When SF State was shut down by the historic 1968 student strike that lead to the creation of the College of Ethnic Studies, one basketball team continued to play through out the turbulent year.

While organizations such as the Black Student Union and the Third World Liberation Front laid out their demand for an equal education for minority students, the 1968-69 SF State men's basketball squad cruised unnoticed to an impressive 18-8 winning record that season and advanced to the playoffs, where they found greater success by winning the regional title.

On Saturday, after 40 long years, the members of the '68 team reunited once again when they were honored by the SF State Athletics Department for their achievements on the hardwood floor.

During the two-hour event held at the Sunset room located inside the Towers Conference Center, former Gators' athletes reminisced about their playing days, looked at photos, watched old game footage, swapped stories and had dinner before taking in Saturday's men's basketball game.

At halftime, the SF State athletics department paid tribute to the members by unveiling a banner at center court, commemorating the District 8 champions.

Joe Callaghan - who was the 1969 Far West Conference Player of the Year and currently ranks second all-time in points for a single season in SF State at 459 - was thrilled that the university recognized their achievements.

"This is really nice," said Callaghan, who spoke on behalf of the team. "I'm sure it means a lot to everyone."

Current Gators head basketball coach Bill Treseler believed the tribute was well deserved.

"This was long overdue," Treseler said. "If you look at it, there was good interaction among the players and it shows how if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish things. It's a great honor to them."

According to Dr. Michael Simpson, director of athletics for SF State, it was the first time some of the members have seen each other in nearly four decades.

"We weren't aware of the significance," Simpson said. "In fact, we didn't know that they haven't gotten together, so we thought it would be a great idea to bring these guys back."

Al Benjamin Jr., one of the team's four black players, was happy to return to SF State after the long absence.

"I miss the people, friends and the students," said Benjamin, who still resides in Oakland.

Coached by Paul Rundell, now deceased, the 1968-69 Gator team was special because of its unique David and Goliath story. The Gators went to the post-season, challenged the heavily-favored Santa Clara Broncos and upset the University of Nevada at Las Vegas Rebels by capturing the NCAA Division II West Regional title.

Bob Thompson, who was the co-captain of the 1968-69 team, reflected on how the team was affected by the strike.

"They had different feelings and different stands on some of the political issues that were going on," Thompson said.

"Slowly, but surely, I believe it started infiltrating into the team situation because a lot of our players had some strong convictions about some of the issues on hand. Ultimately, a few dropped off. A few had a very difficult time balancing the demands of that strike."

Nevertheless, the 11 members on the roster including Thompson ignored the activities outside the gym and continued on with their basketball schedule.

"Personally, I was comfortable with what I was doing," he said.

Callaghan recalls an instance when San Francisco Police Department dressed in riot gear and surrounded the gym during a scrimmage to protect the team.

"There was pressure on some of the players, especially our African-American players who were pressured to not be involved in athletics," Callaghan said.

Still, Benjamin remembers vividly the masses of students, lecturers and city residents causing chaos on the campus quad, where Malcolm X Plaza stands today. He said it was like it happened yesterday.

"A lot happened in 1968, there were the wars, the social injustice, and several groups trying to change the landscape of the school, which in my belief had a positive turnout because it created the ethnics program," Benjamin said.

"But we were the few organizations that functioned. It was an interesting time."