Victory Is No ‘Gift’ but a Fine Present After 117 Losses in Row

CAMDEN, N.J. —  Rutgers Camden broke its NCAA-record 117-game losing streak Tuesday night with a 77-72 victory against Bloomfield College.

The Division III Pioneers last won Jan. 18, 1992, when they defeated Ramapo College, 74-73, at home.

The Pioneers (1-9) could have won a game in the 1994-95 season on a technicality after the New Jersey Athletic Conference ruled that Rowan College used an ineligible player and would have to forfeit its 85-56 victory.

Instead of taking the handout, then-coach Wilbur “Pony” Wilson decided to keep Camden’s record winless, because he didn’t want a “gift.”

“I’d rather beat a team on the court,” Wilson said after the NJAC’s ruling. “It was not my decision; it was the conference’s decision.”

After Tuesday night’s victory, Rutgers Camden Coach Ray Pace said: “It’s just the beginning. We’ve been through some tough times.”

Wilson returned as coach last season but stepped down in January, citing health problems. He lost 50 pounds and his wife got worried when he would yell out the names of his players in his sleep.

In 18-plus seasons at Rutgers Camden, Wilson had a 187-273 record. The losses continued under Pace, an assistant who replaced Wilson as head coach. Pace played for Rutgers in the 1970s, scoring more than 1,000 points over two seasons.

The situation got so bad that university provost Walter K. Gordon, after calling the situation “demoralizing” and a “lost cause,” announced the school was eliminating the program.

A few days later, he changed his mind--with a little push from student leaders and alumni--and reinstated the program.