March Madness: Yes Jimmy Kimmel, Gonzaga Basketball does indeed exist

Jimmy Kimmel on the quest to prove that Gonzaga University is a made up University and doesn’t exist, people in Spokane and Fans of Gonzaga Basketball respond and try to prove it does.

Since the beginning of march madness comedian Jimmy Kimmel has been questioning whether or not Gonzaga exists on his late night TV Show.  He was quoted by saying “I figured if these are so good they can concoct an imaginary university, and get almost everyone to go along with it, they could easily win a basketball tournament. So, go Zags!”  He even picked the Zags to win the National Championship.

After this was said on his show the community of Spokane Washington went off on Jimmy Kimmel trying everything they can to prove to Kimmel that Gonzaga does indeed exist. Some tweets Kimmel received from multiple people in the Spokane area highlighted past players that have gone to the NBA, as well as Tom Foley Former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, tweets even went as far as to ask Kimmel if he’s ever heard of the famous actor and songwriter Bing Crosby?

Gonzaga is a real school that has a tremendous history not only in its fame basketball program but also has some famous alumni as well. Gonzaga is located in Spokane, Washington the same place that host the world’s largest three-on-three basketball tournament called Hoopfest as well as the world’s largest running event called Bloomsday.

Kimmel even went as far as to send his sidekick Guillermo in as an investigator to Anaheim California where the Bulldogs are preparing for their sweet sixteen game against Florida State University. After his investigation, Guillermo is still not convinced that Gonzaga does exist. Kimmel also went as far as to poke some fun at Spike the official mascot of Gonzaga by bringing an impostor mascot made to look like Spike and make him come to two men dressed as the FBI with dog treats in hand.

Famous singer and actor Bing Crosby attended Gonzaga University where the house he grew up in currently sits today. 

Famous singer and actor Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby was born in Tacoma, Washington before moving to Spokane in 1913 where his father built a house that still stands today at 508 East Sharp Avenue on the campus of Gonzaga University where it houses a museum of over 200 artifacts highlighting the life and career of Crosby. Bing graduated in 1920 from Gonzaga High School, which today is known as Gonzaga Prep.

While he attended Gonzaga he, however, did not receive a degree.  As a freshman at Gonzaga Crosby played on the university’s basketball team. In Not only was Crosby a famous singer and actor he had an interest in sports, from 1946 until Crosby passed away he owned 25% of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Crosby is a member of the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in the radio division and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Former Gonzaga University power forward Adam Morrison makes it to the NBA.

Adam Morrison was a star power forward for the Gonzaga University Men’s Basketball team. As a freshman at Gonzaga University, he averaged 11.4 points per game and had a season-high twenty-two points against St. Mary’s helping the Zags win the West Coast Conference regular-season title. Morrison was drafted to the NBA back in 2006 as the 3rd overall pick by the Charlotte Bobcats. Morrison would play for the Bobcats till 2009 when he lost his starting role with the Bobcats because of his low shooting percentage.

In 2009 Morrison was traded to the Los Angles Lakers where he won two NBA championships. In 2013 Gonzaga Head basketball Coach Mark Few announced that Morrison would become an assistant coach as a student of Gonzaga. Morrison returned to Gonzaga to pursue his degree, majoring in Sports Management. Currently, Morrison is the radio voice of the Gonzaga Bulldogs alongside Tom Hudson on 103.1 FM KDRK Sports Radio in Spokane.

Does Gonzaga really Exist?

During the 2018-2019 Men’s Basketball season I even worked with the Gonzaga University media production team and conducted interviews for promotional material for the university website. While Jimmy Kimmel may not believe that the university does in fact exist, the many years of history that the University has and the famous Alimui prove that Gonzaga does in fact exist. Gonzaga is a beautiful campus that sits along the magnificent Spokane River.

Anyone who visits the great city of Spokane should make it a priority to visit the historic Gonzaga University. The university is real and is accredited, as an institution, by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.