Seeking WIU Basketball Stories

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beauspencer
Posts: 147
Joined: Fri May 16, 2014 1:24 pm

Over the past three years I've been researching the day-by-day history of WIU men's basketball. I have begun compiling all of the stories, recaps, etc. I am looking for personal accounts from games you attended, stories that you wouldn't necessarily see in a game recap or box score.

Significant events such as the Morgan Gym fire, opening of Western Hall, NAIA National Tournaments, coaching searches & hires, record setting games & performances, halftime performances, odd happenings, special guests, etc.

If you have anything to share (anything at all) please email me at beauspencer82@hotmail.com
beauspencer
Posts: 147
Joined: Fri May 16, 2014 1:24 pm

Here is an excerpt from the project...


DECEMBER 3RD

1954 – WIU defeated Northwest Missouri, 80-72. Chuck Schramm made his Western Illinois debut and scored 23 points. Schramm was named team MVP at Northern Illinois during the 1952-53 season.
Northwest Missouri assistant coach Kenneth Gardner was assessed a technical foul for arguing with referee Bob Austin. Gardner told Austin he would move into the first or second row with the spectators so he could criticize all he wanted and told Austin to, “go breathe on your whistle.”
Marshall Stoner led Western with 24 points and Lupe Rios (22 points) joined Stoner and Schramm by scoring more than 20 points.

1955 – WIU defeated Iowa Wesleyan, 116-80. A new Western Illinois scoring record was set in a home game, but this home game was not played in Macomb. The Leathernecks christened the new DePue High School gymnasium in this game against Iowa Wesleyan.
Lupe Rios, Gene Talbot, and Don Talbot were DePue graduates on the Leathernecks roster. The game was played to raise money for a new scoreboard in the new gym.
Western attempted 124 field goals to Iowa Wesleyan’s 66 shot attempts. Six players reached double figures led by Chuck Schramm’s 24 points. The three DePue alums combined to score 27 points: Gene Talbots (13), Don Talbot (10), and Lupe Rios (4).

1957 – WIU defeated Cornell, 86-76. Jack Milam led the Leathernecks with 22 points. Western jumped out to a 57-38 halftime lead. Freshman Joe Borgini earned his first collegiate start in the second game of the season.

1958 – WIU defeated Cornell, 87-79. A pair of Leathernecks scored 20-plus points in the season opening win over Cornell. Grady McCollum finished with 22 points and Jack Milam added 21 points. Ron Altenberg led Cornell with a game-high 28 points. Ray Romani and Noah Hickman were the officials.
Hickman is a Western Illinois Athletics Hall of Famer, inducted in 1985. He was captain of the 1947 Leathernecks football team playing between 1942 and 1948. Hickman served in the United States Air Force during World War II, flying in over 30 missions. Hickman was also the head football coach at nearby Hamilton High School, going 32-19 from 1949 to 1954.

1959 – Notre Dame defeated WIU, 77-59. WWKS-FM broadcast the game from South Bend, Indiana. Art Fritschel was on the play-by-play. Western held a 26-25 lead late in the first half before the Irish pulled away. Notre Dame outrebounded Western 82-45.

1960 – WIU defeated St. Ambrose, 94-90. Bob Bell returned to the Leathernecks lineup after missing the season opener against Notre Dame as well as most of the preseason practice schedule. He scored a game-high 28 points in his return.
Coleman Carrodine, Western’s second all-time leading scorer, scored the first of his 2,128 points against the visiting Bees. The Mount Vernon native scored 26 points and fouled out with three minutes to play.
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ST_Lawson
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This is probably obvious to most, but I assume when you say "Cornell", it's Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, IA, not Cornell University, the Ivy League school in Ithaca, NY, right?
Scott Lawson - Board Admin
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beauspencer
Posts: 147
Joined: Fri May 16, 2014 1:24 pm

Good observation. Yes, it's the Iowa version.
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sealhall74
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beauspencer wrote:Good observation. Yes, it's the Iowa version.
Interesting fact about Cornell College (IA). It was founded in 1853 (12 years before Cornell University) and has produced 4 Rhodes Scholars in its history.
Embrace the pace of the race.
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