The history of Le Moyne Dolphins men's basketball from 1963 to 1966 includes the Dolphins' three consecutive appearances in the NCAA College Division tournament. Led by sophomore Gary DeYulia and senior Tom Cooney, Le Moyne reached the Sweet 16 of the 1964 tournament. Tom Mullen and Dan Frawley provided a strong inside game to complement DeYulia's scoring, and the Dolphins repeated as conference champions but lost in the first round of the 1965 tournament. Head coach Tommy Niland was named conference coach of the year in both 1964 and 1965. As a senior, DeYulia was conference player of the year and teamed with Mullen to lead the Dolphins to a berth in the 1966 tournament, with regional games hosted by Le Moyne for the second straight year. Le Moyne finished third in Section B of the Northeast Region. The Dolphins were 52–17 between the 1963–64 and 1965–66 seasons, including a 7–2 record against University Division opponents.
Return to the NCAA tournament (1963–1964) Seniors Ralph Yahn and 5'8" Tom Cooney were named co-captains for the 1963–64 season. The Dolphins' leading scorer Mickey Flynn and Chris Pittman, who were Le Moyne's co-captains the previous season, graduated along with Bob Yahn, Jim Downey and Bob Hunt. Senior Dick Myers and juniors Dan Frawley, Dick Martyns, Dick Reece and Mike Downey returned to the team. Sophomores Tom Mullen, Gary DeYulia, Gerry Glose and Jon Cook were added to the varsity roster. Junior Mike Lawler, a transfer from Buffalo, became eligible to play after sitting out a year.
After a convincing 72–44 win in their December 1, 1963 opener over Scranton, 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 overall record at 4–4 and their MECAA mark at 1–1. Dan Frawley had a game-high 21 points for 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. Tom Cooney's fabulous playmaking and pressing defense keyed Le Moyne's victory. Cooney finished with 12 points and shot 5 for 9 from the floor. The Dolphins improved to 5–4 overall and 2–1 in MECAA play. The win was Le Moyne's 37th all-time over a University Division/major program.
The Dolphins rallied late to take control of their January 18 game at Alfred and went on to a 70–66 victory. Gary DeYulia had 22 points for Le Moyne, and Tom Cooney added 20. Dan Frawley had a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds for Le Moyne.
On January 25, Saint Michael's switched to a zone defense, which seemed to confuse the Dolphins, and a furious rally by the Purple Knights erased the home team's 40–26 halftime lead and tied the game at 69 with less than two minutes to play. The Dolphins maintained their composure and outscored Saint Michael's, 6–2, in the closing minutes to secure a 75–71 victory, their fourth straight. Gary DeYulia's free throw gave Le Moyne a 70–69 lead. After Richie Tarrant, who finished with 30 points for Saint Michael's, turned the ball over under the basket, Tom Cooney drove to the basket and completed a three-point play, giving the Dolphins a 73–69 lead with 33 seconds remaining. A pair of free throws by Tarrant cut Le Moyne's lead to two points. On the Dolphins' next possession, the Purple Knights forced a jump ball with eight seconds on the clock. Ralph Yahn tipped the ball to Cooney, who passed it to Dick Myers for a layup at the final buzzer. All five Dolphins starters scored in double figures, led by DeYulia's 18 points.
The Dolphins took over first-place in the MECAA, improving their league record to 3–1, 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, and Tom Cooney added 19. Dick Myers had a double-double, scoring 16 points and collecting 12 rebounds against the Iona boardsmen, who entered the game leading the University Division in rebounding. The Dolphins had a 50–38 rebounding edge for the game. The loss dropped Iona to 10–3 overall and 1–1 in MECAA play and clouded their hopes for an NIT bid. Le Moyne's fifth straight win improved their overall record to 8–4 and was their 38th all-time victory over a University Division/major program.
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 31 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. Dick Myers had a double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing 12 rebounds for Le Moyne. The loss ended Le Moyne's winning streak at nine games, the longest in program history, and dropped the Dolphins' record to 12–5.
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. With Buffalo leading, 59–56, with five minutes remaining, Tom Cooney scored five straight points followed by a Gary DeYulia basket to give Le Moyne a 63–59 lead. After the Bulls cut the Dolphins' lead to two points, Ralph Yahn scored his only basket of the game to extend Le Moyne's lead to four points with a minute remaining and put the game away. DeYulia had a double-double, scoring a game-high 24 points on 10-for-18 shooting and pulling down 14 rebounds. Cooney finished with 17 points. 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.
The Dolphins concluded the regular season with a home game against Ithaca, which had already received an NCAA tournament bid, on March 3. After Le Moyne claimed a 30–18 halftime lead, which they extended to 37–21, the Bombers' defense got them back into the game, and the Dolphins' lead stood at 62–56 with two minutes to play. A three-point play by Tom Cooney and a fast-break basket scored by Gary DeYulia off a Cooney pass sandwiched around two Ithaca points extended Le Moyne's lead back to nine points and put the game out of reach. The Dolphins held on for a 69–64 victory. Dan Frawley had a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. Ralph Yahn, playing the final home game of his collegiate career, also had 15 rebounds and added nine points. Cooney, in his home-court swan song, excelled at running the fast-break offense and contributed 15 points. Senior Dick Myers spent much of the game in foul trouble but managed 11 points. Sophomore Gary DeYulia led the Dolphins with 20 points. During warm-up drills before the game, reserve sophomore Jon Cook collided with a teammate and tore ligaments in his knee. Despite being unable to play, Cook traveled with the team to the NCAA tournament.
Le Moyne entered 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 by Gary DeYulia 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 the Dolphins were not challenged the rest of the way. DeYulia shot 10 for 15 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 host 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 wire to wire, 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. DeYulia was also named an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) All-Star.
Hosting a Christmas invitational and NCAA regionals (1964–1965) 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.