It’s amazing how one player can turnaround an entire college basketball program. For the Marquette Golden Eagles, that player was Dwayne Wade. In the years before Wade’s arrival, cheap Marquette basketball tickets were widely available thanks to only sporadic success. However, Wade helped to put the Golden Eagles back on the map, changing the course of a program that remains very much relevant today. Nowadays, the team is so in demand that fans often have to resort to trying to grab last-minute Marquette basketball tickets.

The Good Old Days

While Wade is the most prominent person in Marquette basketball history, it’d be misleading to think the Golden Eagles were nothing before he showed up. The program had a great run back in the 1960s and 70s under legendary coach Al McGuire. In his 13 seasons, McGuire led the Golden Eagles to an NIT championship, eight Sweet 16 appearances, and two Final Fours. Most importantly, he concluded his Hall of Fame career by leading Marquette to the 1977 national championship.

To Wade and Beyond

After McGuire retired, the Golden Eagles still made occasional appearances in the NCAA Tournament. However, it wasn’t until head coach Tom Crean brought Wade to Milwaukee that the program had its Renaissance. In 2003, Wade and a solid supporting cast won the Conference USA championship before making it to the Final Four. That run is largely responsible for the Golden Eagles getting an invitation to join the Big East two years later. Once joining the mighty Big East, Marquette reached the NCAA Tournament in eight straight seasons under Crean and Buzz Williams, including three straight Sweet 16 appearances. That run cemented Marquette’s standing as one of the top programs in the Big East and a team that warrants attention on the national stage.