- Detailing the history of the SUNY Potsdam (Potsdam State) Bears Basketball program, The Bodacious Bears is set to premiere on November 6, 2022. This team became nationally renowned when their success reached monumental peaks in the 1980's under the leadership of Jerry Welsh and his coaching staff. During that period, the squad achieved incredible feats which still stand as some of the greatest records in basketball history.—Francesco Palumbo
- The story of NCAA basketball in the 1980s cannot be written without highlighting the feats of the SUNY Potsdam Bears. From 1980 to 1990, the Bears posted a record of 288-49, including an NCAA Division III record 60 consecutive wins from Nov. 22, 1985 to March 14, 1987. SUNY Potsdam won its second national title of the decade during this stretch, having won its first at the end of the 1980-81 season.
Along with two national championships in 1981 and 1986, the Bears were runners-up in 1979, 1982, and 1985.
Palumbo's documentary thoroughly covers Potsdam's nearly unparalleled college basketball success during the 1980s, but the story continues far beyond the court...
As is the case with many other sports stories in the North Country, the support from outside of the program is paramount to the success enjoyed by SUNY Potsdam.
Not only was the community a source of inspiration for the story, but those connected with the team who still reside in the area were instrumental in helping the project come to fruition.
Welsh is a prominent figure both in the history of SUNY Potsdam basketball and also in "The Bodacious Bears." His extensive coaching tree and influence in the game is on full display in the documentary. With interviews ranging from local figureheads in the sport like Hal Cohen and Rick Carlisle, to some of the legends of the game, Welsh's legacy is a prominent storyline.
"The Bodacious Bears" will premiere on Saturday, Nov. 6 at 1:30 p.m., with the primary showing at Proscenium Theater on the campus of SUNY Potsdam. There will be an additional showing for overflow, and the film will premiere simultaneously on YouTube.
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