About the Toledo Basketball
Tucked into northwest Ohio, you’ll find a college basketball program that’s on the rise: the Toledo Rockets. Slowly but surely, cheap Toledo basketball tickets are gaining in popularity as the Rockets become more of a force inside the MAC. Traditionally, the Rockets have been nothing special on the basketball court and haven’t accomplished much. However, that’s starting to change, making last-minute Toledo basketball tickets a hot commodity for the first time in program history.
All About Bob
Without question, Bob Nichols is the Godfather of Toledo basketball. He coached the Rockets for 22 seasons from 1965 to 1987, winning over 300 games and leading them to five MAC regular-season championships. Toledo finished with a winning record in each of Nichols’ first 20 seasons and voluntarily resigned after the Rockets suffered consecutive losing seasons. During his tenure, Nicholls took Toledo to the NCAA Tournament three times, including the program’s first-ever win and Round of 16 appearance in 1979.
Fade Away
When Nichols left Toledo, the program faded into the background. Despite a few decent seasons, the Rockets didn’t win the MAC championship again until 2007. That was toward the end of Stan Joplin’s 12-year tenure. Joplin played for Nichols in the 1970s and hit the buzzer-beater that gave the Rockets their first-ever NCAA Tournament win. But while Joplin kept the program respectable, he never took the Rockets further than the second round of the NIT.
Another Life
Toledo’s fortunes finally started to change when Tod Kowalczyk took over as head coach in 2010. After enduring a brutal 4-28 campaign in his first season, Kowalczyk almost immediately made Toledo one of the best teams in the MAC. The Rockets have climbed the conference’s hierarchy, becoming the team to beat in the MAC West Division most years. Kowalczyk has brought stability to Toledo basketball and is poised to be the coach that ends the program’s NCAA Tournament drought.
