NEW YORK – In 1949-50, the City College of New York men's basketball program accomplished something that had never been done before or since.  The Beavers won both the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and NCAA Tournament.  Saturday, March 28, marks the 70^th anniversary of CCNY's historic achievement.

After going 14-5 during the regular season, the Beavers were among the 12 teams selected to participate in the NIT, which took place entirely at Madison Square Garden—CCNY's home floor.  In the opening round, Head Coach Nat Holman's squad was drawn against the defending NIT champions from the University of San Francisco.  CCNY won that game, 65-46, to advance to the quarterfinals, where it would face the University of Kentucky, which had captured the last two NCAA titles (and would win the National Championship again in 1951) and entered the game ranked third in the country.

The Beavers dominated the Wildcats from start to finish, earning an 89-50 victory.  It was the biggest loss in the 41-year career of legendary Kentucky Head Coach Adolph Rupp.  CCNY then defeated No. 6 Duquesne 62-52 in the semifinals to set up a matchup with top-ranked Bradley for the championship.  The Beavers knocked off the Braves, 69-61, to claim the NIT title.

On the strength of that triumph, CCNY was awarded the last spot in the NCAA Tournament, which was only an eight-team event at the time.  The Beavers would once again play all of their games at Madison Square Garden, starting with a quarterfinal showdown against No. 2 Ohio State.

It would turn out to be the closest game CCNY played during its historic run.  Floyd Layne scored 17 points and Norm Mager added 15, as the Beavers held on for a one-point victory, 56-55.

Two days later, CCNY faced fifth-ranked NC State in the East Regional Final.  Led by Head Coach Everett Case, the Wolfpack had gone 26-5 en route to their fourth consecutive Southern Conference championship.  NC State proved to be no match for the Beavers, though.  Ed Roman poured in 21 points to lead CCNY past the Wolfpack, 78-73, and set up a rematch with Bradley for the NCAA Championship.

Ten days after beating the Braves in the NIT final, the Beavers did it again.  And this time, it made them the National Champions.  Irwin Dambrot was named NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player after leading CCNY with 15 points in the 71-68 triumph.

With the victory, the Beavers became the first team ever to win both tournaments in the same season.  Such a double is no longer possible under current NCAA rules, which means CCNY will remain the only team in history ever to accomplish the feat.