Merv Lopes dies — led Chaminade to college hoops’ greatest upset
Merv Lopes
Merv Lopes, who coached Chaminade to what has been widely described as the greatest upset in college basketball history, died today on Hawaii island, according to family friend Chuck Williams. Lopes was 92.
On Dec. 23, 1982, Lopes was the head coach of the Chaminade team that upset No. 1 Virginia, led by 7-foot-4 All-America center Ralph Sampson.
The Silverswords were underdogs in every aspect. They competed in NAIA District 29, which included other “small” Hawaii colleges such as Brigham Young-Hawaii, Hawaii Hilo, Hawaii Pacific and Hawaii Loa. The Silverswords’ athletic complex was appropriately described as the “Shack.” Mike Vasconcellos, who was athletic director at the time, secured towels for the team from Waikiki hotels.
“I started at $2,000 a season,” Lopes told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in 2022.
Lopes eventually received financial help from attorney David Schutter and car dealership owner Jerry Cutter.
“I didn’t care about the money,” Lopes said. “I was doing something I enjoyed doing,”
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Lopes built a program based on athleticism, unity and fearlessness. Against the nation’s top team, Tony Randolph, who was listed at 6 feet 7, was assigned to guard Sampson.
“I probably was 6-5,” Randolph said during an interview in 2022. “It didn’t affect us. Our mindset was we weren’t going to be blown away by their height. Coach did a great job of keeping us grounded and focused in the moment. That was what worked for us.”
The Silverswords won in the Blaisdell Arena in an outcome sportswriter Andy Yamaguchi described as the “Miracle on Ward Avenue.”
In the ensuing seasons, the Silverswords would go on to upset nationally ranked Louisville twice and SMU.
