DES MOINES, IOWA -- They came. They saw. And they conquered.

Whether one is talking about the past or the present, the subject line is always the same when talking about the exploits of the 1968-69 Drake basketball team which finished third in the 1969 NCAA Tournament.

Members of the team returned to the Drake campus this weekend to mark the 40th anniversary reunion of their feat.

A new NCAA Final Four banner with the names of the players and coaching staff was unveiled during special pregame ceremonies. A special banner saluting the architect of the team ? legendary coach Maury John  ? also was unveiled.

John's widow, Jean, along with sons John John and Maurice John Jr., were present for the ceremonies.

During halftime Drake retired the jerseys and numbers of basketball greats, Willie McCarter (#15), Dolph Pulliam (#5) and Willie Wise (#42), who were instrumental in guiding the Bulldogs to a then school record 26-5 mark.

Teammates Bob Mast, Jim Nordrum, Jim O'Dea, Garry Odom, Larry Sharp, Dale Teeter and Rick Wanamaker, along with former assistant coach Dan Callahan and team manager Mike Lee, were in attendance sharing in the excitement.

"I'm very honored and my heartfelt thanks to all of you," Wise told the Knapp Center crowd.

"I just wish that for everybody who wore number 15 before me....this is for all of us," said McCarter. "This is a great honor and believe me, in speaking for all my teammates, we love you Drake fans and the city of Des Moines."

Pulliam wore the same light blue sport coat and Bulldog tie the team wore on road trips during the 1968-69 season.

 "We were a special band of brothers," Pulliam told the crowd. "I'm honored beyond words for the John (Maury) family and all Coach John did for us. He promised us when we came to school we would get our degrees in four years.

"We are so proud of the honors that have been bestowed upon us.

The 1968-69 Bulldogs were one of the greatest comeback teams in college basketball history ? finishing last in the Missouri Valley Conference in 1967 to an NCAA finalist spot in 1969 ? from no national recognition on March 1, 1969 to a strong No. 3 national ranking on March 22 1969.

Under the guidance of John, Drake shared the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title with Louisville and then defeated the Cardinals in a playoff for the league's bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Drake defeated Texas A&M and Colorado State in the 1969 NCAA Midwest Regional to advance to the Final Four. In the semifinal round the Bulldogs gave  two-time defending NCAA champion UCLA everything it could handle before dropping an 85-82 setback.

Drake rebounded to overwhelm North Carolina, 104-84, in the consolation championship behind 28 points and 10 assists from McCarter.

Drake finished third in the final 1969 Associated Press college basketball poll. John was named the national coach of the year in 1969 by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association of America.

"Those who follow NCAA basketball understand how difficult it is to reach the Final Four, so these players and coaches deserve this tribute,"  said Drake head coach Mark Phelps following his team's 71-54 victory past Austin Peay. "It was a fantastic weekend to share in the festivities."

McCarter earned All-American honors by the Helms Athletic Foundation and was the leading scorer (20.4 ppg) on the 1968-69 team. He was named to the 1969 All-NCAA Final Four Tournament team and also named the most valuable player in the 1969 NCAA Midwest Regional.

He was a two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference choice and set school records for field goals in a season (272) and field goals in a career (694).  The Gary, Ind., native departed Drake ranked second on the school career scoring charts with 1,626 points for a 21.1 average. He was a 1969 first-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Pulliam ranked as one of Drake's best all-around performers, renowned as a defensive star in addition to his scoring and rebounding abilities. The vocal leader of the 1968-69 NCAA Final Four team, Pulliam left Drake ranked No. 11 on the career scoring list and No. 9 on the career rebounding charts.

After a loss at North Texas State on Jan. 30, 1969, Pulliam gathered his teammates for a “no holds barred” meeting which resulted in 12 straight victories, a Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title and the historic trip to the NCAA Final Four. He was drafted by the Boston Celtics and also turned down a free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys.

Wise was a standout performer on the 1968-69 team and would go on to achieve stardom with the Utah Stars of the American Basketball Association. Despite his 6-foot 5-inch frame, the forward shot 52 percent from the floor and grabbed a then school single-season record 343 rebounds in 1968-69 for an 11.4 average.

He also ranked fourth on the school career rebounding list with 626 boards, despite playi