Buffalo State's Bihr Earns 400th Career Win
Buffalo State men's basketball coach Dick Bihr, 54, recorded his 400th career win tonight in Potsdam by a 68-47 score. In his 22nd season at the helm of the Bengals, he has an overall record of 400-170 and has the Bengals 8-3 overall and 4-1 in SUNYAC play this season. Bihr, who played for Buffalo State from 1965-69, ranks 16th in the nation among active Division III coaches in wins and 25th with a .701 winning percentage.
When Bihr was hired as Buffalo State?s ninth full-time men?s basketball coach in 1979, he took over a program that had slipped after incredible success in the 1960s. Since then, Bihr?s program has continually been one of the top Division III basketball powers in the East. His teams:
- Won 10 SUNYAC Championships - '84, '85, '88, '89, '90, '91, '92, '95, '96, '97
- Made 11 NCAA Regional Appearances - '84, '85, '88, '89, '90, '91, '92, '93, '95, '96, '97
- Ranked #1 in the country after 17-0 start in 1989-90
- Ranked #1 in the country after a 10-0 start in 1982-83, including upset wins over Niagara and Canisius
- Had ten 20-win seasons
- Have recorded just two losing seasons (79-80 & 98-99) in 21 years
- Have had 50 players earn All-SUNYAC recognition
"I have had the privilege of coaching so many great players over the years," Bihr said. "The kids deserve all the credit. I have not played an active role in a win since 1969."
One thousand-point scorers John Groover and Derrick Sheppard, along with Leroy Gettys, Dave Hart, Terry Birch, Paul Hojnacki and Jackie Barnes, were among the standout performers Bihr produced during the early `80s.
The Bengals received their highest ranking under Bihr during the 1982-83 season, when they earned the Number One spot in the nation after a 10-0 start that included upsets of Division I teams Niagara and Canisius.
The following year, the Bengals posted their first SUNYAC title and first NCAA tournament berth under Bihr. The team went 23-5, best in school history to that point. The Bengals repeated as SUNYAC champs in 1984-85 and placed second in the NCAA East Regionals.
Bihr owned the SUNYAC in the late ?80s and early 90s winning five consecutive conference championships from 1988 to 1992. Further amplifying that accomplishment was the fact that the Bengals faced four different teams during their five-year reign as SUNYAC champions, showing the team?s dominance during that period.
The school record for victories in a season was broken in 1988-89 and then again in 1989-90. In `88-89, the Bengals went 25-4 behind center Conrad Walters, a 1,000-point scorer. The next year, the squad won its first 17 games to earn the Number One ranking in the nation. Led by SUNYAC most valuable player Nate Gainey, the Bengals posted a 27-2 record, won another SUNYAC title, and earned an NCAA bid.
Bihr maintained the high standard of success during the 1990s with six 20-win seasons since in that decade. He added five more SUNYAC titles and six NCAA appearances in eight years to his collection. Buffalo State reached the NCAA Sectionals (Top 16) in 1992 and 1996, and the second round in 1995 and 1997. In 1997, the Bengals captured their third consecutive SUNYAC championship, led by SUNYAC most valuable player Dwayne Jackson. They defeated Hamilton in the NCAA first round, but fell to RIT in a double-overtime thriller in the second round.
"We have enjoyed incredible success on the court during my tenure," Bihr said. "Very few schools in the country have been able to stay at the top for as long as we did during the late 1980s and early '90s. Looking back, however, the most rewarding thing for me as a coach is to see former playerssinessmen, and several who did not complete their degrees for whatever reason, have come back to finish their schooling."
Prior to his tenure at Buffalo State, Bihr was the head coach at St. Joseph?s Collegiate Institute in Kenmore, NY where he led the Marauders to two Monsignor Martin Athletics Association titles and coached the team to over 150 wins in nine seasons.
Also an assistant athletics director at Buffalo State, Bihr lives in Williamsville with his wife Sarah, and children Aaron and Amanda.
- BENGALS -
When Bihr was hired as Buffalo State?s ninth full-time men?s basketball coach in 1979, he took over a program that had slipped after incredible success in the 1960s. Since then, Bihr?s program has continually been one of the top Division III basketball powers in the East. His teams:
- Won 10 SUNYAC Championships - '84, '85, '88, '89, '90, '91, '92, '95, '96, '97
- Made 11 NCAA Regional Appearances - '84, '85, '88, '89, '90, '91, '92, '93, '95, '96, '97
- Ranked #1 in the country after 17-0 start in 1989-90
- Ranked #1 in the country after a 10-0 start in 1982-83, including upset wins over Niagara and Canisius
- Had ten 20-win seasons
- Have recorded just two losing seasons (79-80 & 98-99) in 21 years
- Have had 50 players earn All-SUNYAC recognition
"I have had the privilege of coaching so many great players over the years," Bihr said. "The kids deserve all the credit. I have not played an active role in a win since 1969."
One thousand-point scorers John Groover and Derrick Sheppard, along with Leroy Gettys, Dave Hart, Terry Birch, Paul Hojnacki and Jackie Barnes, were among the standout performers Bihr produced during the early `80s.
The Bengals received their highest ranking under Bihr during the 1982-83 season, when they earned the Number One spot in the nation after a 10-0 start that included upsets of Division I teams Niagara and Canisius.
The following year, the Bengals posted their first SUNYAC title and first NCAA tournament berth under Bihr. The team went 23-5, best in school history to that point. The Bengals repeated as SUNYAC champs in 1984-85 and placed second in the NCAA East Regionals.
Bihr owned the SUNYAC in the late ?80s and early 90s winning five consecutive conference championships from 1988 to 1992. Further amplifying that accomplishment was the fact that the Bengals faced four different teams during their five-year reign as SUNYAC champions, showing the team?s dominance during that period.
The school record for victories in a season was broken in 1988-89 and then again in 1989-90. In `88-89, the Bengals went 25-4 behind center Conrad Walters, a 1,000-point scorer. The next year, the squad won its first 17 games to earn the Number One ranking in the nation. Led by SUNYAC most valuable player Nate Gainey, the Bengals posted a 27-2 record, won another SUNYAC title, and earned an NCAA bid.
Bihr maintained the high standard of success during the 1990s with six 20-win seasons since in that decade. He added five more SUNYAC titles and six NCAA appearances in eight years to his collection. Buffalo State reached the NCAA Sectionals (Top 16) in 1992 and 1996, and the second round in 1995 and 1997. In 1997, the Bengals captured their third consecutive SUNYAC championship, led by SUNYAC most valuable player Dwayne Jackson. They defeated Hamilton in the NCAA first round, but fell to RIT in a double-overtime thriller in the second round.
"We have enjoyed incredible success on the court during my tenure," Bihr said. "Very few schools in the country have been able to stay at the top for as long as we did during the late 1980s and early '90s. Looking back, however, the most rewarding thing for me as a coach is to see former playerssinessmen, and several who did not complete their degrees for whatever reason, have come back to finish their schooling."
Prior to his tenure at Buffalo State, Bihr was the head coach at St. Joseph?s Collegiate Institute in Kenmore, NY where he led the Marauders to two Monsignor Martin Athletics Association titles and coached the team to over 150 wins in nine seasons.
Also an assistant athletics director at Buffalo State, Bihr lives in Williamsville with his wife Sarah, and children Aaron and Amanda.
- BENGALS -
Media Contact:
Jeffrey Ventura, Sports Information Director | 7168786030 | venturjm@buffalostate.edu