Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. You may have spent a long time using the name “Cinderella” to describe an underdog team winning a lot in March Madness. But if you’re stopping and wondering what’s up with that? We’re here to help.
It’s the call we all loved and won’t forget: Gus Johnson shouting out “THE SLIPPER STILL FITS!” in 1999 when Gonzaga beat Florida in the Sweet 16, a perfect way to sum up the “Cinderella” Bulldogs.
But have you ever stopped to wonder why we call teams like that “Cinderellas?” Let’s dive in:
Uh, this seems kind of obvious.
Does it really? I know, Cinderella is the tale of an overlooked character who goes all the way to the top, so that part makes sense.
But don’t you want to know who started using it for NCAA tournament teams?
Good point! Yes, I do!
OK!
Let’s go back for a minute.
You may recall that boxer James J. Braddock was coined the “Cinderella Man”after beating Max Baer to win the heavyweight title in 1935 (hat tip to Merriam-Webster for that nugget).
Yahoo notes a sportswriter in Lubbock, Texas called a high school team “Cinderella Kids.”
What about in college hoops?
That same Yahoo video connects the 1950 Disney movie to the City College of New York team that won the NCAA and NIT titles that same year.
However, my research also pulled up this 2017 Telegram and Gazette article about the Holy Cross team that won the title back in 1947:
Kaftan, who was named MVP of the tournament, was carried off the court on his teammates’ shoulders. “H.C. Hoopmen Capture National Title, 58-47” was a front-page headline of the March 26 edition of the Worcester Telegram. The late, great Paul N. Johnson, former Telegram sports editor and Holy Cross beat writer, called the Crusaders the “Cinderella kids of college basketball” in his game account.
Wow! You think Bill Murray had anything to do with this?
Maybe! The famous “Cinderella story” monologue from Caddyshack might have hammered home the term that might already have been popular.
So there you have it.
