A Drake primer for Miami fans: Bulldog beauty contests, Jesse Owens, 1969 Final Four

Be honest, Miami Hurricanes fans. When you first saw “Drake” paired with UM on the 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket, you had to Google it to double check where it is (Answer: Des Moines, Iowa).

That’s ok. Don’t be ashamed. One of the many wonderful things about March Madness is how fans go from knowing nearly nothing about a team to becoming an instant expert.

The fifth-seeded Hurricanes are headed to Albany, New York, to take on No. 12 seed Drake on Friday night in the first round, so while UM coach Jim Larranaga and his players scout the opposition, Miami fans can prep by taking a crash course in all things Drake.

First, some essentials: Their colors are dark blue and white, their mascot is the Bulldog and they take their bulldogs seriously.

Among the Drake traditions is a Beautiful Bulldog Contest that has been held for more than 40 years. Dog owners dress their bulldogs in elaborate costumes and they strut the runway in hopes of being crowned Most Beautiful Bulldog. For the record, the 2022 winner was Bam Bam.

The winner serves as the official mascot for the Drake Relays, one of the most prestigious track and field meets in the country. The Drake Relays were first run in 1910, during a blizzard, and the list of former competitors includes Jesse Owens, Wilma Rudolph, Carl Lewis and Michael Johnson.

Although the school’s athletic department is best known for the Drake Relays, the Bulldogs have a rich basketball tradition that dates to 1906. The team’s crowning achievement was reaching the 1969 Final Four and nearly pulling off one of the greatest upsets in tournament history.

On March 20, 1969, in the semifinals, Drake, under coach Maury John, lost 85-82 to UCLA with legendary coach John Wooden and center Lew Alcindor (before he changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). The Bulldogs scored eight consecutive points in the final 12 seconds to close to within one point, but UCLA hung to won the title, the fourth of seven in a row. Alcindor had 25 points and 21 rebounds.

The Bulldogs then cruised past North Carolina and coach Dean Smith 104-84 in the third-place game.

Drake continued to have strong teams for several decades, as the Missouri Valley Conference was one of the premier basketball conferences in the nation.

In the past five seasons under coach Darian Devries, Drake has never won fewer than 20 games. He has a 122-47 overall record and is being mentioned as a candidate to replace Mike Brey at Notre Dame. Devries spent 17 years as an assistant at Creighton under Dana Altman and Greg McDermott.

The Bulldogs are 27-7 this season, have won 13 of their past 14 games and upset Bradley 77-51 in the MVC championship game.

Drake’s leading player is Devries’ son, Tucker, a 6-7 sophomore who was named conference player of the year. He is a sharpshooter who averaged 18.9 points per game and twice hit 32 points. He led the Bulldogs with 22 points in the conference final.

“They’re a great three-point shooting team, and the coach’s son is perhaps their best player,” Larranaga said. “They’ll be well prepared. They’ll play with a tremendous amount of confidence.”

Asked what he knows about Drake, UM guard Nijel Pack said: “I know they can shoot threes. I’ve seen a little bit of them playing, and they’re a really good-shooting team.”

Other things to know about Drake: It is known for its pharmacy school, journalism school and law school. Among the notable alumni are actor Jeremy Piven, comedian Steve Allen, R&B singer Syleena Johnson and author Bill Bryson.

In addition to the bulldog beauty pageant, campus traditions include street painting Carpenter Avenue, gathering at “Kissing Rock” and “Hubbelling,” a term used for sledding down the Quad dormitory’s snowy hills using food trays from Hubbell Dining Hall. (Miami students cannot relate).

So, there you have it, Hurricanes fans. Drake 101. Tipoff is Friday at 7:25 p.m. on TBS. Let the madness begin.