the final minutes, as the Terriers tried to get back into the game, and also contributed seven points. A crowd of 2,200 was heard chanting "N-C-A-A" as the game drew to a conclusion. The win improved Le Moyne's record to 12–2.

The Dolphins' winning streak hit 13 on February 17, when they drubbed Hobart, 85–43, despite the absence of their top two scorers, Gary DeYulia and Tom Mullen, who were both nursing colds. Dick Reece led Le Moyne with 16 points.

Gary DeYulia and Tom Mullen returned to the lineup for the Dolphins' 91–68 blowout victory over Alfred, who came into the game 14–5, on February 20. Mullen had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds but appeared to suffer an ankle injury during the game. DeYulia led Le Moyne with 17 points. Ed Mandell had 31 points for the Saxons, who came into the game averaging 85 points per contest, but were held to 31% shooting from the floor by the Dolphins' defense. Le Moyne's 14th straight win improved their record to 16–2 and inspired the crowd of 2,000 spectators to yell "N-C-A-A" throughout the game in anticipation of a bid to the tournament.

On February 23, Le Moyne received and accepted a bid to host the Northeast Regionals of the 1965 NCAA College Division tournament. Aside from the Dolphins' 16–2 record, the selection committee cited the outstanding support shown by both students and area residents for the Dolphins at recent games as well as during the Christmas tournament. Le Moyne head coach Tommy Niland was named tournament director for the regional. Le Moyne announced that tickets could be reserved by phone starting at 9 a.m. on February 24, and would be available for pick-up on February 27. Student passes would not be honored for the tournament games; however, students could purchase tickets at a discounted price of $1.50 for each doubleheader session. Reserved tickets were priced at $2 per doubleheader session or $3.50 for all four games. General admission bleacher tickets were available for $1.50 per night. Le Moyne rented portable bleachers from the West Jefferson Street Armory to expand seating capacity for the tournament by about 500. Since the tournament bid created a conflict, the Dolphins rescheduled their home game against Siena from March 6 to February 28. Coach Niland appointed Manlius Military Academy athletic director and basketball coach Whitey Anderson as official scorer for the tournament games. Incredibly, all these arrangements were announced by Le Moyne the same day the selection committee announced it had been chosen to host the regional. Le Moyne also announced that the foot injury Tom Mullen suffered in the game against Alfred would keep him out of the February 24 game against Clarkson. Coach Niland hoped that Mullen would be available for the February 27 game at Buffalo.

Gerry Glose came off the bench to score 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting to lead the Dolphins to a 61–51 victory at Clarkson on February 24. Gary DeYulia, slowed by a calf injury, had 18 points for Le Moyne, who won their 15th straight game and improved to 17–2 on the season.

Norb Baschnagel's basket with three minutes to play gave Buffalo a 58–57 lead over Le Moyne at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium on February 27. After an empty possession for the Dolphins, two free throws put the Bulls ahead by three points, and they held on to win, 62–59, ending Le Moyne's program-record 15-game winning streak. Buffalo improved to 16–2 with the win, as they prepared for the NCAA tournament. Gary DeYulia had 26 points for the Dolphins, who dropped to 17–3 on the season.

The Dolphins struggled at the start of their regular-season finale against Siena on February 28, failing to score a basket until 9:35 had elapsed on the clock. Le Moyne recovered to take a five-point halftime lead. The Indians got within two points at 42–40 midway through the second half, but baskets by Mike Lawler and Tom Mullen extended the lead. Moments later, Dan Cunha was hit with a technical foul for arguing a call. The ensuing free throw and another charity toss on the personal foul extended the Dolphins' lead to 49–42, and Le Moyne went on to a 58–48 victory. After Gary DeYulia felt he was unnecessarily shoved out of bounds, a brief melee broke out between the rival teams, and a Siena player was promptly slammed to the floor by a Dolphin. It appeared it might spread into the stands where the Siena fans were sitting, but cooler heads quickly prevailed. DeYulia finished the game with just six points on 2-for-20 shooting from the floor. Eric Pitman led the Dolphins with 10 points. The behavior of the Le Moyne players and fans in connection with the melee was criticized in Siena's school newspaper.

Before the Siena game, Saint Michael's, Hartwick and Assumption were announced as the other three teams participating in the Northeast Regionals. A few hours after the regional field was announced, all tickets were sold out. The Dolphins defeated Saint Michael's, 68–66, at home in the Christmas tournament and on the road, 65–64, on January 23. Le Moyne earned a home victory over Assumption, 76–73, on February 13. Hartwick handed Le Moyne their only home loss of the regular season, 60–53, on December 16.

Before the start of the 1964–65 season, Saint Peter's moved up from the NCAA's College Division to the University Division, giving the MECAA three University Division teams (St. Francis (NY), Iona and Saint Peter's) and three College Division teams (Le Moyne, Siena and King's). Mark Palinski scored 28 points to lead Siena to an 80–72 victory over Saint Peter's on March 2. The University Division Peacocks fell to 2–2 in MECAA play with the loss to the College Division Indians and were eliminated from the league title race, giving Le Moyne its second consecutive outright conference championship.

Assumption executed a suffocating defensive effort, frustrating the Dolphins and earning a 76–58 victory. Le Moyne trailed by 16 at halftime and spent most of the game in foul trouble. The Dolphins' leading scorer, Gary DeYulia, scored Le Moyne's first four points on a layup and a jump shot but was shut down by the Greyhounds the rest of the way, finishing with just four points. Trailing 48–27 in the second half, Tom Mullen, who had 18 points in the game, scored six points during a 10–0 Dolphins run, but Le Moyne never got closer than 11 points behind the Greyhounds.

In the regional third-place game, Gary DeYulia's steal and transition basket capped a run that gave the Dolphins a 53–51 lead and thrilled the crowd in the Le Moyne Athletic Center. Hartwick responded immediately with a run of their own to go ahead by 64–56. Le Moyne fought back led by Eric Pitman and Dick Martyns and had the ball down by two points with 31 seconds to play. However, the Warriors' defense held on for a 70–68 victory. DeYulia and Tom Mullin led the Dolphins with 17 points each.

Gary DeYulia was named a 1965 ECAC first-team All-Star.

Senior Gary DeYulia, the Dolphins' leading scorer the previous two seasons, was named captain of the 1965–66 squad. Tom Mullen, Le Moyne's second leading scorer from the 1964–65 season, returned for his senior season. Senior Gerry Glose and junior Eric Pitman, both of whom were part of the previous season's rotation were expected to play significant roles. The Dolphins lost five players to graduation: Dan Frawley, Dan Lawler, Dick Martyns, Dick Reece and Michael Downey. During the pre-season, coach Tommy Niland expected the Dolphins to have more speed and be less physical than the previous season's team. He planned to have the team increase its pace on offense to take advantage of its strengths.

The Dolphins' 1965–66 schedule released prior to the season indicated they would host a second annual Christmas invitational tournament in December 1965. Teams committed to participate were Hartwick, Kenyon and Southwest Texas State. Le Moyne entered the tournament with a 3–0 record. In their semifinal game against Kenyon, Eric Pitman, who finished with 17 points, scored all the Dolphins' points during a 7–2 run that extended a 61–56 lead to 68–58. Pitman got the run started by cashing in on a free throw, after he was fouled while hitting a layup. After Kenyon scored on a put-back, Pitman took a pass from Gary DeYulia and drove the lane for another layup. DeYulia, who led the Dolphins with 24 points, then blocked a Kenyon shot. Pitman picked up the loose ball and raced down the floor, and Le Moyne was on its way to an 84–73 victory.

In the tournament final, the Dolphins met Hartwick, a team that had beaten them twice during the previous season, including a game at the Le Moyne Athletic Center in the NCAA tournament. Neither team had a lead larger than six points, and the game went down to the wire. Eric Pitman scored to tie the game at 51 with 2:12 to play. After the Warriors turned the ball over on a three-second violation, Pitman missed a driving layup, and Hartwick grabbed the rebound. With just 24 seconds to play, Dan Parham, who had a game-high 19 points and was named tournament MVP, was fouled. Parham missed the first free throw but made the second to give Hartwick a 52–51 lead. DeYulia's shot from the left of the key was off the mark, but he snatched his own rebound near the foul line and hit a jump shot with one second on the clock to give the Dolphins a 53–52 victory. Tom Mullen led Le Moyne with 15 points, and DeYulia added 13.

The only blemish on Le Moyne's 1965–66 conference slate was a February loss at Saint Peter's. However, the Peacocks went 5–0 in MECAA play to take the league title.

The 1966 NCAA tournament included 36 schools, four more than the previous season. Seven of the eight regions had four teams as had previously been the norm. The Northeast Region had eight teams divided into two divisions. Le Moyne was selected to host the four games in Division B of the Northeast Region. However, as of the time Le Moyne was chosen as a host, the Dolphins had not yet been extended a bid to play in the tournament. Le Moyne agreed to host regardless of whether it was participating. After impressive wins over King's and Saint Michael's, Le Moyne, with a record of 12–4, accepted an invitation to the NCAA tournament.

Le Moyne lost their first-round game to Philadelphia Textile, 83–61. Gary DeYulia led the Dolphins with 26 points.

Le Moyne salvaged their consolation game against Potsdam State, 86–63. Paul Zajac of Philadelphia Textile was named most valuable player of the Northeast Region Division B. Gary DeYulia had 25 points in the consolation game, giving him 51 for the two tournament games, and was named a Northeast Region Division B All-Star.

After the tournament, the Dolphins closed the regular-season with an 88–72 home victory over Siena to finish 16–6. Gary DeYulia had a game-high 23 points in his final collegiate game.

Rebuilding and returning to the NCAA tournament (1966–1968)

By 1966, Le Moyne's athletic scholarship budget was $2,500 per annum. Of this total, $2,000 was allotted for four basketball players and did not need to be allocated among those students in equal amounts. The remaining $500 was awarded to a cross-county athlete. Factors taken into account in awarding a scholarship were athletic aptitude, general attitude and financial need. Once a scholarship was awarded, it remained in effect as long as the student continued attending Le Moyne, even if the student decided not to participate in athletics. Coach Niland reported that Le Moyne typically received between 60 and 70 requests for athletic scholarships each year. As of the fall 1965 semester, tuition at Le Moyne was $1,200 per academic year. In late 1966, the ECAC amended its rules, allowing scholarships based solely on athletic ability. Previously, ECAC member schools were permitted to grant athletic scholarships only based on financial need and academic achievement.

The Dolphins returned only one starter, Eric Pitman, for the 1966–67 season with Gary DeYulia, Tom Mullen, Gerry Glose and Jon Cook all having graduated. Dave Carey was the only player other than Pitman who was part of the previous season's rotation. Only six of the 14 players on the team had previously played varsity basketball. Earl Eichelberger joined the team as a transfer from Bronx Community College. The outlook for a fourth straight NCAA tournament appearance was not promising. Pitman was elected captain by his teammates.

In a meeting with the local press less than two weeks before the 1966–67 season opener, Coach Niland expressed concern that the Dolphins would have trouble scoring but praised the ball-handling ability of freshman Tom Downey, saying Downey would start for the varsity team if he were eligible.

Le Moyne reached an agreement to have all Dolphins games, home and away, broadcast on WFBL with Jerry Sanders handling the play-by-play and Ted Downes and Cornelius O'Leary providing color commentary. This was the first season all Dolphins games were broadcast on radio.

In late 1966, Margaret Dwyer, Le Moyne's dean of women, gave permission to female students to begin wearing slacks rather than a skirt or a dress while attending Dolphins basketball games.

A standing room only crowd of more than 2,200 spectators saw the Dolphins open their season with a 72–56 victory over Cortland State on December 3. It was the first time a Le Moyne home opener was a sellout. Dave Cary led the Dolphins with 19 points, and Eric Pitman added 17. Tom Devins and Jerry Ballone each had 14 points and nine rebounds. Le Moyne held the Red Dragons to 34% shooting while hitting 43% of their own shots.

After suffering road losses at King's and Scranton, the Dolphins faced Maine in the third annual Le Moyne Christmas invitational tournament on December 28. Despite a 34-point effort from Terry Carr, the Dolphins broke open a close game over the final 11 minutes, as four Maine players fouled out. Gerry McDermott led Le Moyne with 23 points and pulled down seven rebounds as the Dolphins evened their record at 2–2 with an 85–74 victory.

The following night, Bob La Russo scored 24 points, and Bob McMahon added 14 for Iona in a 59–45 win for the Gaels, the first visiting team to win the tournament. Kurt Dorif and Tom Burke gave Iona a dominant rebounding edge, which the Dolphins could not overcome. Gerry McDermott was Le Moyne's only player in double figures with 12 points and was named to the All-Tournament team.

After a home loss to Saint Peter's dropped the Dolphins' record to 2–4, Le Moyne won three straight on the road, the last two of which came via dramatic last-second shots. Eric Pitman's offensive rebound and buzzer-beating 12-foot jump shot gave the Dolphins a 58–56 win at Cortland State on January 11, and Gerry McDermott's driving basket with seven seconds to play was the decider in Le Moyne's 65–63 victory at Siena three nights later. After the team went on a two-week exam break, the Dolphins lost their next game at Iona, 65–45. However, the loss paled in comparison to the news the team received. Starters Dave Cary and Jim Mariotte, both juniors, and reserves junior Greg Bonk and sophomore Gary Luke were all ruled academically ineligible starting in February and through the end of the season.

The Dolphins won their final game before the academic suspensions went into effect, 84–62, at Marist to improve to 6–5. Coach Tom Niland said he expected the academic suspensions would result in starting roles for Matt Fallis and Earl Eichelberger and more playing time for Tom Devins and Chuck Brady. The undermanned Dolphins hosted Assumption, who came into the game 11–1, with their only loss coming at the hands of nationally ranked Providence of the University Division, and on a 10-game winning streak, on February 4. Behind 24 points from Gerry McDermott and 18 points and some outstanding rebounding and defensive work from Jerry Ballone, Le Moyne scored a 79–64 upset victory over the Greyhounds.

The Dolphins won their next two games, both at home, over St. Lawrence and St. Francis (NY). Mike Kawa replaced leading scorer Gerry McDermott, who was being evaluated by doctors for mononucleosis, in the starting lineup for the St. Francis game and scored 19 points. Doctors cleared McDermott to play in the next game against Hartwick, and he scored 14 points in a 74–69 home loss. Kawa started and had 16 points. The loss to Hartwick was the start of a three-game losing streak, and the Dolphins dropped five of their final seven games of the season to finish 11–10. Captain Eric Pitman was presented the first annual Cy Reynolds Memorial Trophy as the season's most outstanding Le Moyne player selected by members of the media.

In the spring of 1967, a change in ECAC rules allowed freshmen to compete on varsity teams at schools with fewer than 1,000 male students. Since Le Moyne had less than 900 male students at the time, the Dolphins were covered by the new rule. Coach Tom Niland stated that he expected Le Moyne to continue fielding a freshman team to allow players new to college basketball to gain experience, but freshmen judged ready to compete would be permitted to play on the varsity squad.

Coach Tom Niland said he expected to employ a more up-tempo offense in 1967–68 than he had in the previous season. Senior Gerry McDermott was elected captain by his teammates. Eric Pitman and Gerry Ballone were lost to graduation. The Dolphins had seven returning players and five sophomores on the roster. McDermott, Tom Devins and Earl Eichelberger were the three seniors on the team. Junior Gary Luke returned from academic ineligibility. Sophomore Tom Downey and junior Mike Kawa were expected to compete for a starting guard role. No freshmen were selected to play on the varsity squad.

Prior to the opening of training camp, the players went through a new exercise program designed by Niland and Le Moyne's new cross country coach and physical education instructor Dick Rockwell that included weightlifting with the goal of adding two inches to each player's leaping ability.

On November 2, the Dolphins had a home scrimmage against Niagara featuring their star player, future Naismith Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy. The Purple Eagles were in town as co-presenters alongside the Dolphins, the Syracuse Orange and former Syracuse Nationals player and then Detroit Pistons assistant coach Paul Seymour at Le Moyne's annual basketball clinic for coaches.

The Dolphins opened their 1967–68 season with an 88–76 victory at St. Lawrence on December 2. Senior captain Gerry McDermott led the way with 28 points. Sophomores John Zych and Tom Downey, who were high school teammates at St. John the Evangelist had fine showings in their first varsity game. Downey started and scored seven points and displayed impressive ball handling and playmaking skills. Zych came off the bench and used his excellent shooting and driving skills to score 20 points. Junior Matt "Butch" Fallis had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Earl Eichelberger contributed 12 points. Coach Tom Niland said that the starting lineup would vary from game to game this season and be based on the opponent. The lineup of McDermott, Downey, Fallis, Eichelberger and Chuck Brady was chosen to maximize te Dolphins' rebounding ability and slow down the high-octane offense of St Lawrence.

Cold shooting doomed Le Moyne in their home opener, as they fell to Iona, 58–57, in a game they trailed all night but made close in the final minute. Mike Kawa led the Dolphins with 16 points. However, following the loss, the Dolphins embarked on a five-game winning streak, capped by a 78–74 overtime victory over Bucknell in the final of the Le Moyne Christmas invitational on December 29. Tom Downey and Tom Devins scored baskets for the first four points of overtime to give the Dolphins a 69–65 lead, and the Bison were unable to pull even the rest of the way. Downey hit a pair of free throws in the closing seconds put the game away. Gerry McDermott scored 19 points for Le Moyne and was voted the tournament's most valuable player. Chuck Brady led the Dolphins with 9 rebounds and had 18 points, including a pivotal three-point play on a putback of an offensive rebound in overtime that gave Le Moyne a 74–68 lead. The previous night, the Dolphins defeated Vermont, 95–72, behind Brady's 20 points and nine rebounds.

After an 80–77 loss at Assumption on February 10, dropped the Dolphins' record to 8–6, it appeared a foregone conclusion that Le Moyne would not be invited to the NCAA tournament.

After a third straight win improved the Dolphins record to 11–6, talk of an NCAA tournament bid was revived. Gerry McDermott scored 22 points in the 79–70 home win over Ithaca, considered a contender for a tournament bid, on February 20. Chuck Brady added 10 points and 13 rebounds. John Zych and Tom Downey scored 21 and 17 points, respectively. Four days later, another victory, this time over St. Michael's, who were also widely regarded a contender for a tournament berth, convinced Dolphin's followers that a trip to the NCAA tournament was imminent. The wins over two highly touted teams led to a revelation from a selection committee member that the Dolphins were "very much in the running for a berth." Tom Downey had 15 points and 10 rebounds in the 83–73 win over St. Michael's. Mike Kawa had 10 points off the bench having been pressed into duty, after Gerry McDermott turned his left ankle.

At 4 p.m. on February 28, the selection committee announced that Le Moyne had been invited to the 1968 NCAA tournament and would open against Buffalo State in Rochester, New York on March 5. The other game in Rochester pitted the host, Rochester, against Northeastern. The two winners would meet in the regional semifinals on March 6.

Le Moyne had a game scheduled at Alfred on March 5. This game was moved to March 9, if the Dolphins did not advance to the regional final. If Le Moyne won two games in Rochester, the Alfred game would be cancelled.

In a final tune-up before the NCAA tournament, the Dolphins posted an 82–70 home win over Siena on March 2. Mike Kawa filled in admirably for Dolphins' captain and leading scorer, Gerry McDermott, who was out with a pulled tendon in his left leg. Matt Fallis led Le Moyne with 22 points and 13 rebounds. The win improved the Dolphins' record to 13–6 with four of their losses coming at the hands of University Division opponents. At halftime, McDermott was presented the Sy Reynolds Memorial Trophy as the most valuable player of the team selected by members of the media. McDermott's status for the NCAA tournament was doubtful.

About 500 Dolphins fans made the journey to Rochester, but Le Moyne's senior captain and leading scorer, Gerry McDermott, could only play limited minutes due to injury, and Buffalo State used their size advantage to control the boards on their way to an 83–66 victory. Charles Davis led the Orangemen with 20 points and 27 rebounds. Le Moyne struggled throughout the game to get good looks at the basket against taller defenders. Tom Downey managed to score 13 points. John Zych was the only other Dolphin to reach double figures with 10 points. McDermott finished with eight points.

Northeastern hit 23 of 34 free-throw attempts compared with only 6 for 11 from the line for the Dolphins, and the Huskies won the consolation game of the Northeast Region's Section B, 67–54. Each team had 44 rebounds, and Le Moyne had 24 field goals, while Northeastern had only 22. However, the Dolphins were unable to defend the larger Huskies without fouling. Dave Cary came off the bench to score a season-high 21 points for Le Moyne. Earl Eichelberger had 10 rebounds. Tom Downey was held to four points. Gerry McDermott exacerbated his left heel injury in the Buffalo State game and did not play.

The Dolphins closed their season with an 83–80 win at Alfred on March 9, to finish 14–8.

Coach Niland's final years

The Dolphins won their sixth MECAA championship in 1968–69 with a 4–1 conference record and were 15–8 over all, but they were not selected to play in the postseason.

In 1972–73, Tommy Niland's 25th and final season as head coach, Le Moyne went 5–0 in MECAA play to win their seventh conference championship. Niland closed his coaching career with a 65–61 loss at archrival Siena on March 3, 1973. The Dolphins were 13–9 in his final season, and his 326 wins and six NCAA tournament appearances both remain the most ever by a Le Moyne head coach.

Thomas Cooney, Michael Lee and John Beilein

Le Moyne remained a member of the MECAA throughout the conference's entire existence, until it was dissolved following the 1975–76 season. The Dolphins took the MECAA title six times during their 21 seasons of membership, the most championships of any member. Since conference membership crossed NCAA divisions, the MECAA champion was not awarded an automatic bid to any NCAA tournament.

Le Moyne became a Division II institution, when the College Division was split in 1973. Following the dissolution of the MECAA in 1976, the Dolphins played as an independent until joining the Mideast Collegiate Conference (MECC) in 1983, and remained a member of that conference, until it dissolved in 1991. Le Moyne won two MECC regular-season titles and one conference tournament during their eight years in the league.

As MECC tournament champions in 1988, Le Moyne returned to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 20 years with a 23–5 regular-season record under the leadership of head coach John Beilein. After suffering a first-round loss to California (PA), the Dolphins rebounded to defeat Kutztown and finish third in the region. The 24 wins were the most in program history up to that point. The 1987–88 Dolphins were inducted into the Le Moyne College Athletic Hall of Fame as a team in 2017.

Scot Hicks era

After playing the 1991–92 season as an independent, Le Moyne joined the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) in 1992. Led by head coach Scott Hicks, a Le Moyne alumnus whose playing career spanned 1984 to 1988, the Dolphins won the NECC tournament in 1996, their final season in the league, and that earned them a berth in the NCAA tournament, where they were seeded 5th in the Northeast Region. Although they entered the tournament with a 24–5 record, the Dolphins suffered a 30-point loss in the first round at the hands of Franklin Pierce. The 24 wins matched the highest total in program history, previously achieved in 1987–88.

In 1996, the Dolphins joined the Northeast-10 Conference (NE10), where they remained until beginning reclassification to Division I as a member of the NEC in 2023. During their 26 seasons over a span of 27 years in the NE10 (the 2020–21 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic), Le Moyne won four regular-season conference championships and two conference tournaments.

Despite a losing record in their first NE10 season, Le Moyne won the conference tournament and advanced to the 1997 NCAA tournament, their second straight appearance. The Dolphins lost in the first round to Saint Rose.

Dave Paulsen era

Le Moyne followed up their 1997 NCAA tournament appearance with a 20–8 season in 1997–98, under first-year head coach Dave Paulsen. Their 14–6 conference record was good enough for a share of the NE10 regular-season crown. The Dolphins' season ended with a loss to Assumption in the conference tournament semifinals. Le Moyne had finished in a three-way tie for first place with Assumption and Stonehill, who was upset in the tournament quarterfinals. Assumption won the conference tournament and was the only NE10 team selected to play in the 1998 NCAA tournament.

Steve Evans era

Although it was an exhibition game, the Dolphins nevertheless attracted national attention when they defeated Syracuse at the Carrier Dome on November 3, 2009. Syracuse was ranked no. 25 in the preseason AP poll at the time. However, Christopher Johnson's three-pointer with 8.3 seconds remaining gave Division II Le Moyne an 82–79 road victory over a Division I national power. Syracuse had finished the previous season 28–10, ranked no. 13 in Division I, and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. Once the season started, the Orange recovered. They were 2009–10 Big East Conference regular-season champions and reached the Sweet 16 of the 2010 NCAA tournament.

Despite an exit from the 2014 NE10 tournament in the semifinals, Le Moyne received and at-large NCAA tournament bid. As the 6th seed in the East Region, the Dolphins were defeated by Saint Anselm. Le Moyne finished the 2013–14 season 17–12.

Coach Patrick Beilein leads Dolphins to three straight NCAA tournaments

Patrick Beilein, son of John Beilein, who coached the Dolphins from 1983 to 1992, took the head coaching reigns in 2015. After a losing record in his first season, Beilein produced an era of success for Le Moyne basketball with three straight NCAA tournament appearances. Beilein made his debut as the Dolphins' head coach in an exhibition game against Michigan, coached by his father, at the Crisler Center. More than 70 members of the Beilein clan traveled from around the country to attend the game, which Michigan won, 74–52.

In 2016–17, the Dolphins won the NE10 Southwest Division title and had the best regular-season record in the entire conference. Despite being upset in the NE10 tournament semifinals, Le Moyne's 22–6 record was good enough to secure an at-large berth as the no. 1 seed in the East Region of the NCAA tournament, hosting the first three rounds. However, the Dolphins suffered a first-round loss to Merrimack, 72–68, in overtime in front of the home crowd. For his efforts, Beilein was named 2017 NE10 coach of the year.

Le Moyne's 2017–18 season was perhaps the best in program history by all measures. They achieved a new high in wins with 27, won the NE10 Southwest Division title, had the best conference record of any NE10 team, won the conference tournament and secured a no. 1 seed and hosting rights at the NCAA tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight. The Dolphins were an astounding 18–2 in conference play and entered the NE tournament with a 21–6 record and blitzed their way to the title. They defeated Stonehill by 39 points in the quarterfinals and topped Merrimack, 83–55, in the semifinals. The title game was a 69–63 victory over Northeast Division champion Saint Anselm. Le Moyne's Isaiah Eisendorf was named tournament MVP. Coach Beilein collected his second straight NE10 coach of the year award.

Playing at home in the NCAA tournament, Le Moyne scored victories over Jefferson, Saint Rose and Bloomfield. The Elite Eight was held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where the Dolphins fell to West Texas A&M, 87–73. Entering the NCAA tournament, Le Moyne was ranked no. 24 nationally in the season's final Division II coaches poll.

Le Moyne won another NE10 Southwest Division title in 2018–19. The Dolphins were upset at home in the conference tournament semifinals by Merrimack, 84–77, in overtime. Nevertheless, Le Moyne's 18–10 record earned them the no. 3 seed in the East Region at the NCAA tournament. The Dolphins were matched up in the first round with St. Thomas Aquinas, coached by former Le Moyne assistant coach, Tobin Anderson. After the Dolphins built a 19-point lead, the Spartans staged a furious comeback to earn a 61–59 victory and eliminate Le Moyne from the tournament. After the season, Beirlein left Le Moyne to become the head coach at Division I Niagara.

Nate Champion era

Nate Champion, a Le Moyne alumnus, was hired as the new head coach in 2019. The Dolphins won their fourth straight NE10 Southwest Division title and had the best NE10 regular-season conference record in Champion's first season. Le Moyne bowed out at home in the NE10 tournament quarterfinals to New Haven, 75–73. Champion was named NE10 coach of the year, the third straight season the award has been won by a Le Moyne coach. The 2020 NCAA tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reclassification to Division I

Main article: 2023–24 Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball team

In April 2022, Le Moyne College president Linda LeMura revealed that the school had hired a consultant to assess the feasibility of reclassifying to Division I and had begun internal discussions regarding the potential impact. In September 2022, a social media post of a sports journalist indicated that the decision to move to Division I had been made, but no official announcement would come from Le Moyne, until it had officially been invited to join a conference.

On May 10, 2023, Le Moyne announced that the Dolphins would begin a transition to Division I, joining the Northeast Conference (NEC). The Dolphins officially became a Division I program and a member of the NEC on July 1.

As a team transitioning from Division II, Le Moyne will not be eligible to participate in the NCAA Division I tournament until 2028, since there is a required four-year transition period. However, effective for the 2023–24 academic year, NEC teams transitioning from Division II are eligible for the NEC tournament during the entirety of their transition periods. Prior to the conference's rule change, NEC teams were eligible for the conference tournament only during their third and fourth transition years. As a result, Le Moyne became eligible for the 2024 NEC tournament. The top eight finishers in the nine-team NEC participate in the conference tournament.

Darrick Jones Jr. hit a three-pointer from the top of the key early in the Dolphins' season opener at Georgetown for Le Moyne's first points scored as a Division I program on November 7, 2023. Ball State transfer Kaiyem Cleary led the Dolphins with 11 points, all in the second half, and seven rebounds. Georgetown used a 9–2 run to take a 12–5 lead early in the game. The Hoyas extended the lead with an 8–0 run that made the score 20–7. After a brief flurry led by Jones, Trent Mosquera and Mike DePersia got the Dolphins within single digits at 28–19, the Hoyas closed the first half with a 19–4 run that gave them a 47–23 halftime lead on their way to a 94–57 victory. Jones and Luke Sutherland each contributed nine points for Le Moyne in the losing cause.

Le Moyne used first-half runs of 16–2 and 20–2 to build a 47–15 lead and never looked back on their way to a 105–46 victory, their first as a Division I program, over Division III SUNY Canton in their 2023–24 home opener on November 13, 2023. Five Dolphins had double-figure scoring games led by Kaiyem Cleary with 21 points, Nate McClure with 16, Darrick Jones Jr. with 13 and freshman AJ Dancler with 12. Redshirt freshman Nate Fouts made his collegiate debut and scored 11 points with three assists and two blocked shots. Cleary shot 8 for 10 from the field, while adding seven rebounds and two steals in just 16 minutes. McClure hit six of his seven shots, including 4-for-5 shooting from three-point range. Dancler grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists. The Dolphins shot 32 for 37 on two-point field goals for the game, including 15 for 16 in the first half.

Le Moyne recorded its first victory over a Division I opponent as a Division I program, an 80–70 win at Cal State Northridge on November 21, 2023, in their opening game of the Golden State Hoops Jam, a multi-team event sponsored by Pacific. Luke Sutherland led the Dolphins with 24 points and five rebounds. Le Moyne started five graduate students for the first time in the program's history, and they responded by sprinting to an 11–4 lead to start the game, getting early scoring from Sutherland, Nate McClure (12 points, four rebounds and three steals for the game) and Isaiah Salter. After Le Moyne fell behind, 15–12, Mike DePersia (eight points, nine assists, four rebounds and three steals for the game) sparked a 19–2 run with a pull-up jump shot. The Matadors could not get closer than three points behind the rest of the way. The Dolphins closed out the game with strong free-throw shooting, finishing the game 31-for-34 from the charity stripe.

Kaiyem Cleary scored 43 points on January 27, 2024, to break Le Moyne's single-game individual scoring record, first set on January 7, 1955, and the Dolphins cruised to an 87–74 victory over LIU. Cleary's 43 points were the most scored by a player in regulation and the third most scored by a player in a single game up to that point in the Division I season. Cleary was 14 for 25 from the floor, including 6 for 10 from beyond the arc, and shot 9 for 9 from the free-throw line. He also led Le Moyne in rebounds with seven and had a pair of blocked shots. Despite shooting 0 for 6 from three-point range, Luke Sutherland scored 16 points and added five rebounds for the Dolphins. With Le Moyne trailing, 46–45, early in the second half, Cleary scored 13 points over six and a half minutes to spark a decisive 20–4 run that put the Dolphins ahead, 65–50.

Kaiyem Cleary scored with 45 seconds left in regulation to tie up Le Moyne's home game with Central Connecticut on February 15. After the Blue Devils took a one-point lead in overtime, the Dolphins scored the final six points of the extra session, including a baseline jump shot by Cleary with 1:24 to play that gave Le Moyne the lead for good. Cleary finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots. Freshman AJ Dancler had 13 points, four of them in overtime, three assists, two rebounds and two steals in 26 minutes off the bench for the Dolphins. With the win, Le Moyne clinched a berth in the NEC tournament.

The Dolphins recognized former players to celebrate their 75th season and earned a 75–67 victory over Stonehill on February 17. Luke Sutherland led the way for Le Moyne with 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Kaiyem Cleary had 14 points and seven rebounds. The Dolphins led the game by 12 points at halftime and were in front, 58–45, when the Skyhawks went on a 13–0 run to tie the game at 58. Once the game was tied, neither team scored for nearly three minutes, until Cleary broke Le Moyne's 7:51 scoring drought with drive to the basket and then converted the free throw. Sutherland followed with a basket from the lane to give the Dolphins a five-point lead. Leading 65–62, Le Moyne got five points form Nate McClure to key a 7–0 run and extend their lead to 10 points with 1:02 to play.

Entering the final day of the regular season, Le Moyne had the opportunity to earn the no. 4 seed in the NEC tournament and home-court advantage in the NEC quarterfinals with a win. If the Dolphins were to lose, the no. 4 seed would go to the winner of the game between Fairleigh Dickinson and Wagner.

Le Moyne claimed the no. 4 seed in the NEC tournament and home-court advantage in the NEC quarterfinals with a 74–58 win at Saint Francis on March 2. Luke Sutherland led the Dolphins with 22 points, shooting 8 for 10 from the field and 3 for 4 from beyond the arc, seven rebounds, a career-high eight assists, two blocked shots and one steal. After the Red Flash took a 3–0 lead, Le Moyne went on a 10–0 run, keyed by five points from Nate McClure, and led the rest of the way. After a Saint Francis run cut the Dolphins lead to 25–24, the Dolphins answered with an 11–4 run, getting five of their points from Darrick Jones Jr., to reassert control. A late flurry by the Red Flash cut the Le Moyne lead to 39–34 at the break. The Dolphins scored the first nine points of the second half to build a 14-point lead. However, Le Moyne had a 5:10 scoring drought during which Saint Francis had only four points but cut the lead to nine with 8:47 remaining. Saint Francis continued to creep closer and found themselves trailing 60–52 with 6:33 to play. The Dolphins extinguished any hopes for a comeback with a 14–0 run over a span of 3:42 and led by 22 points with 2:34 on the clock.

Kaiyem Cleary was named first-team All-NEC. Luke Sutherland was named to the All-Conference second team.

Powered by Luke Sutherland's 22 points, Le Moyne cruised to an 82–61 wire-to-wire victory over Fairleigh Dickinson in the program's Division I postseason debut on March 6. The Dolphins opened the game with three three-pointers to take a 9–0 lead just 1:45 into the contest. The Knights settled down, and Le Moyne was up, 42–34, at intermission. Leading 46–40 in the second half, the Dolphins went on an 11–0 run over 2:09 to take a 57–40 lead with 15:42 remaining. Fairleigh Dickinson got no closer than 12 points behind the rest of the way. Darrick Jones Jr. scored 17 points for Le Moyne.

After Le Moyne jumped out to an early 13–4 lead in the NEC semifinals on March 9, Merrimack's defense got the Warriors back into the game, and a 19–3 run in the later part of the first half helped them build a 28–20 lead at intermission. The Dolphins cut the deficit to three with 14:47 to play on a put-back by Kaiyem Cleary. The teams traded three-pointers over the next three minutes, until Samba Diallo's layups on consecutive possessions extended Merrimack's lead to seven points. The Dolphins responded with a 6–2 run to get within three points at 40–37 with 8:14 to play. An 8–2 Warriors run gave them a nine-point lead with 6:45 on the clock, but Le Moyne responded with a pair of three-pointers by Luke Sutherland to pull within three again with 5:42 to play. After each team had two empty possessions over the next two minutes, Bryan Etumnu was fouled on a layup and completed the three-point play, sparking a 9–2 Merrimack run that put the game away. The Warriors' 61–51 victory ended the Dolphins' first Division I season. Sutherland had 23 points and eight rebounds for Le Moyne, and he was named to the NEC All-Tournament Team.

Season-by-season results

For complete season-by-season results, see List of Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball seasons.

Coaches

See also: List of Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball head coaches

There have been nine head coaches in the history of Le Moyne men's basketball. The program has played 1,918 games across 75 seasons from the program's inaugural 1948–49 campaign through the end of the 2023–24 season.

Tommy Niland had the longest tenure at Le Moyne, coaching for 25 seasons, and is the all-time leader in games coached (537) and wins at the school (326).

The current head coach is Nate Champion, who played for the Dolphins from 2010 to 2014.

Postseason results

NCAA Division II

During their time in NCAA Division II, the Dolphins were selected to play in the NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament thirteen times. They had a combined record of 7–16.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1959	Regional Semifinals Regional Finals	Williams St. Michael's	W 72–66 L 70–71
1960	Regional Semifinals Regional Third Place	St. Anselm Assumption	L 75–108 L 68–94
1964	Regional Semifinals Regional Finals	Youngstown State Akron	W 64–53 L 38–62
1965	Regional Semifinals Regional Third Place	Assumption Hartwick	L 58–76 L 68–70
1966	First Round Regional Consolation	Philadelphia Textile Potsdam State	L 61–83 W 86–63
1968	First Round Regional Consolation	Buffalo State Northeastern	L 66–83 L 54–67
1988	Regional Semifinals Regional Third Place	California (PA) Kutztown	L 88–91 W 89–81
1996	First Round	Franklin Pierce	L 53–83
1997	First Round	Saint Rose	L 76–92
2014	First Round	Saint Anselm	L 62–73
2017	First Round	Merrimack	L 68–72 (OT)
2018	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight	Jefferson Saint Rose Bloomfield West Texas A&M	W 75–57 W 67–63 W 75–59 L 73–87
2019	First Round	St. Thomas Aquinas	L 59–61

NCAA tournament seeding history

The NCAA began seeding the Division II tournament with the 1989 edition.

Years →	'96	'97	'14	'17	'18	'19
Seeds →	5	6	6	1	1	3

Between 1958 and 1988, the NCAA chose eight or nine schools as hosts for the College Division/Division II regionals. These teams played their regional semifinal games and (if they won) their regional final (Sweet 16) games at home during years the tournament included 32 teams. In some years, there were 36 teams with seven regions having four teams and one region having eight teams. In eight-team regions, the host school might have played as many as three tournament games at home, if it was designated as being in the division given home-court advantage for the regional final. A host school effectively had the privileges of what would later be identified as a no. 1 seed. However, factors such as availability and quality of facilities, expected fan support and travel arrangements entered into the choice of a host school. In addition, teams played in regions that reflected the locations of the schools. Therefore, if the two best teams in the College Division or Division II were near each other, it is likely only one of them would be selected to host. Thus, the hosts were not necessarily the top eight teams. Nevertheless, Le Moyne was one of the eight host schools for the 1965 NCAA tournament.

The 1966 NCAA tournament included 36 schools, four more than the previous season. Seven of the eight regions had four teams as had previously been the norm. The Northeast Region had eight teams divided into two divisions. Le Moyne was selected to host the four games in Division B of the Northeast Region. However, as of the time Le Moyne was chosen as a host, the Dolphins had not yet been extended a bid to play in the tournament. Le Moyne agreed to host regardless of whether it was participating. The Division A winner had the right to host the regional final, which means Le Moyne, which ultimately did receive a tournament bid, would have played on the road had they advanced that far. This effectively conferred upon Le Moyne the rights and privileges of a no. 2 seed within the region. However, since Le Moyne was in an eight-team region, it would have needed to win one more game than all 28 teams in four-team regions to reach the national quarterfinals, which makes the extra game similar to a play-in game such as the First Four in the Division I tournament.

Rivalry with Siena

Before the Dolphins had ever played a varsity basketball game, Siena was identified as Le Moyne's chief rival. "BEAT SIENA!" was the front-page headline of the school newspaper on November 24, 1948, 13 days before the Dolphins' inaugural varsity game, scheduled to be played at home against Siena. A pep rally was held the night before the game and attended by the team, the head coach, the athletic director and, of course, the cheerleaders. Those organizing the rally had someone dressed as an Indian, Siena's team nickname at the time, appear to be tossed into the bonfire and burned. The rivalry was acknowledged by Siena shortly after the teams began playing, perhaps, in part, because the teams met in the 1951 National Catholic Invitational Tournament (NCIT).

Siena won the first-ever matchup, 41–39, on December 7, 1948, and went on to take the first five games between the teams, the fourth and fifth of which went to overtime, before Le Moyne broke through with a win at home followed by a win in the NCIT, which was played on Siena's home court. After 21 seasons as Siena's head basketball coach, Dan Cunha resigned in July 1965. Four months later, Cunha was hired as Le Moyne's new dean of men, a position with no athletic duties. In 1976, Siena reclassified to Division I, while Le Moyne remained a Division II program. The annual scheduling of games between the teams ceased, and they did not meet again for 11 years. The teams played one game annually between the 1987–88 and 1992–93 seasons, and Siena won all six of those contests. Le Moyne's 2023 reclassification to Division I creates the possibility that this rivalry may be rekindled. It has been 31 years since the teams last met in an official game. The Dolphins defeated Siena, 73–71, in an exhibition game in November 2017, at Loudonville.

Le Moyne–Siena

Sport	Men's Basketball
Location	Upstate New York
Teams	Le Moyne Dolphins Siena Saints
First meeting	December 7, 1948 Siena 41, Le Moyne 39
Latest meeting	December 28, 1992 Siena 83, Le Moyne 56
Statistics
Meetings total	62
All-time series	Le Moyne leads, 39–23
Largest victory	Siena, 91–52 (December 3, 1988)
Longest win streak	Le Moyne, 8 (March 1, 1958 - December 9, 1961)
Current win streak	Siena, 6

Le Moyne victories

Siena victories

No.	Date	Location	Winner	Score
1	December 7, 1948	Syracuse	Siena	41–39
2	January 29, 1949	Loudonville	Siena	53–31
3	November 24, 1949	Albany	Siena	46–31
4	February 15, 1950	Syracuse	Siena	60–56OT
5	November 23, 1950	Albany	Siena	70–682OT
6	December 30, 1950	Syracuse	Le Moyne	53–47
7	March 14, 1951	Albany†	Le Moyne	57–53
8	November 22, 1951	Albany	Siena	62–41
9	January 18, 1952	Syracuse	Le Moyne	53–51
10	November 27, 1952	Albany	Siena	53–49
11	February 24, 1953	Syracuse	Le Moyne	68–65
12	December 5, 1953	Albany	Le Moyne	60–40
13	March 6, 1954	Syracuse	Siena	63–55
14	January 1, 1955	Albany	Le Moyne	64–60
15	March 5, 1955	Syracuse	Le Moyne	78–62
16	December 1, 1955	Albany	Le Moyne	78–71
17	March 2, 1956	Syracuse	Le Moyne	82–59
18	December 1, 1956	Albany	Le Moyne	74–41
19	January 19, 1957	Syracuse	Le Moyne	68–59
20	December 21, 1957	Albany	Siena	78–72
21	March 1, 1958	Syracuse	Le Moyne	58–50
22	December 20, 1958	Albany	Le Moyne	66–65OT
23	February 28, 1959	Syracuse	Le Moyne	60–59
24	December 7, 1959	Albany	Le Moyne	60–46
25	February 27, 1960	Syracuse	Le Moyne	61–48
26	December 10, 1960	Loudonville	Le Moyne	49–45
27	February 25, 1961	Syracuse	Le Moyne	48–45
28	December 9, 1961	Loudonville	Le Moyne	56–48
29	February 24, 1962	Syracuse	Siena	64–57
30	December 1, 1962	DeWitt	Le Moyne	43–41
31	February 16, 1963	Loudonville	Siena	50–49
32	February 8, 1964	Loudonville	Le Moyne	54–46
33	January 30, 1965	Loudonville	Le Moyne	70–65
34	February 28, 1965	DeWitt	Le Moyne	58–48
35	January 8, 1966	Loudonville	Le Moyne	85–74
36	March 5, 1966	DeWitt	Le Moyne	88–72
37	January 14, 1967	Loudonville	Le Moyne	65–63
38	March 4, 1967	DeWitt	Siena	61–60
39	December 16, 1967	Loudonville	Le Moyne	101–89
40	March 2, 1968	DeWitt	Le Moyne	82–70
41	December 19, 1968	DeWitt	Le Moyne	92–73
42	March 1, 1969	Loudonville	Le Moyne	85–74
43	January 21, 1970	Loudonville	Le Moyne	87–74
44	March 7, 1970	DeWitt	Le Moyne	84–77
45	January 20, 1971	DeWitt	Le Moyne	82–57
46	March 6, 1971	Albany	Siena	77–72
47	January 29, 1972	Loudonville	Le Moyne	72–67
48	March 4, 1972	DeWitt	Le Moyne	74–70
49	January 27, 1973	DeWitt	Le Moyne	87–72
50	March 3, 1973	Loudonville	Siena	65–61
51	January 26, 1974	Albany	Siena	101–79
52	March 2, 1974	DeWitt	Le Moyne	87–81
53	January 25, 1975	DeWitt	Le Moyne	73–67
54	March 1, 1975	Loudonville	Siena	92–74
55	January 24, 1976	Loudonville	Siena	79–68
56	March 4, 1976	DeWitt	Le Moyne	81–77
57	December 5, 1987	Loudonville	Siena	75–70
58	December 3, 1988	DeWitt	Siena	91–52
59	February 26, 1990	Loudonville	Siena	90–76
60	February 14, 1991	DeWitt	Siena	88–75
61	December 4, 1991	Loudonville	Siena	81–62
62	December 28, 1992	Loudonville	Siena	83–56
Series: Le Moyne leads 39–23
† = National Catholic Invitational Tournament Source:

Christmas invitational tournament

In 1964, Le Moyne began hosting an annual four-team Christmas invitational tournament. The brackets below show the results of these tournament games.

1964

References:

	Semifinals December 29				Championship December 30
	Le Moyne	81
	Oswego State	64
					Le Moyne	68
					Saint Michael's	66
	Buffalo	86
	Saint Michael's	93			Third Place
					Oswego State	59
					Buffalo	88

Gary DeYulia of Le Moyne was named most valuable player.

1965

References:

	Semifinals December 29				Championship December 30
	Le Moyne	84
	Kenyon	73
					Le Moyne	53
					Hartwick	52
	Hartwick	81
	Southwest Texas State	63			Third Place
					Kenyon	72
					Southwest Texas State	97

Dan Parham of Hartwick was named most valuable player.

1966

References:

	Semifinals December 28				Championship December 29
	Le Moyne	85
	Maine	74
					Le Moyne	45
					Iona	59
	Iona	66
	Lafayette	58			Third Place
					Maine	67
					Lafayette	62

Bob La Russo of Iona was named most valuable player.

The All-Tournament team selected by members of the media covering the tournament included:

• Bob La Russo, Iona
• Bob McMahon, Iona
• Gerry McDermott, Le Moyne
• Terry Carr, Maine
• Bob Kiriloff, Lafayette

1967

References:

	Semifinals December 28				Championship December 29
	Le Moyne	95
	Vermont	74
					Le Moyne	78OT
					Bucknell	74
	Bucknell	84
	St. Francis (NY)	81			Third Place
					Vermont	66
					St. Francis (NY)	72

Gerry McDermott of Le Moyne was named most valuable player.

The All-Tournament team selected by members of the media covering the tournament included:

• Gerry McDermott, Le Moyne
• Ed Farver, Bucknell
• Tom Schneider, Bucknell
• Doug Smith, St. Francis (NY)
• Dave Lapointe, Vermont

1968

References:

	Semifinals December 27				Championship December 28
	Le Moyne	101
	Steubenville	81
					Le Moyne	81
					Wagner	91
	Wagner	67
	Saint Michael's	62			Third Place
					Steubenville	43
					Saint Michael's	62

Ray Hodge of Wagner was named most valuable player.

The tournament All-Star team selected by members of the media covering the tournament included:

• Ray Hodge, Wagner
• Bill Wolfe, Wagner
• Chuck Brady, Le Moyne
• Jay Cody, Saint Michael's
• Pat Mulligan, Steubenville

Wins against higher-division opponents

Starting with Le Moyne's inaugural 1948–49 season through the end of the 1955–56 season, the final season before the NCAA split into the University Division and the College Division, the Dolphins were classified by the Associated Press (AP) as a small-college (non-major) program. During that time, Le Moyne played 56 games against major programs, as classified by the AP. The results of such games are shown in the table below.

Date	Opponent	Result	Le Moyne Record
December 7, 1948	Siena	Loss, 41−39	0−1
January 29, 1949	at Siena	Loss, 53−31	0−2
December 14, 1949	at St. Bonaventure	Loss, 50−48	0−3
January 6, 1950	St. Francis (NY)	Win, 86−74	1−3
January 13, 1950	St. Bonaventure	Loss, 51−44	1−4
November 23, 1950	at Siena	Loss, 70−682OT	1−5
November 29, 1950	at Niagara	Loss, 86−61	1−6
December 2, 1950	at Seton Hall	Loss, 63−53	1−7
December 5, 1950	at St. Bonaventure	Loss, 56−47	1−8
December 30, 1950	Siena	Win, 53−47	2−8
March 14, 1951	at #18 Siena†	Win, 57−53	3−8
March 16, 1951	St. Francis (NY)‡	Loss, 84−66	3−9
November 22, 1951	at Siena	Loss, 62−41	3−10
December 5, 1951	at Seton Hall	Loss, 55−48	3−11
December 7, 1951	at St. Francis (NY)	Loss, 56−51	3−12
December 15, 1951	at #15 Villanova	Loss, 59−48	3−13
January 18, 1952	#11 Siena	Win, 53−51	4−13
January 28, 1952	Manhattan	Loss, 79−71	4−14
February 1, 1952	Boston College	Loss, 74−58	4−15
March 17, 1952	St. Francis (NY)††	Loss, 75−61	4−16
November 27, 1952	at Siena	Loss, 53−49	4−17
December 13, 1952	at Niagara	Loss, 70−67	4−18
December 30, 1952	Loyola Marymount	Win, 79−74	5−18
January 3, 1953	at #2 Seton Hall	Loss, 75−52	5−19
January 10, 1953	at St. Francis (NY)	Loss, 67−56	5−20
January 23, 1953	#20 Manhattan	Loss, 63−57	5−21
January 26, 1953	Georgetown	Loss, 89−67	5−22
January 30, 1953	Boston College	Win, 64−59	6−22
February 24, 1953	Siena	Win, 68−65	7−22
February 28, 1953	at Villanova	Loss, 62−57	7−23
December 2, 1953	St. Bonaventure	Loss, 67−57	7−24
December 5, 1953	at Siena	Win, 60−40	8−24
December 12, 1953	at St. Bonaventure	Loss, 58−52	8−25
January 29, 1954	Manhattan	Loss, 67−63	8−26
February 5, 1954	Boston College	Win, 77−63	9−26
February 22, 1954	at Villanova	Loss, 62−48	9−27
March 6, 1954	Siena	Loss, 63−55	9−28
December 7, 1954	at #8 Niagara	Loss, 81−57	9−29
December 11, 1954	#20 Western Kentucky	Win, 77−75	10−29
January 1, 1955	at Siena	Win, 64−60	11−29
January 7, 1955	Saint Joseph's	Win, 94−83	12−29
January 28, 1955	Manhattan	Loss, 72−65	12−30
January 31, 1955	at St. Bonaventure	Loss, 58−52	12−31
February 4, 1955	Boston College‡‡	Win, 82−73	13−31
February 22, 1955	St. Bonaventure	Loss, 73−692OT	13−32
February 26, 1955	at Villanova	Loss, 73−44	13−33
March 5, 1955	Siena	Win, 78−62	14−33
December 1, 1955	at Siena	Win 78−71	15−33
December 21, 1955	Iona†††	Win, 93−70	16−33
January 4, 1956	at St. Bonaventure	Loss, 80−70	16−34
January 10, 1956	at Niagara	Loss, 81−72	16−35
February 3, 1956	Boston College‡‡‡	Win, 92−76	17−35
February 4, 1956	Manhattan	Loss, 94−72	17−36
February 17, 1956	Iona	Win, 90−82	18−36
February 22, 1956	St. Bonaventure	Loss, 81−61	18−37
March 2, 1956	Siena	Win, 82−59	19−37
Home	12−13
Road	4−22
Neutral	3−2
Ranked opponents * Home * Road	3–4 2–1 1–3
(#) Ranking per AP major-program poll † National Catholic Invitational Tournament quarterfinal played on Siena's home court ‡ National Catholic Invitational Tournament semifinal played in Albany, New York ††National Catholic Invitational Tournament quarterfinal played in Troy, New York ‡‡ Game played in Rochester, New York ††† Game played in Quantico, Virginia ‡‡‡ Game played in Auburn, New York

On several occasions, the Dolphins, playing as a College Division or Division II team, recorded victories over University Division or Division I teams. Le Moyne played 57 such games, going 29–28, and won at least one in each of their first 13 seasons as a College Division program, beginning with the NCAA's split into divisions for the 1956–57 season through the end of the 1968–69 season. Details of these games are shown in the table below.

Date	Opponent	Result	Le Moyne Record
December 1, 1956	at Siena	Win, 74–41	1−0
January 2, 1957	at St. Bonaventure	Loss, 82–62	1−1
January 19, 1957	Siena	Win, 68–59	2−1
February 2, 1957	Manhattan	Loss, 81–71	2−2
February 9, 1957	St. Francis (NY)	Win, 77–71	3−2
February 16, 1957	at Iona	Loss, 76–72	3−3
February 20, 1957	St. Bonaventure	Loss, 69–61	3−4
December 10, 1957	at St. Bonaventure	Loss, 58–46	3−5
December 21, 1957	at Siena	Loss, 78–72	3−6
December 27, 1957	Saint Francis (PA)†	Loss, 70–51	3−7
February 5, 1958	St. Bonaventure	Loss, 65–50	3−8
February 14, 1958	Iona	Win, 64–44	4−8
February 22, 1958	at St. Francis (NY)	Loss, 86–73	4−9
March 1, 1958	Siena	Win, 58–50	5−9
December 1, 1958	at Villanova	Loss, 83–67	5−10
December 20, 1958	at Siena	Win, 66–65OT	6−10
January 31, 1959	St. Francis (NY)	Win, 74–61	7−10
February 14, 1959	at Iona	Loss, 58–54	7−11
February 28, 1959	Siena	Win, 60–59	8−11
December 7, 1959	at Siena	Win, 60–46	9−11
December 12, 1959	at Niagara	Loss, 62–57	9−12
February 5, 1960	at St. Francis (NY)	Win, 77–66	10−12
February 13, 1960	Iona	Win, 59–44	11−12
February 27, 1960	Siena	Win, 61–48	12−12
December 28, 1960	Iona‡	Win, 90–60	13−12
January 28, 1961	at Iona	Loss, 68–63	13−13
February 23, 1961	at Providence	Loss, 80–50	13−14
January 27, 1962	Iona	Win, 61–58OT	14−14
February 5, 1962	Providence	Loss, 53–46	14−15
February 10, 1962	at St. Francis (NY)	Win, 73–69	15−15
January 20, 1963	at Niagara	Loss, 68–54	15−16
February 2, 1963	St. Francis (NY)	Win, 65–64OT	16−16
February 9, 1963	at Iona	Loss, 57–51	16−17
December 7, 1963	at Niagara	Loss, 66–53	16−18
January 11, 1964	at St. Francis (NY)	Win, 58–54	17−18
February 1, 1964	Iona	Win, 74–56	18−18
January 9, 1965	at Iona	Win, 67–64	19−18
January 27, 1965	Saint Peter's	Win, 75–55	20−18
February 6, 1965	St. Francis (NY)	Win, 53–46	21−18
January 29, 1966	Iona	Win, 83–71	22−18
February 4, 1966	at Saint Peter's	Loss, 92–72	22−19
February 5, 1966	at St. Francis (NY)	Win, 75–71OT	23−19
December 28, 1966	Maine	Win, 85–74	24−19
December 29, 1966	Iona	Loss, 59–45	24−20
January 4, 1967	Saint Peter's	Loss, 87–73	24−21
January 28, 1967	at Iona	Loss, 65–45	24−22
February 11, 1967	St. Francis (NY)	Win, 73–62	25−22
December 7, 1967	Iona	Loss, 58–57	25−23
December 28, 1967	Vermont	Win, 95–72	26−23
December 29, 1967	Bucknell	Win, 78–74OT	27−23
January 5, 1968	at Saint Peter's	Loss, 114–75	27−24
January 6, 1968	at St. Francis (NY)	Loss, 72–64	27−25
January 25, 1968	Boston College	Loss, 90–61	27−26
Note: None of the above opponents were ranked in the AP poll at the time of the game shown † Game played in Latrobe, Pennsylvania ‡ Game played in Jersey City, New Jersey

Honorees

Le Moyne has 37 men's basketball players, coaches and contributors honored in the Le Moyne Athletic Hall of Fame. In addition, two of Le Moyne's teams have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Honored players

Name	Years	Awards and Achievements
Joe Boehm	1947–51	Captain of inaugural 1947–48 freshman team
John Caveny	1959–62	Captain of the 1961–62 team, 1961 MECAA All-Star Second Team
Tom Cooney	1961–64	1964 Le Moyne College Athlete of the Year, head coach from 1973 to 1979
Gary DeYulia	1963–66	All-MECAA, All-ECAC, First Team Catholic College All-American, Honorable Mention College All-American, played in three NCAA tournaments
Bob Dietz	1953–56	Scored 1,085 career points
Thomas Downey	1967–70	All-ECAC
Thomas Fletcher	1975–79
Paul Galvin	1980–84	Le Moyne's all-time leader in career assists with 602
Jene Grey	1975–79	1,729 points and 969 rebounds for his career
Donald Guido	1968–71
Phil Harlow	1970–73
James Henderson	1983–87	1,554 points, 722 rebounds and 118 blocked shots for his career
Scott Hicks	1984–88	1988 Rev. John J. O'Brien Award for Le Moyne College Male Athlete of the Year, All-MECC, All-Northeast Region, Co-Captain, had 1,470 points, 627 rebounds, 320 assists and 178 steals for his career, head coach from 1992 to 1997
Bill Jenkins	1950–53	Scored 1,063 points in three varsity seasons
Pete Jerebko	1984–88	1988 MECC Player of the Year, co-captain of 1987–88 team, 1,736 points, 731 rebounds and 117 steals for his career
Dick Kenyon	1953–56	1,379 career points in four varsity seasons
Wright Lassiter	1981–85	1985 Rev. J.J. O'Brien Male Senior Athlete Achievement Award, 1260 points and 895 rebounds for his career
John Lauer	1973–77
Dave Lozo	1947–51	Scored 1,100 points for his career
Dick Lynch	1957–60	1,150 career points
Ron Mack	1954–57	1956–57 team captain, 1957 Le Moyne College Athlete of the Year
Rick May	1970–74	Left the program as its all-time leading rebounder with 1,028, scored 1,224 points for his career, averaged a double-double over his career
Mike Montesano	1991–95	1995 Division II All-American, scored 1,759 points for his career, set program single-season point scoring record with 646 in 1994–95
Tom Mullen	1963–66	Played in two NCAA tournaments, 1965 and 1966 All-MECAA, led Le Moyne in rebounding 1964–65 and 1965–66, MECAA leading scorer in 1965–66, 1966 ECAC All-Star
Richard Myers	1961–64	Starter on 1964 NCAA tournament team
Flagan Prince	2001–03	2003 All-NE10 First Team, 2003 NABC All-America Honorable Mention, led team in scoring and rebounding in both of his seasons
Len Rauch	1987–91	1991 MECC Player of the Year, four-time All-MECC Team, career totals of 1,876 points, 1,151 rebounds and 509 assists
Dick Reddington	1956–59	Le Moyne College Athletic Achievement Award, also played goalkeeper on soccer team
Don Savage	1947–51	Three years as varsity team captain, including the 1950–51 team that had a historic turnaround from an 0–5 start to capture third place in the National Catholic Invitational Tournament, Le Moyne's first significant post-season appearance
Bill Stanley	1959–62	1961 MECAA All-Star, averaged over 10 rebounds per game at 6'2"
Adam Stockwell	1992–96	Captain and leading scorer for 1995–96 team that went to NCAA tournament, Division II All-America Honorable Mention, averaged 21.1 points and 5.6 rebounds for his senior season
John Tomsich	1995–99	1999 Rev. J.J. O’Brien Senior Athlete Award, 1999 NABC All-America Second Team, led team in scoring each of his last three seasons, career totals of 1,760 points and 1,015 rebounds, left program as leader in career blocked shots with 264, averaged 21.1 points and 11.7 rebounds as a senior, played in two NCAA tournaments
Ralph Yahn	1961–64	Co-captain and leading rebounder on 1964 NCAA tournament team

Honored coaches

Names	Years	Awards and Achievements
John Beilein	1983–1992	1988 NCAA tournament appearance, 1988 MECC Coach of the Year, 1984 and 1988 MECC regular-season titles, 1988 MECC tournament title
James McGrath	1958–1998	Played on 1958–59 freshman team, graduated in class of 1962, and went on to a storied career as a high school basketball coach, was serving Le Moyne as volunteer assistant coach as of 1998, the time of his Hall of Fame induction
Tommy Niland	1947–1990	Le Moyne's first varsity head coach, first freshman team head coach and first athletic director, coached varsity team for 25 seasons, program's all-time leader in wins as a head coach with 326 and NCAA tournament appearances with six, also served Le Moyne as varsity baseball head coach

Others honored

Name	Years	Notes
1959–60 Le Moyne Dolphins Men's Basketball Team	1959–60	Earned a berth in the NCAA tournament, finishing with a 13–5 record, won Le Moyne's first MECAA championship
1987–88 Le Moyne Dolphins Men's Basketball Team	1987–88	Earned Le Moyne's first berth in an NCAA tournament in 20 years, finishing with a 24–6 record, a new high win total for the program, won MECC regular-season and tournament championships
Bernie Quinn	1947–51	First team manager, including manager of the 1947–48 freshman team, business manager for Le Moyne Athletic Association from 1949 to 1951

Awards

Conference Coaches of the Year

• Tommy Niland – 1956, 1960, 1962, 1964
• John Beilein – 1988
• Patrick Beilein – 2017, 2018
• Nate Champion – 2020

Conference Players of the Year

• Bill Stanley – 1962
• Pete Jerebko – 1988
• Len Rauch – 1991
• Laurence Ekperigin – 2009

NE10 Freshman/Rookie of the Year

• Trent Morgan – 2005

NE10 Tournament MVPs

• Rob Atene – 1997
• Isaiah Eisendorf – 2018

Post-season Tournament Most Outstanding Players

• Don Savage – 1950, 1951
• Billy Jenkins – 1952

Dolphins in the NBA

Dolphins in the NBA
NBA Draft Selections
Total selected:	7
Lottery Picks in Draft:	0
1st round:	0
No. 1 Picks:	0
Appeared in NBA Games:	1

Name	Height	Weight (lbs.)	Hometown	High School	Draft Year	Round	NBA Team	Played in NBA
John Caveny	6'0"	180	Syracuse, New York	St. John the Evangelist High School	1962	12th	St. Louis
Jene Grey					1979	7th	San Diego
Bill Jenkins			Syracuse, New York	St. Vincent de Paul High School	1953	6th	Syracuse
Dick Kenyon	6'3"		Syracuse, New York	East Syracuse High School	1956	12th	Syracuse
Dick Lynch	6'4"	175	Fayetteville, New York	Manlius High School	1960	8th	Syracuse
Chuck Sammons	6'3"	200	Syracuse, New York	St. Vincent de Paul High School	1961	11th	Syracuse
Don Savage	6'3"	205	Manlius, New York	Manlius Military Academy	1951	2nd	Syracuse	Y

Facilities

Le Moyne Events Center (1962–present)

The Le Moyne Dolphins presently play their home games on Ted Grant Court in the 2,637-seat Le Moyne Events Center; the maximum seating capacity for basketball is likely somewhat different from the arena's reported maximum capacity, since that includes seats placed on the floor, but it includes portable bleachers at only one end of the building rather than at both the east and west ends, which is possible for basketball games.

Ground was broken on construction of the Events Center in March 1961, as part of the larger Henninger Athletic Center, and the arena opened on December 1, 1962, with a basketball game featuring Le Moyne vs. archrival Siena. The arena underwent a significant renovation in 2016, and reopened on October 12 of that year.

The Events Center hosted Northeast Regional games of the 1965 and 1966 NCAA College Division tournaments.

External links

• Le Moyne Dolphins Men's Basketball official website