Fairleigh Dickinson students, alumni still proud to cheer on their team despite NCAA Tournament loss
TEANECK, N.J. -- A crowd of fans in Teaneck was watching as New Jersey's own Fairleigh Dickinson University faced Florida Atlantic University on Sunday night in the NCAA Tournament.
The Cinderella run may be over for FDU this year, but history was still made for the Bergen County team.
READ MORE: Fairleigh Dickinson's NCAA Tournament run comes to an end with Round 2 loss to Florida Atlantic
"This means so much more, being a Teaneck resident and seeing your team on national television," sophomore Alia Boodooram said.
Fans couldn't help but scream when they saw their team, and classmates, play on the big screen. It was the first time in Fairleigh Dickinson University's history that the team made it this far in March Madness.
READ MORE: Fairleigh Dickinson stuns No. 1 seed Purdue in March Madness
"We always see them running on the court. They're really hard workers," freshman Skylar Goldman said.
"They're bracket breakers, so you know, that's what's up," said FDU alumnus Kaleb Bishop.
In a major upset Friday, FDU beat Purdue, becoming only the second No. 16 team to beat a No. 1 team. They're also the shortest average team in the tournament, with an average height of only 6-feet-1-inch.
Bishop graduated in 2020 and was on the men's basketball team.
"What I see... Teamwork, just loving the game, hard work, just trusting each other, trusting the coach," he said.
READ MORE: Fairleigh Dickinson Coach Tobin Anderson says team is staying focused after March Madness upset
Fairleigh Dickinson's Teaneck campus has only about 6,500 students overall, between grad and undergrad, and students at the watch party told CBS2 they're happy to see the university's finally gotten the recognition it deserves.
"It's amazing because we're a really small school, so like everyone knowing us now is really cool," freshman Abbey McDonald said.
Students return to campus Monday from spring break with one more reason to be proud to be an FDU Knight.