SWC75
Bored Historian
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This a tape of the broadcast of the 3/11/61 Kansas -Missouri game, with 36 year old Jack Buck at the microphone- alone.
I didn't watch the whole thing but here are some facts and observations:
- Kansas is integrated. Missouri is not, which might explain the fact that the Jayhawks are 17-7 and the Tigers 7-15 going into this game. But Missouri, the home team, will win 79-76.
- Kansas, despite being 17-8, sees its season end. There was no conference tournament and they didn't make the 25 team NCAA or the 12 team NIT field. No crying in basketball. Unless you were elite, your season ended when the 'regular' season ended.
- Dick Harp was Wilt Chamberlain's coach but had trouble winning after this season, (7-18, 12-13, 13-12) and was fired after the 1963-64 season. he was replaced by Ted Owens, who coached there with some success until they wanted more and hired Larry Brown in 1983.
- Wilbur "Sparky" Stallcup had been Missouri's coach since 1946 but after going 8-15 this year and 9-16 he next, he was fired. it was his 6th losing season in a row, perhaps because of limitations on who he could recruit. he was replaced by Bob Venatta, who went 42-80 in five years. Then they hired Norm Stewart and let him recruit who he wanted.
- Wayne Hightower was the tallest player at 6-8. Charlie Henke was 6-7 and Bill Bridges 6-6. Everybody else was 6-4 or less. I don't recall seeing a dunk but there are lots of hook shots - and hook passes.
- Free throws are immediate and a common foul produces one free throw. There's no 7 or 10 foul rule.
- There's no three point line. You looked for an open shot where you could find one.
- The pace is fast and there's a plenty of missed shots and thus rebounds. Kansas shot 39.7% from the field and 68.9% from the line. Missouri was 39.3% and 67.1%. Henke averaged 24.6 points and 10.8 rebounds that year. Hightower averaged 20.7/11.8 and Bridges 16.1/14.1, so they had three guys who averaged a double-double for the year.
- When there's tie up, they resolve it with a jump ball between the two players at the top of the foul line.
- There are several brawls and a near-riot at 1:07:45. Buck says it's a carryover from the football season, (Kansas had spoiled Missouri's perfect record but had to forfeit due an ineligible player.) But I wonder if the fact that Hightower, a black player had just stolen the ball and scored might have had something to do with it. He and Henke get tossed.
- They play the national anthem to try to calm the crowd and Buck does a promo for the Carmer Basilio- Don Jordan fight that was to be broadcast from Syracuse that night.
- The cheerleaders wear full dresses. Their appeal is in enthusiasm of the team, not sexual. they aren't 'showgirls'.
- They don't go back to a studio for scores, highlights or opinions. They stay with Buck and he describes the performance of baton twirler, a marching band and choral group, which sings a 'spiritual'.
I didn't watch the whole thing but here are some facts and observations:
- Kansas is integrated. Missouri is not, which might explain the fact that the Jayhawks are 17-7 and the Tigers 7-15 going into this game. But Missouri, the home team, will win 79-76.
- Kansas, despite being 17-8, sees its season end. There was no conference tournament and they didn't make the 25 team NCAA or the 12 team NIT field. No crying in basketball. Unless you were elite, your season ended when the 'regular' season ended.
- Dick Harp was Wilt Chamberlain's coach but had trouble winning after this season, (7-18, 12-13, 13-12) and was fired after the 1963-64 season. he was replaced by Ted Owens, who coached there with some success until they wanted more and hired Larry Brown in 1983.
- Wilbur "Sparky" Stallcup had been Missouri's coach since 1946 but after going 8-15 this year and 9-16 he next, he was fired. it was his 6th losing season in a row, perhaps because of limitations on who he could recruit. he was replaced by Bob Venatta, who went 42-80 in five years. Then they hired Norm Stewart and let him recruit who he wanted.
- Wayne Hightower was the tallest player at 6-8. Charlie Henke was 6-7 and Bill Bridges 6-6. Everybody else was 6-4 or less. I don't recall seeing a dunk but there are lots of hook shots - and hook passes.
- Free throws are immediate and a common foul produces one free throw. There's no 7 or 10 foul rule.
- There's no three point line. You looked for an open shot where you could find one.
- The pace is fast and there's a plenty of missed shots and thus rebounds. Kansas shot 39.7% from the field and 68.9% from the line. Missouri was 39.3% and 67.1%. Henke averaged 24.6 points and 10.8 rebounds that year. Hightower averaged 20.7/11.8 and Bridges 16.1/14.1, so they had three guys who averaged a double-double for the year.
- When there's tie up, they resolve it with a jump ball between the two players at the top of the foul line.
- There are several brawls and a near-riot at 1:07:45. Buck says it's a carryover from the football season, (Kansas had spoiled Missouri's perfect record but had to forfeit due an ineligible player.) But I wonder if the fact that Hightower, a black player had just stolen the ball and scored might have had something to do with it. He and Henke get tossed.
- They play the national anthem to try to calm the crowd and Buck does a promo for the Carmer Basilio- Don Jordan fight that was to be broadcast from Syracuse that night.
- The cheerleaders wear full dresses. Their appeal is in enthusiasm of the team, not sexual. they aren't 'showgirls'.
- They don't go back to a studio for scores, highlights or opinions. They stay with Buck and he describes the performance of baton twirler, a marching band and choral group, which sings a 'spiritual'.
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