Note: As spring sports have been canceled this semester, the athletic communication office will be adding a weekly Washburn Wednesday to the website. Today's edition will be the 1986-87 NAIA National Championship basketball team.

Coached by Hall of Fame head coach Bob Chipman who was then in his eighth year, the Ichabods went 35-4, won the Central States Intercollegiate Conference championship and ended the year on a 22-game winning streak, including the five games of the NAIA national tournament played in Kansas City, Mo., in Kemper Arena.  

Washburn defeated West Virginia State, 79-77 in the national championship game on March 17, 1987. The Ichabods were up 76-66 with just over two minutes remaining and then held off a late run by West Virginia State.  All-Americans Tom Meier and Rich Hamilton played on the team. Meier was a first team honoree that year, finishing his career as Washburn's second leading scorer with 2,082 points.

He is also one of just two members of Washburn's 2,000 points/1,000 rebounds club as he had 1,155 boards during his four years. Hamilton earned all-conference honors that year and then went on the next year to earn honorable mention All-America.  
Meier was inducted into the Washburn Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996, Chipman became a member in 2004 and Greg Wilson entered in 2006. Rob Reilly joined the Hall of Fame in 2009. The team was honored during a 2006-07 basketball game as it celebrated the 20-year anniversary of its championship.

(Check out the two videos below … one from the Topeka Capital Journal and the other from WIBW-13)