Why is March Madness called the ‘Big Dance’?

It’s that time of year again for college basketball fans—all the excitement of March Madness and filling out brackets, hoping to pick the right winners this time.

This competition remains one of the most popular in the US - The Huskies came out victorious with a 76-59 victory in a match that was watched by an average of almost 14.7 million viewers in the United States.

March Madness = The Big Dance

For some who may not know, the NCAA tournament is also nicknamed the “Big Dance.” In case you’re wondering where this moniker came from, it is rooted in a combination of fashion, superstition, and success.

Marquette University’s team, the Golden Eagles, had a head coach named Al McGuire, who started guiding the team in 1964. In 1977, the coach became known for religiously wearing a bright blue blazer to all the games during the regular season, so a reporter asked him if he would wear his lucky outfit during the team’s tournament run.

McGuire was supposed to have replied, “Absolutely. You gotta wear the blue blazer to the big dance.”

Everybody loves a winner

The team eventually won the championship against North Carolina, 67-59, giving Marquette its only NCAA title in school history. (Did the blue jacket bring luck??) It also became the last year that McGuire was to coach the Golden Eagles.

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Such a landmark win for both the university and the coach probably helped immortalize the term “Big Dance,” which has now been used as a synonym for the NCAA tournament for 45 years.

If Marquette had been eliminated early in the competition, the nickname would probably not have stuck, and McGuire’s lucky bright blue blazer would not have acquired the prominence it now enjoys.