More than 25 years have passed since the moment occurred, but the memories still bring smiles to Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Basketball teammates and coaches who lived it in January 1999. The 48th Concordia Invitational Tournament featured perhaps the most dramatic championship game in the event’s history. Amidst a snow-covered Mequon, Wisconsin, Bulldog senior Josh Dahlke heaved in a roughly 35-foot game-winning buzzer beater to break the hearts of Concordia University Wisconsin. The Bulldogs had won the ’99 CIT championship, 83-81, in overtime.
The instant classic affair included a 3-point field goal from CUW with four seconds left in regulation, knotting the score, 73-73, and forcing the overtime session. Afterwards, CUNE Head Coach Grant Schmidt called the contest “one of the most exciting games I have ever been a part of.”
Naturally, Dahlke considers the buzzer beater as the singular most memorable moment of his basketball career. As Dahlke recalls of the celebration, “The Bulldog fans that made it through the weather stormed the court. I have this memory of seeing it go through the hoop and turning back and watching (CUW) Coach (Pete) Gnan’s response. His shoulders had kind of slumped and he walked away. That memory of seeing it go through and seeing his response and then being overwhelmed by the crowd – it was a good feeling.”
As one might expect, Dahlke was honored as the 1999 CIT MVP. The Concordia (Mo.) St. Paul High School alum poured in 27 points on 8-for-13 shooting (6-for-11 from 3-point range) in the championship victory over the stunned Falcons. As another CIT approaches, it’s worth paying homage to one of the most thrilling (or agonizing, depending on the perspective) finishes the tournament has ever seen. It’s one Dahlke and his teammates never stop talking about – and one that the CUNE alum Gnan can’t avoid being asked about.
Had social media been around in 1999, the shot most certainly would have gone viral among Bulldog fans (as a SportsCenter worthy play). The stage was first set for a potential game winner for CUW in the waning seconds of overtime. With the score tied, 80-80, the Falcons drew a highly disputed foul and proceeded to make 1-of-2 free throws to take a one-point lead. On the ensuing possession, Schmidt had his team inbound the ball to halfcourt and then call timeout. After successfully executing that part of the plan, Schmidt drew up a play in the huddle with only three seconds remaining on the clock.
This is where the debate comes in for Schmidt and his former players. Who was actually meant to get the final shot? Schmidt says he intended for Ben Limback to take the shot while using the team’s leading scorer, Dahlke, as a decoy. Whatever was drawn up was quickly scrapped out of the timeout. As then sophomore Tim Schroeder recalled, CUW surprised the Bulldogs with a 3-2 zone that negated the cutting action that was supposed to take place. The improvised play was nothing tricky – a quick inbounds to Dahlke for a prayer from well beyond the arc.
Explains Dahlke, “We were kind of hoping to run a double screen to open up a layup, and I honestly don’t remember who it was for – maybe Pete Nafzger. I was kind of the safety valve standing at the elbow. I was just going to come up towards the ball at halfcourt. Everything just kind of broke down and I ran forward. That was really the only option. My back was to the basket. I did a dribble, a back step and turned around. There wasn’t really anyone close to me, so I was able to get a clean shot. It was a long shot, but it felt good leaving my hand. I was thinking, ‘This feels good.’ It went in. It felt good from the start, but that was not the intended play.”
As a further illustration of the way the details of the play design have muddled over time, Limback had his own recollection of what it was intended to look like. Said Limback, “I think I was the decoy. It’s funny because we all have different versions of it. I think I was standing there watching it.” Said Schmidt, “Josh wanted to take the shot and Ben wanted him to take it as well.” Joked Schmidt in recounting his own memory, “How the play was designed is debatable, but I will be diplomatic and allow their version to be told.”
Then an assistant coach for his former head coach, Devin Smith remembered leaving the huddle in frustration due to some disagreement over how that final shot should be approached. Seconds later, Smith was as giddy as anyone and proceeded to make a lap around the court as the celebration unfolded. Narrowly, the Bulldogs had avoided the upset while again playing the role of the favorite. By the late 1990s, CUNE had become a national tournament regular under Schmidt. Smith served a key role in the program’s first two national tournament appearances (1991 and 1992) in school history.
The 1998-99 team was attempting to follow up the 1997-98 squad that won 26 games, rose as high as No. 7 in the NAIA Division II coaches’ poll and was the NIAC tournament champion. Many of the most successful seasons of the 90s included CIT championships (CUNE won eight of the 10 CITs during the 90s). The Bulldogs had surrendered the CIT championship to CUC in 1998 and wanted the trophy back. It meant a lot to the upperclassmen on the ’98-99 Bulldogs: seniors in Dahlke, Limback, Nafzger and Gabe Cook and juniors Mark Jordan, Matt Murken, Roby Smith and Gary Spiller.
“We made it a point to get up for CIT,” Dahlke said. “When I was a freshman and sophomore, I could see how it mattered to the upperclassmen. When we became upperclassmen, we did not want to lose. That’s something you do not do as a Concordia Bulldog. That was part of the culture of the team for sure.”
On day one of the ’99 CIT, the Bulldogs built a 45-27 halftime lead over River Forest before absorbing a Cougar comeback push. CUNE won the contest by a 74-59 final score with the help of 23 points from Limback and 15 from Schroeder off the bench. Meanwhile, CUW had its way with Concordia University St. Paul, 76-51, setting up the host school against the Bulldogs in the championship game. Then in his third year of what would be a nine-season head coaching tenure, Gnan badly wanted to beat his alma mater in front of the home fans.
Clearly, the Falcons were ready for the challenge. They owned a 27-16 lead 10 minutes into the action before CUNE responded and took a 38-36 lead to the half. With just over four minutes to play in regulation, a Limback trey pushed the Bulldog advantage to 67-60. That lead eventually slipped away as CUW forced the overtime session with a 3-point field goal. It only made for a more dramatic conclusion. Schroeder (17 points in the championship) helped keep CUNE right there with some clutch free throws, but it all came down to The Shot.
Said Schmidt afterwards, “There were so many big plays, but Josh Dahlke’s incredible shot at the buzzer is what won the contest and that will always be remembered. Gary Spiller, Josh Dahlke and Tim Schroeder were perfect from the free throw line down the stretch in critical situations. This truly demonstrates the maturity and focus of these individuals as competitors. Dahlke came to the bench at the timeout with three seconds left in overtime and had nothing on his mind but to get the ball and win the game, so that is what he did. Josh deserves all the credit.”
In the present day, Schmidt added, “It was so electric in their gym because it was CIT, and CUW was on the verge of celebrating their championship.”
Fans who bought the $10 tournament pass for the 1999 CIT got their money’s worth and then some. It was another chapter in a storied event that was held for the first time in 1951. Since the inception of the CIT, the event has served as a celebration of all things Concordia while bringing LCMS institutions together in glorification of God. When the ball tips off, the atmosphere becomes frenzied and the action on the court grows intensely competitive. Bragging rights are on the line.
The ’99 CIT championship will forever reserve a spot as an indelible chapter of CIT, which will be held for the 72nd time when the 2025 event unfolds in Ann Arbor.
“For me personally, that was certainly a highlight,” Dahlke said. “I have great memories of playing with the guys who were on the team and the lifelong friendships that were made. For me personally, that was my peak memory in my time as a basketball player. It seems to come up pretty frequently. It’s fun to reminisce about a time when I was in better shape. Some of those guys have memories of games that are way beyond what I can recall.”
Added Dahlke of CIT, “I’d hate to see that tradition go. It certainly holds a special place with everyone I know that I played with. It’s a core memory and a good one from my time there.”
For more details on the 2025 CIT, click HERE.