HIRAM, Ohio - June 9, 2026 - Hiram men's basketball recently commemorated its 1984 team this past month, as a plaque was added to the trophy case for the program's last NCAA Tournament run.
The Terriers went 14-8 during the 1983-84 regular season under head coach Bill Hollinger, a remarkable campaign following six straight seasons with a losing record. Included in that record was a 12-2 clip in PAC games; notable wins for the team throughout the season included a pair of victories against John Carroll by a combined 50 points.
The Blue Streaks were the reigning PAC Champions that year, but Hiram rode its "fast-and-free style" to the postseason and punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament with a regular-season title. It was the fifth PAC Championship in Terriers program history, with Rusty Swartz earning PAC Player of the Year honors and Hollinger landing PAC Coach of the Year.
                      
Rusty Swartz was the team's shooter, while his brother, Rod Swartz, was a three-level scorer for the team (brothers pictured together above on left). Alan Miller (pictured below on right) was the big man in the middle, point guard Tom Pollock (pictured above on right) took on a key leadership role, and Mark Shivers (pictured below on left) filled out the rest of the notable contributors.
          
With its success, Hiram earned a trip to Northfield, VT to play in the Northeast Region of the NCAA Tournament. That "pod" of games was played at Andrews Hall, which is still the home of Norwich University basketball today. The top of the bracket lined Hiram up against 23-1 Framingham State (Framingham, MA), as well as Clark University (Worcester, MA) against Norwich.
The Terriers fell short of victory in the first round, 94-76, but still got another chance to earn an NCAA Tournament win that same week; the previous format of the NCAA Tournament allowed for a "consolation" game, where teams could still earn a third-place finish for their region.
Hiram took advantage of that opportunity, beating the host institution, Norwich, by a score of 105-103. With its fast-paced, high-powered offense, the Terriers secured their third NCAA Tournament win in program history, and took home a commemorative plaque to honor the playoff run.
Since that memorable 1983-84 season, Hiram has transitioned from the PAC (1971-89) to the OAC (1989-99) to the NCAC (1999-25) and back to the PAC (2025-present). The rich history of Hiram Basketball continues to live on, as exemplified through the many basketball alumni in the Hollinger Hall of Fame and throughout the trophy cases in the lobby of the Coleman Center on the Hiram College campus.
The Terriers recently replaced its hardwood inside Price Gymnasium, which commemorates Bill Hollinger and the legacy he left on the basketball program, as well as all of the athletic programs on campus as its athletic director through 1989.
The program now looks forward to 2026-27, where it will continue to strive for the same level of success that Hiram basketball has achieved throughout its history, particularly when it was previously a member of the Presidents' Athletic Conference.
