The 1950s: The Golden Age of Catholic Basketball

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

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The 1950s: The Golden Age of Catholic Basketball

Part I: Setting the Stage
… 1. Introduction
… 2. The 1950s
… 3. Schools of Interest
… 4. Rules of Interest
… 5. Prologue: December 15, 1925 to December 16, 1949

Part II: The NIT Crowns the National Champion 1950-1954

Part III: The NCAA Tournament Crowns the National Champion 1955-1959

Part IV: Comparing the 1950s to the Ten-School Big East Era
… 1. Introduction
… 2. AP Polls and NCAA Tournaments: 2014 to 2020
… 3. Data Extraction: 2014 to 2020
… 4. Data Extraction: 1950 to 1959
… 5. Ranking the Years: Final AP Poll Top 10
… 6. Ranking the Years: Final AP Poll Top 20
… 7. Ranking the Years: Post-Season Tournament Invitations

Part V: More About Catholic College Basketball in the 1950s
… 1. What Does ‘Tradition’ Really Mean?
… 2. Post-season Tournament Teams of the 1950s, Listed by Year
… 3. Post-season Tournament Teams of the 1950s, Listed Alphabetically by Present-day Conference
… 4. Post-season Tournament Teams of the 1950s, Ranked by Number of Appearances
… 5. The ESPN/Sagarin Top 40 Programs of the 1950s
… 6. Epilogue
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Part I: Setting the Stage

1. Introduction

The many stories I heard when I was young firmly planted in my mind that the decade of the 1950s was The Golden Age of Catholic Basketball. What I always believed was independently confirmed on October 5, 2009 when Jeff Sagarin’s college basketball historical rankings were published by ESPN:

ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men’s Game – ESPN - October 5, 2009

The ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men’s Game is the most comprehensive reference guide ever assembled for a sport that stirs deep passions from Midnight Madness through March Madness. The culmination of three years of work by ESPN, this 1,230-page book includes essential facts, statistics and stories about every one of the 330 Division I teams, every basketball season since 1895, every NCAA Tournament since 1939, every great player and every coach. With an introduction by Naismith Hall of Famer and former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley, the ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia bounces into stores Tuesday, October 6th.

Highlights of the book include:

• The ESPN/Sagarin All-Time Historical Rankings: Computed by rankings expert Jeff Sagarin exclusively for ESPN, ranking of every Division I program.

• The ESPN/Sagarin Top 40 Teams of Each Decade, 1940’s through 2000’s.

The Top 40 Programs of Each Decade – 1937-38 to 1948-49 (6 Catholic Schools in the Top 40)
The Top 40 Programs of Each Decade - The 1950s (13 Catholic Schools in the Top 40)
The Top 40 Programs of Each Decade - The 1960s (8 Catholic Schools in the Top 40)
The Top 40 Programs of Each Decade - The 1970s (5 Catholic Schools in the Top 40)
The Top 40 Programs of Each Decade - The 1980s (5 Catholic Schools in the Top 40)
The Top 40 Programs of Each Decade - The 1990s (5 Catholic Schools in the Top 40)
The Top 40 Programs of Each Decade - The 2000s (7 Catholic Schools in the Top 40)

I invite you to travel back in time to the days of my youth in my opus magnum for a year-by-year look at college basketball in the 1950s and explore the politics, cars, movies, and music of the 1950s, so you may discover why the decade of the 1950s was indeed The Golden Age of Catholic Basketball.
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2. THE 1950s

The topic of this thread is college basketball, but these articles are well worth a look for an overview of the 1950s.

A Brief Timeline of the 1950s - Jennifer Rosenberg, ThoughtCo.com [with excellent photos]

The 1950s were the first full decade after the end of World War II and is remembered as a prosperous time of recovery from the Great Depression of the 1930s and the war years of the 1940s. Everyone collectively breathed a sigh of relief. It was a time of new styles that broke with the past, like mid-century modern design, and many firsts, inventions, and discoveries that would become symbolic of the 20th century as a time of looking forward.

United States in the 1950s - Wikipedia

Prices, News, Technology, and Culture in the 1950s - ThePeopleHistory.com

American Automobile Industry in the 1950s - Wikipedia

1950s American Automobile Culture - Wikipedia

Television in the 1950s - LivingHistoryFarm.org

Music in the 1950s - LivingHistoryFarm.org

The 1950s – Powerful Years for Religion - Carol Tucker - The University of Southern California News - June 16, 1997

On a typical Sunday morning in the period from 1955-58, almost half of all Americans were attending church – the highest percentage in U.S. history. The nostalgic view of the 1950s has been glamorized in popular media and politics; the religious right recalls the ’50s in its “family values” debate. Religious conflicts, especially in the early ’50s, were pronounced. [Author] Rev. Robert Ellwood writes: Catholic vs. Protestant, “high” vs. “low” culture, mainstream vs. underground, liberal vs. evangelical. The early years saw McCarthyism and Korea. The Cold War was so ubiquitous that children fearing a nuclear explosion often did not believe they would grow to adulthood. Catholic-Protestant relations were strained by bitter altercations on issues such as parochial schools and public funding, and birth control.

Popes of the 20th Century – LearnReligions.com

261. Pope Pius XII: March 2, 1939 - October 9, 1958 (19 years, 7 months)
The papacy of Eugenio Pacelli occurred during the difficult era of World War II, and it is likely that even the best of popes would have had a troubling reign. Pope Pius XII may have exacerbated his problems, however, by failing to do enough to help the Jews who were suffering persecution.

262. John XXIII: October 28, 1958 - June 3, 1963 (4 years, 7 months)
Not to be confused with the 15th-century antipope Baldassarre Cossa, this John XXIII continues to be one of the most beloved popes in recent Church history. John was the one who convened the Second Vatican Council, a meeting which inaugurated many changes in the Roman Catholic Church - not as many as some hoped for and more than some feared.

In retrospect, one of the most pivotal events in the history of college basketball took place in the mid-1950, when the Jesuit #1 San Francisco Dons turned down an invitation to play in the 1955 National Invitational Tournament in Madison Square Garden, and chose instead to play in the NCAA Tournament’s West Region – forever diminishing the prestige of winning the NIT.
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3. Schools of Interest

List of Catholic Universities and Colleges in the United States - Wikipedia

The Wikipedia List has links to each Catholic Order and each School. Each school has a section entitled Athletics, which has a link to Men’s Basketball. This is a quick and easy 2-click portal to the Wikipedia Men’s Basketball webpage for any Catholic institution. Table 3.1 is an abridged listing of the linked Wikipedia webpage (to which I have added ‘Year Founded’), with the schools Sorted Alphabetically - appearing in the same order as the webpage. Table 3.2 presently the same information as Table 3.1, but sorted by Year Founded.

Table 3.1 - Selected Catholic Schools – Sorted Alphabetically (by Order name, then by School name)

Villanova University (Villanova, Pennsylvania) • 1842 • Augustinian (Order of Saint Augustine)

La Salle University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) • 1863 • De La Salle Christian Brothers / Lasallian (Brothers of the Christian Schools)
Manhattan College (Riverdale, Bronx, New York) • 1853 • De La Salle Christian Brothers / Lasallian (Brothers of the Christian Schools)
Saint Mary's (CA) (Moraga, California) • 1863 • De La Salle Christian Brothers / Lasallian (Brothers of the Christian Schools)

Seton Hall University (South Orange, New Jersey) • 1856 • Diocesan

Providence College (Providence, Rhode Island) • 1917 • Dominican (Order of Preachers)

St. Bonaventure University (Olean, New York) • 1858 • Franciscan - First Order of Saint Francis (Order of Friars Minor)
Siena College (Loudonville, New York) • 1937 • Franciscan - First Order of Saint Francis (Order of Friars Minor)

Saint Francis University a.k.a. St. Francis (PA) (Loretto, Pennsylvania) • 1847 • Franciscan - Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular

University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, Indiana) • 1842 • Holy Cross (Congregation of Holy Cross)
University of Portland (Portland, Oregon) • 1901 • Holy Cross (Congregation of Holy Cross)

Boston College (Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts) • 1863 • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
Canisius College (Buffalo, New York) • 1870 • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
College of the Holy Cross (Worcester, Massachusetts) • 1843 • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
Creighton University (Omaha, Nebraska) • 1878 • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
Fordham University (Bronx & West Harrison, New York) • 1841 • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
Georgetown University (Washington, DC) • 1789 • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
Gonzaga University (Spokane, Washington) • 1887 • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles, California) • 1917 • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
Loyola University Chicago (Chicago, Illinois) • 1870 • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
Loyola University Maryland (Baltimore, Maryland) • 1852 • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
Loyola University New Orleans (New Orleans, Louisiana) • 1904 • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
Marquette University (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) • 1881 • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
Saint Joseph's University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) • 1851 • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
Saint Louis University (St. Louis, Missouri) • 1818 • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
Saint Peter's University (Jersey City, New Jersey) • 1872 • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
Santa Clara University (Santa Clara, California) • 1851 • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
Seattle University (Seattle, Washington) • 1891 • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
University of San Francisco (San Francisco, California) • 1855 • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
University of Detroit Mercy (Detroit, Michigan) • 1887 • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
Xavier University (Cincinnati, Ohio) • 1831 • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)

University of Dayton (Dayton, Ohio) • 1850 • Society of Mary (Marianists)
Chaminade University (Honolulu, Hawaii) • 1955 • Society of Mary (Marianists)

Duquesne University (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) • 1878 • Spiritans (Congregation of the Holy Spirit)

DePaul University (Chicago, Illinois) • 1898 • Vincentian (Congregation of the Mission)
Niagara University (Lewiston, New York) • 1856 • Vincentian (Congregation of the Mission)
St. John's University (Jamaica, New York) • 1870 • Vincentian (Congregation of the Mission)

Sacred Heart University (Fairfield, Connecticut) • 1963 • Independent

Table 3.2 - Selected Catholic Schools – Sorted by Year Founded

1789 • Georgetown University (Washington, DC) • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
1818 • Saint Louis University (St. Louis, Missouri) • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
1831 • Xavier University (Cincinnati, Ohio) • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)

1841 • Fordham University (Bronx & West Harrison, New York) • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
1842 • Villanova University (Villanova, Pennsylvania) • Augustinian (Order of Saint Augustine)
1842 • University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, Indiana) • Holy Cross (Congregation of Holy Cross)
1843 • College of the Holy Cross (Worcester, Massachusetts) • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
1847 • Saint Francis University (Loretto, Pennsylvania) • Franciscan - Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular

1850 • University of Dayton (Dayton, Ohio) • Society of Mary (Marianists)
1851 • Saint Joseph's University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
1851 • Santa Clara University (Santa Clara, California) • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
1852 • Loyola University Maryland (Baltimore, Maryland) • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
1853 • Manhattan College (Riverdale, Bronx, New York) • De La Salle Christian Brothers / Lasallian (Brothers of the Christian Schools)
1855 • University of San Francisco (San Francisco, California) • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
1856 • Seton Hall University (South Orange, New Jersey) • Diocesan
1856 • Niagara University (Lewiston, New York) • Vincentian (Congregation of the Mission)
1858 • St. Bonaventure University (Olean, New York) • Franciscan - First Order of Saint Francis (Order of Friars Minor)
1859 • St. Francis College a.k.a. St. Francis (NY) (Brooklyn Heights, New York) • Franciscan - Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn

1863 • La Salle University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) • De La Salle Christian Brothers / Lasallian (Brothers of the Christian Schools)
1863 • Saint Mary's (CA) (Moraga, California) • De La Salle Christian Brothers / Lasallian (Brothers of the Christian Schools)
1863 • Boston College (Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts) • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)

1870 • Canisius College (Buffalo, New York) • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
1870 • Loyola University Chicago (Chicago, Illinois) • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
1870 • St. John's University (Jamaica, New York) • Vincentian (Congregation of the Mission)
1872 • Saint Peter's University (Jersey City, New Jersey) • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
1878 • Creighton University (Omaha, Nebraska) • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
1878 • Duquesne University (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) • Spiritans (Congregation of the Holy Spirit)

1881 • Marquette University (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
1887 • Gonzaga University (Spokane, Washington) • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
1887 • University of Detroit Mercy (Detroit, Michigan) • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
1891 • Seattle University (Seattle, Washington) • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
1898 • DePaul University (Chicago, Illinois) • Vincentian (Congregation of the Mission)

1901 • University of Portland (Portland, Oregon) • Holy Cross (Congregation of Holy Cross)[/color]
1904 • Loyola University New Orleans (New Orleans, Louisiana) • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
1917 • Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles, California) • Jesuit (Society of Jesus)
1917 • Providence College (Providence, Rhode Island) • Dominican (Order of Preachers)
1937 • Siena College (Loudonville, New York) • Franciscan - First Order of Saint Francis (Order of Friars Minor)
1955 • Chaminade University (Honolulu, Hawaii) • Society of Mary (Marianists)
1963 • Sacred Heart University (Fairfield, Connecticut) • Independent

Why Catholic Colleges Excel at Basketball – Marc Tracy, The New York Times Feature Article - March 30, 2018

Bill Russell’s breakout success at the University of San Francisco in the 1950s and the presence of Villanova and Loyola-Chicago at this weekend’s Final Four are just three data points among many that prove an undeniable fact: In college basketball, Catholic schools have long punched well above their weight. The reasons stretch back a century — and, some would argue, to the New Testament itself. “It is a real thing,” said Julie E. Byrne, a professor of religion at Hofstra University who studies American Catholicism. Theological explanations are tempting. “Of course,” joked the Rev. James Martin - the author of ‘The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything’ - “St. Ignatius of Loyola is praying for all these schools. Even Villanova.”

The history of basketball excellence at Catholic colleges stretches back as long as the tournament itself. In its early decades, Holy Cross, La Salle, San Francisco, and Loyola racked up titles; Marquette’s golden age was in the late 1960s and ’70s; the 1985 Final Four included three Catholic schools (St. John’s, Georgetown, and Villanova); and Gonzaga has had an extraordinary run of 20 consecutive tournament berths, including in last year’s championship game.

Catholic hoops excellence is all the more stark when one looks at college sports’ broader landscape: Of the 65 members of the five football power conferences, only two are Catholic institutions — Boston College and Notre Dame.

Much of Catholic education’s historic commitment to basketball derives from demographics. Read on ...

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4. Rules of Interest

In the summer of 1944, the NCAA banned defensive goaltending, taking its first step in turning the antiquated version of James Naismith’s basketball game into the game played in the 1960’s and 1970’s. The 1944-45 season ushered in four new, important changes to the rules that form the foundation of the present game. Before then, the game wasn’t something that we would recognize as ‘college basketball’. The 1948-49 season and 1957–58 season also brought very significant changes that helped forge the modern game.

History of NCAA Basketball Rule Changes

1891 • The first set of rules was created in Springfield, Mass. by physical education teacher James Naismith.
1900-1901 • A dribbler may not shoot a field goal and may dribble only once, and then with two hands.
1908-1909 • A dribbler is permitted to shoot.
1910-1911 • No coaching is allowed during the progress of the game by anybody connected with either team.
1920-1921 • A player can re-enter a game once. Before this rule, if a player left the game, he could not re-enter for the rest of the game.
1933-1934 • A player may re-enter a game twice.
1935–1936 • No offensive player (with or without the ball) may stand in the free throw lane for more than 3 seconds.
1937–1938 • The center jump ball after every made basket is eliminated.
1939–1940 • Teams have the option of taking a free throw or taking the ball at midcourt.

1944–1945 • Defensive goaltending is banned ... by the new George Mikan rule.
1944–1945 • Unlimited substitution is allowed.
1944–1945 • Five personal fouls disqualifies a player. No extra foul is permitted in overtime.
1944–1945 • Offensive players cannot stand in the free throw lane for more than 3 seconds.
1948-1949 – Coaches are now allowed to speak to players during a timeout.

1951–1952 • Games are to be played in four 10-minute quarters. Previously it was two 20-minute halves.
1952–1953 • Teams can no longer waive free throws and take the ball at midcourt.
1954–1955 • The one-and-one free throw is introduced allowing a player to take a second free throw if the first one is made.
1954–1955 • Games return to two 20-minute halves.
1956–1957 • The free-throw lane is increased from 6 feet to 12 feet in width.
1956–1957 • Grasping the rim is ruled unsportsmanlike conduct.
1957–1958 • Offensive goaltending is now banned

1967-1968 • The dunk is made illegal during the game and during warmup.
1972-1973 • Freshman are now eligible to play varsity basketball.
1976-1977 • The dunk is made legal again.
1985-1986 • The 45 second shot clock is introduced.
1986-1987 • A three point shot was introduced at 19'-9".
1993-1994 • The shot clock is reduced from 45 seconds to 35 seconds.
2008-2009 • Three point arc is extended to 20'-9".
2015–2016 • The shot clock is changed to 30 seconds.
2019–2020 • The three-point arc was extended to the FIBA distance of 22’-2” from the center of the basket and 21’-8” in the corners.

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5. Prologue: December 15, 1925 to December 16, 1949

December 15, 1925 – The third Madison Square Garden opened, located on the west side of Eighth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets in Manhattan, on the site of the city's trolley-car barns. It was the first Garden that was not located near Madison Square, and had a seating capacity of 18,496 for basketball.

January 1, 1927 – The Palestra opened - often called the Cathedral of College Basketball It is a historic arena on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in the University City section of Philadelphia. The Palestra has been called "the most important building in the history of college basketball" and "changed the entire history of the sport for which it was built." The arena originally seated about 10,000, but now seats 8,725 for basketball. The Palestra is famed for its close-to-the-court seating with the bleachers ending at the floor with no barrier to separate the fans from the game. At the time of its construction, the Palestra was one of the world's largest arenas. It was one of the first steel-and-concrete arenas in the United States and also one of the first to be constructed without interior pillars blocking the view. Since its inception, the Palestra has hosted more games, more visiting teams, and more NCAA tournaments than any other facility in college basketball.

1935 – The Municipal Auditorium opened in Kansas City, Missouri with a seating capacity of 7,300 for basketball.. When the building opened in 1935, the Architectural Record called it "one of the 10 best buildings of the world that year". In 2000, the Princeton Architectural Press called it one of the 500 most important architectural works in the United States. The arena hosted three of the first four Final Fours, and hosted its last NCAA tournament game in 1964. In 2013, the University of Dayton Arena passed Municipal Auditorium’s record for number of NCAA tournament games hosted.

March, 1938 – The first National Invitational Tournament (NIT) was played, with a six-team field.

March, 1939 – The first NCAA Tournament was played, with an eight-team field.

April, 1941 – The Cow Palace opened in Daly City, California, situated on the city's northern border with neighboring San Francisco. Because the border passes through the property, a portion of the upper parking lot is actually in San Francisco. The arena seats 12,953 for basketball. The idea for the arena was inspired by the popularity of the livestock pavilion at the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition. A local newspaper asked, as early as May 1935, "Why, when people are starving, should money be spent on a 'palace for cows'?" A headline writer turned the phrase around, thus "Cow Palace". During World War II, though, the arena was used for processing soldiers bound for the Pacific Theater. In the following years, it hosted countless basketball games and other sporting events, as well as political events - most notably the 1956 Republican National Convention.

1942 to 1945 – Many Catholic schools did not field basketball teams.

November 2, 1948 – The 1948 United States Elections took place during the beginning stages of the Cold War. Democratic incumbent President Harry S. Truman was elected to a full term, defeating Republican nominee New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey and two erstwhile Democrats. The Republicans, who had just won both the House and the Senate two years earlier, ceded control of both chambers of Congress to the Democrats.

January 18, 1949 – The first Associated Press (AP) Men’s Basketball Poll is published.

March, 1949 – The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is more prestigious than the NCAA Tournament, and will remain so until 1955.

December 2, 1949 – Reynolds Coliseum opened on the campus of North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Reynolds Coliseum had a seating capacity of 12,400 for basketball, and was the original site of the Southern Conference men's basketball tournament from 1951 to 1953 and then the ACC men's basketball tournament from 1954 to 1966. It has hosted the NCAA men's basketball tournament as a Regional site eight times.

December 16, 1949 – Gill Coliseum (a.k.a. Oregon State Coliseum) opened, located on the campus of Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon which had a seating capacity of 10,000 from 1949 until 1984. Gill Coliseum hosted Western Region games in the NCAA Tournament 11 times - in 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1967, and 1983.

The ESPN/Sagarin Top 40 Programs of the 1940s

4. Notre Dame
6. DePaul
11. Holy Cross
19. Duquesne
21. St. John’s
27. Loyola-Chicago

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

Part II: The NIT Crowns the National Champion 1950-1954

The 1949-50 College Basketball Season

1949-50 College Basketball Recap – Infoplease - February 11, 2017

The 1949-50 college basketball season was the second season that coaches were allowed to speak to players during a timeout – in retrospect, perhaps the most significant change in the history of college basketball. The season began like any other college basketball season, but ended with an unranked team winning both the NIT and NCAA Tournament, and the biggest scandal in the history of college basketball.

1950 Final AP Top 20 Poll

1. Bradley
2. Ohio State • Big 10
3. Kentucky • SEC
4. Holy Cross
5. NC State
6. Duquesne
7. UCLA
8. Western Kentucky
9. St. John's
10. La Salle
11. Villanova
12. San Francisco

1950 National Invitational Tournament

The [b]twelve-team 1950 NIT was held at Madison Square Garden in mid-March, 1950. For the only time in history, the same school won both the NIT and NCAA tournaments, as City College of New York took both championships, beating Bradley in both finals. Four participants in the 1950 NIT (Bradley, CCNY, Kentucky, and Long Island-Brooklyn) were later implicated in the CCNY point shaving scandal.

Eight teams played in the first round, with four teams awarded first-round byes: Bradley, Kentucky, Duquesne, St. John's.

Participants: Arizona, Bradley, CCNY, Duquesne, Kentucky, La Salle, Long Island, Niagara, St. John's, San Francisco, Syracuse, Western Kentucky.

NIT Semifinal Games: Bradley 82, St. John's 72 • CCNY 62, Duquesne 52

1950 COLLEGE BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: CCNY 69, Bradley 61

……………… Madison Square Garden ………………


……………… Madison Square Garden ………………

1950 NCAA Basketball Tournament

The eight-team 1950 NCAA Basketball Tournament began on March 23, 1950, and ended with the championship game at Madison Square Garden on March 28, 1950.

CCNY, coached by Nat Holman, won the tournament with a 71–68 victory in the final game over Bradley, coached by Forddy Anderson. Irwin Dambrot of CCNY was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. CCNY became the only team to ever win both the NIT and NCAA tournaments in the same year. Because of participation changes, this currently cannot happen. The CCNY point shaving scandal of 1950–51 had hit the program hard, and they had 12 sub-par seasons from 1951-52 through 1962-63 before dropping down to the College Division (now Division II).

The 1950 tournament was the last tournament to feature eight teams. For the seventh and final time, Madison Square Garden hosted the NCAA Championship game. This would be the last final held in the New York metropolitan area until 1996, and the last final to date held in New York City itself.

At Madison Square Garden, New York City: East Regional Participants: Ohio State, Holy Cross, North Carolina State, CCNY

At Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri: West Regional Participants: Baylor, Bradley, BYU, UCLA

NCAA Tournament Semifinal Games: CCNY 78, NC State 73 • Bradley 68 , Baylor 66

1950 NCAA Tournament Final: CCNY 71, Bradley 68

The 1950 Final AP Poll included 4 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 6 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 1950 NIT included 5 Catholic schools in its 12-team field (42 %).
The 1950 NCAA Tournament included 1 Catholic school in its 8-team field (12.5 %).
The 1950 postseason tournaments included 6 Catholic school in a combined field of 20 teams (30 %).

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A Brief Timeline of the 1950s - Jennifer Rosenberg, ThoughtCo.com

1950

In 1950, Diners Club, the first modern credit card was introduced, which would eventually change the financial lives of every American in the years to come. In February, Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-Wisconsin) claimed in a speech in West Virginia that there were over 200 Communists in the U.S. State Department, beginning a witch hunt that would result in the blacklisting of many Americans.

US. President Harry S. Truman ordered the building of the hydrogen bomb. On June 25, 1950, the Korean War began with the invasion of South Korea. On October 2, United Features Syndicate published Charles Schulz's first "Peanuts" cartoon strip in seven newspapers.

1950 American Car Spotters Guide • Top 10 Movies of 1950 • Top 10 Actors/Actresses • 1950 Oscar Winners

The Billboard Top 30 Singles of 1950 • Top 100 Pop Songs in 1950 - Playback.FM Music Links
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October 4 to 7, 1950 - In the 1950 World Series, the New York Yankees won their 13th championship in their 41-year history, taking the Series in a four-game sweep over the Philadelphia Phillies. The 1950 World Series title would be the second of a record five straight titles for the New York Yankees (1949–1953). This was the last all-white World Series as neither club had integrated in 1950.

November 7, 1950 - The 1950 United States Elections took place during the Korean War (during Democratic President Harry S. Truman's second term). The Democrats lost twenty-eight seats to the Republican Party in the House of Representatives. The Democrats also lost five seats in the U.S. Senate to the Republicans. Like his predecessor Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938, Truman and the Democratic party managed to maintain control of both houses, however, the election was still a defeat for Truman, as it strengthened the conservative coalition and ensured that none of Truman's Fair Deal policies would pass. Republicans also ran against Truman's prosecution of the Korean War, and the 82nd Congress subsequently conducted numerous investigations into the course of the war. The election set the stage for the presidency of Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower and the centrist policies of the 1950s.

The 1950-51 College Basketball Season

1950-51 College Basketball Recap – Infoplease - February 11, 2017

February 18, 1951 - Nearly eleven months after it occurred, the CCNY point shaving scandal was exposed.

The scandal involved the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and National Invitation Tournament (NIT) champion City College of New York (CCNY).

CCNY had won the 1950 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and the 1950 National Invitation Tournament over Bradley University. The scandal involved the Beavers and at least six other schools, including three others in the New York City area: New York University, Long Island University and Manhattan College. It spread out of New York City to Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois; the University of Kentucky and the University of Toledo. The scandal would spread to 33 players and involve the world of organized crime. CCNY was eventually banned from playing at Madison Square Garden, although the coach, Nat Holman, would be cleared of any wrongdoing.

How the scandal first came to light

Junius Kellogg, a standout Manhattan College center, was offered a $1,000 bribe to shave points before a game against DePaul. Although he was working for minimum wage at a frozen custard shop near campus, he refused to take the money and reported the solicitation to his coach, Ken Norton. Norton sent him to the District Attorney. To get evidence about the corruption, he wore a wire when he was again approached in a nearby bar. The scandal first became public when New York City District Attorney Frank Hogan arrested seven men on charges of conspiring to fix games on February 18, 1951.

Those taken into custody included All-America forward Ed Warner, center Ed Roman, and guard Al Roth, the three stars of CCNY's five that won both the NIT and NCAA tournaments, still the only such double in history. The police had set up an undercover, or "sting", operation. The arrests were made in Penn Station when the players returned to New York from Philadelphia, after CCNY had defeated Temple, 95–71.

In all, 32 players from seven colleges admitted to taking bribes between 1947 and 1950 to fix 86 games in 17 states. Jack Molinas would not be caught in 1951, but after he was suspended for gambling by the NBA, he would be linked back to the 1951 scandal by betting on his then college team, Columbia University.

Link:

March, 1950 • City College NY accomplished perhaps the greatest feat in basketball history, winning the National Invitational and the NCAA tournaments. One year later there was devastation as New York District Attorney Frank Hogan indicted players from four New York schools, including City College. The other New York schools were Manhattan College, New York University, and Long Island University. The earth-shaking scandals of 1951, which eventually reached to seven schools and 32 players around the country, actually erupted on January 17, 1951 when Henry Poppe and Jack Byrnes of the previous year's Manhattan team plus three fixers: Cornelius Kelleher and brothers Benjamin and Irving Schwartzberg, who were bookmakers and convicted felons, were booked on bribery and conspiracy charges.

November 29, 1950 • Dayton Flyers basketball moved to the new UD Fieldhouse with a 5,808-seat capacity.

October 20, 1951 • New York District Attorney Frank Hogan arrested Kentucky basketball players Ralph Beard, Alex Groza, and Dale Barnstable for accepting $500 bribes to shave points in an NIT game against Loyola of Chicgo in Madison Square Garden in 1949. Groza and Beard had been on two NCAA championship teams. Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp had claimed his team was untouchable: "They couldn't reach my boys with a ten-foot pole." He was wrong. The NCAA suspended the Kentucky basketball program for the 1952-53 season. Judge Streit awarded suspended sentences to Groza, Beard and Barnstable and placed them on indefinite probation and barred them from all sports for three years. The NBA commissioner Maurice Podoloff also suspended the trio. Alex Groza was a native of Martins Ferry, Ohio and graduated from Martins Ferry High School in June, 1945.

The legendary 1955-56 Dayton Flyers finished the season with a 25-4 record. Members of that storied 1955-56 team included reserve junior Bill Almashy, who later bought the house next door to my parents in Trotwood. Bill Almashy was a native of Martins Ferry, Ohio (on the West bank of the of the Ohio River, across from Wheeling) - the oldest European settlement in the state of Ohio (1779). Bill graduated from Martins Ferry High School in June, 1953, was recruited by Tom Blackburn, and played varsity for the Dayton Flyers from 1954 to 1957. During the 1960’s, I spent many summer evenings in the back yard, listening to dad and Bill Almashy talk about the great Dayton Flyers’ teams of the 1950s while drinking their Wiedemanns out of brown glass bottles with the Cincinnati Reds game on the radio in the background. Bill was very keen to hear my dad’s stories about the Flyers prior to 1954, and dad was fascinated by Bill’s stories from his days as a varsity player from 1954 to 1957. I listened intently to every story they told, and each of them stuck to me like glue.

My former next-door neighbor Bill Almashy never dreamed that the 2019-20 Dayton Flyers would equal the No. 3 AP final ranking of his legendary 1955-56 team. I will miss him and his fascinating stories about the good old days - Martins Ferry, Alex Groza, the City College NY scandal, Adolph Rupp, Tom Blackburn, Don Donoher, and so much more.

1951 Final AP Top 20 Poll

1. Kentucky • SEC
2. Oklahoma State • Missouri Valley
3. Columbia • Ivy
4. Kansas State • Big 7
5. Illinois • Big Ten
6. Bradley
7. Indiana • Big Ten
8. NC State
9. St. John's
10. Saint Louis
13. Dayton
20. Villanova

1951 National Invitational Tournament

The twelve-team 1951 National Invitation Tournament was the fourteenth edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. Held in New York City at Madison Square Garden, its championship was on Saturday, March 17, and BYU defeated Dayton by nineteen points. The following week, BYU participated in the 16-team NCAA Tournament, and lost in the quarterfinal round, by ten points to Kansas State.

Eight teams played in the first round, with four teams awarded first-round byes: NC State, St. John's, Brigham Young, Arizona.

Participants: Arizona, Beloit, BYU, Cincinnati, Dayton, La Salle, Lawrence Tech, NC State, St. Bonaventure, St. John's, Saint Louis, Seton Hall.

NIT Semifinal Games: BYU 69, Seton Hall 59 • Dayton 69, St. John's 62

1951 COLLEGE BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: BYU 62, Dayton 43

1950-51 Dayton Flyers Schedule & Results • 1950-51 Dayton Flyers Roster and Stats

1951 NCAA Basketball Tournament

The sixteen-team 1951 NCAA Basketball Tournament began on March 20, 1951, and ended with the championship game on March 27 at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Kentucky, coached by Adolph Rupp, won the national title with a 68–58 victory over Kansas State, coached by Jack Gardner.

This NCAA tournament was the first with a 16-team field. Only the championship and third place games were held in Minneapolis, while the semifinals were held in the respective regional sites.

The twelve-team National Invitation Tournament (NIT) was held the previous week in New York City at Madison Square Garden, with its championship on Saturday, March 17th. Four teams competed in both tournaments, including NIT champion BYU, Arizona, North Carolina State, and St. John's.

At Madison Square Garden, New York City: East Regional Participants: Columbia, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisville, NC State, St. John's, Villanova.

At Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri: West Regional Participants: Arizona, BYU, Kansas State, Montana State, Oklahoma A&M, San Jose State, Texas A&M, Washington.

NCAA Tournament Semifinal Games: Kentucky 76, Illinois 74 • Kansas State 68, Oklahoma A&M 44

1951 NCAA Tournament Final: Kentucky 68, Kansas State 58

The 1951 Final AP Poll included 2 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 5 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 1951 NIT included 6 Catholic schools in its 12-team field (50 %).
The 1951 NCAA Tournament included 2 Catholic schools in its 16-team field (12.5 %).
The 1951 postseason tournaments included 8 Catholic school in a combined field of 28 teams (29 %).

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A Brief Timeline of the 1950s - Jennifer Rosenberg, ThoughtCo.com - Updated March 5, 2020

1951

On June 27, 1951, the first regularly-scheduled color TV program was introduced by CBS, "The World Is Yours!" with Ivan T. Sanderson, eventually bringing life-like shows into American homes. Truman signed the Treaty of San Francisco, a peace treaty with Japan on September 8, officially ending World War II. In October, Winston Churchill took the reins in Great Britain as prime minister for the first time after the close of World War II.

1951 American Car Spotters Guide • Top 10 Movies of 1951 • Top 10 Actors/Actresses • 1951 Oscar Winners

The Billboard Top 30 Singles of 1951 • Top 100 Pop Songs in 1951 - Playback.FM Music Links
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October 4 to 10, 1951 - In the 1951 World Series, the New York Yankees defeated the New York Giants in six games, for their third straight title and 14th overall. This would be the last World Series for Joe DiMaggio, who retired afterward, and the first for rookies Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle. This was the last Subway Series the Giants played in. Both teams would meet again eleven years later after the Giants relocated to San Francisco. It was the first World Series to be televised exclusively by one network (NBC), as well as the first to be televised nationwide, as coaxial cable had recently linked both coasts.

The 1951-52 College Basketball Season

NCAA Rule Change for 1951–1952 Season • Games were to be played in four 10-minute quarters. Previously it was two 20-minute halves.

NCAA Rule Change for 1951–1952 Season • The NCAA Tournament was expanded from two to four regional sites, creating the ‘Final Four’.

1951-52 College Basketball Recap – Infoplease - February 11, 2017

1952 Final AP Top 20 Poll

1. Kentucky • SEC
2. Illinois • Big Ten
3. Kansas State • Big 7
4. Duquesne
5. Saint Louis
6. Washington
7. Iowa • Big Ten
8. Kansas • Big 7
9. West Virginia
10. St. John's
11. Dayton
13. Holy Cross
14. Seton Hall
15. St. Bonaventure
18. Seattle

1952 National Invitational Tournament

The twelve-team 1952 National Invitation Tournament was the fifteenth edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. LaSalle defeated Dayton 75-64 in the Championship game, held in Madison Square Garden.

Eight teams played in the first round, with four teams awarded first-round byes: Duquesne, Saint Louis, St. John's, St. Bonaventure.

Participants: Dayton, Duquesne, Holy Cross, La Salle, Louisville, NYU, St. Bonaventure, St. John's, Saint Louis, Seattle, Seton Hall, Western Kentucky

NIT Semifinal Games: Dayton 69, St. Bonaventure 62 • La Salle 59, Duquesne 46

1952 COLLEGE BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: La Salle 75, Dayton 64

1951-52 La Salle Explorers Schedule & Results • 1951-52 La Salle Explorers Roster and Stats

1951-52 Dayton Flyers Schedule & Results • 1951-52 Dayton Flyers Roster and Stats

La Salle Explorers – 1952 NIT Champions - La Salle University

An unseeded La Salle basketball team was selected to the 1952 National Invitation Tournament (NIT), which at the time was considered more prestigious than the NCAA Tournament. The Explorers defeated Seton Hall 80-76 in its opener, playing one of the best games in the first 16 years of the NIT. After defeating the Pirates, La Salle beat St. John's and Duquesne before downing Dayton 75-64 in the Championship game, finishing the season with a 25-7 record.

1952 NCAA Basketball Tournament

The sixteen-team 1952 NCAA Basketball Tournament began on March 21, 1952, and ended with the championship game on March 26 in Seattle. Kansas, coached by Phog Allen, won the national title with an 80–63 victory in the final game over St. John's, coached by Frank McGuire.

This tournament was the first to have a true "Final Four" format, with the winners at four regional sites advancing to the final site—although the four regionals did not receive distinct names until the 1956 tournament. It was also the first to have regional television coverage. Four teams competed in both tournaments: Dayton, Duquesne, St. John's, and Saint Louis.

East-1 Regional: Reynolds Coliseum, Raleigh, North Carolina (North Carolina State University)
East-2 Regional: Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois (Loyola University/University of Illinois-Chicago)
West-1 Regional: Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri (University of Missouri-Kansas City)
West-2 Regional: Gill Coliseum, Corvallis, Oregon (Oregon State University)

Final Four: Hec Edmundson Pavilion, Seattle, Washington (Seattle University/University of Washington)

East Regional Participants: Dayton, Duquesne, Illinois, Kentucky, NC State, Penn State, Princeton, St. John's

West Regional Participants: Kansas, New Mexico State, Oklahoma City, Santa Clara, Saint Louis, TCU, UCLA, Wyoming

NCAA Tournament Final Four: St. John's 61, Illinois 59 • Kansas 74, Santa Clara 55

1952 NCAA Tournament Final: Kansas 80, St. John's 63

History of the NIT and the NCAA Tournament – Post # 9

National Invitation Tournament - Wikipedia

Between 1939 and 1970 teams could compete in either tournament. In 1945, The New York Times indicated that many teams could get bids to enter either tournament, which was not uncommon in that day. In any case, since the mid-1950s, the NCAA tournament has been popularly regarded by most individuals as the major post season tourney, with conference champions and the majority of the top-ranked teams participating in it.

Flyers Revisiting their Roots in NIT – Dayton Daily News - March 28, 2010

Started in 1938, the NIT is a year older than the NCAA Tournament and for a couple of decades — with a better TV contract and a marquee setting — it was more prestigious.

Coach Tom Blackburn was from New York and once he took over at UD, he made the tournament his ultimate goal. And he became more of an NIT man after his first — and only — NCAA Tournament experience.

Back in the early days, a team could play in both tournaments and that’s what UD did in 1952. After finishing as runners-up in the 1952 NIT, the Flyers headed to the 1952 NCAA Tournament and a match-up with Illinois in Chicago. “The NCAA had a lot of background with the Big Ten,” former coach Don Donoher said. “And the way Blackburn told the story, at the banquet the night before the game, one of the NCAA officials took the microphone and wished Illinois luck.”

Not that the Illini needed it. Dayton was whistled for 41 personal fouls, still second all-time for an NCAA Tournament game. Five Flyers fouled out, and while Illinois made 32 of 47 free throws, Dayton — which lost by 19 — made 13 of 18.

Donoher said that left “a sour taste” with Blackburn, who focused on the NIT and sent 10 teams to New York in a 12-year span. In the process, the city of Dayton fell in love with the tournament. “The NIT was a big deal to everyone back then.”

I couldn’t find a reference for the number of NCAA Tournament invitations that Tom Blackburn turned down between 1952 and 1962 in favor of the NIT, but it was a good few, and could be as many as eight. Coach Blackburn loved The Garden.

The 1952 Final AP Poll included 3 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 8 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 1952 NIT included 9 Catholic schools in its 12-team field (75 %).
The 1952 NCAA Tournament included 4 Catholic schools in its 16-team field (25 %).
The 1952 postseason tournaments included 13 Catholic school in a combined field of 28 teams (46 %).

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A Brief Timeline of the 1950s - Jennifer Rosenberg, ThoughtCo.com - Updated March 5, 2020

1952

On February 6, 1952, Britain's Princess Elizabeth took over the responsibility of ruling England at age 25 after the death of her father, King George VI. She would be officially crowned Queen Elizabeth II the next year. From December 5th to the 9th, Londoners suffered through the Great Smog of 1952, a severe air pollution event that caused deaths from breathing issues numbering in the thousands.

In the "firsts" department, tinted glass became available in Ford automobiles and on July 2, Jonas Salk and colleagues at the Virus Research Lab at the University of Pittsburgh began testing for a successful polio vaccine. They tried their refined vaccine on children who had recovered from polio and discovered that it successfully produced antibodies for the virus.

1952 American Car Spotters Guide • Top 10 Movies of 1952 • Top 10 Actors/Actresses • 1952 Oscar Winners

The Billboard Top 30 Singles of 1952 • Top 100 Pop Songs in 1952 - Playback.FM Music Links
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July 7 to 11, 1952 - At the 1952 Republican National Convention (held at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago), the popular general and war hero Dwight D. Eisenhower of New York was nominated for president and the anti-communist crusading Senator from California, Richard M. Nixon was nominated for vice president.

July 21 to July 26, 1952 - At the 1952 Democratic National Convention (also held at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago from July 21 to July 26, 1952), four major candidates sought the presidential nomination: U.S. Senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee, Governor Adlai Stevenson II of Illinois, Senator Richard Russell of Georgia, and Averell Harriman of New York. Kefauver had the most delegates after the first round, but then President Truman weighed into the battle in favor of Stevenson. He persuaded Harriman to drop out and endorse the Illinois governor, thereby pre-empting support for Kefauver and Russell, whom Truman opposed. The President believed that nominating a Southern candidate from a state where Jim Crow laws were in force would forfeit potential support for the Democratic party from African-American and Northern white voters. Stevenson was nominated on the third ballot. It was the last nomination contest of either major U.S. political party to require more than one round of voting to nominate a presidential candidate to date.

October 1 to 7, 1952 - In the 1952 World Series, the New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in seven games. The home run hit by Mickey Mantle during the 8th inning of Game 6 was significant because it was the first of his record 18 career World Series home runs.

November 4, 1952 - In the 1952 United States Elections, the Republicans took control of the presidency and both chambers of Congress for the first time since the Great Depression. The election took place during the Korean War.

The 1952-53 College Basketball Season

NCAA Rule Change for 1952–1953 Season • Teams can no longer waive free throws and take the ball at midcourt.

1952-53 College Basketball Recap – Infoplease - February 11, 2017

In the first AP Top 20 Poll of the 1952-53 season, the Seton Hall Pirates were ranked No. 4, and five weeks later, moved up to No. 1 in the January 20, 1953 poll after a convincing win at #7 Fordham and homecourt wins against Dayton and Boston College - all in a four-day spree.

On March 1, 1953 Seton Hall was still undefeated and ranked No. 1 when they arrived at UD Fieldhouse for their game against the unranked Dayton Flyers. The Flyers stunned the heavily-favored Pirates by beating them 71-65 in one of the all-time great games at the Fieldhouse. The Flyers finished the season with a dismal 16-13 record. Seton Hall finished the season with a 31-2 record and their first and only National Championship in men’s basketball.

1953 Final AP Top 20 Poll

1. Indiana • Big Ten
2. Seton Hall
3. Kansas • Big 7
4. Washington
5. LSU • SEC
6. La Salle
7. St. John's
8. Oklahoma State • Missouri Valley
9. Duquesne
10. Notre Dame
13. Holy Cross
14. Seattle
16. Santa Clara
19. DePaul

1953 National Invitational Tournament

The twelve-team 1953 National Invitation Tournament was the sixteenth edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. Seton Hall defeated St. John's 58-46 in the Championship game, held in Madison Square Garden.

Eight teams played in the first round, with four teams awarded first-round byes: Seton Hall, La Salle, Manhattan, Western Kentucky.

Participants: BYU, Duquesne, Georgetown, La Salle, Louisville, Manhattan, Niagara, St. John's, Saint Louis, Seton Hall, Tulsa, Western Kentucky

NIT Semifinal Games: St. John's 64, Duquesne 55 • Seton Hall 74, Manhattan 56

1953 COLLEGE BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Seton Hall 58, St. John's 46

1952-53 Seton Hall Pirates Schedule & Results (31-2) Excerpt

Mon, Dec 15, 1952 • Louisville • Won 77-66 • Walsh Gymnasium (Opened in 1941; Capacity: 1,655)
Sun, Jan 11, 1953 • Xavier • Won 86-78 • Walsh Gymnasium
Wed, Jan 14, 1953 • @ #7 Fordham • Won 69-62 • Rose Hill Gym
Thu, Jan 15, 1953 • Dayton • Won 82-74 • Walsh Gymnasium
Sat, Jan 17, 1953 • Boston College • Won 92-71 • Walsh Gymnasium
Sat, Jan 31, 1953 • @ Villanova • Won 84-76 • Villanova Field House
Thu, Feb 5, 1953 • N • St. Bonaventure • Won 74-67
Mon, Feb 16, 1953 • Villanova • Won 83-68 • Walsh Gymnasium
Sun, Mar 1, 1953 • @ Dayton • LOST 65-71 • UD Fieldhouse
Mon, Mar 2, 1953 • @ #18 Louisville • LOST 67-73 • Jefferson County Armory

Wed, Mar 11, 1953 • NIT • Niagara • Won 79-74 • Madison Square Garden (III)
Thu, Mar 12, 1953 • NIT • #20 Manhattan • Won 74- 56 • Madison Square Garden (III)
Sat, Mar 14, 1953 • NIT • #20 St. John's • Won 58- 46 • Madison Square Garden (III)

1952-53 Seton Hall Pirates Roster and Stats

1952-53 St. John’s Redmen Schedule & Results • 1952-53 St. John’s Redmen Roster and Stats

Racism, a brawl, and a title: Recalling Seton Hall's epic 1952-53 basketball season - Jerry Carino, Asbury Park Press - December 15, 2019

Seton Hall's 1952-53 NIT Championship Squad (Photo courtesy of Seton Hall University)

The March 16, 1953 issue of Life Magazine contains what has to be one of the most startling photos in college basketball history. There, on page 118, is Seton Hall University basketball player Mickey Hannon lying unconscious on the court after the Pirates were attacked by Louisville fans at the Louisville Armory on March 2nd.

The Hall wore a target on that road trip for two reasons: A No. 1 ranking in the Associated Press Top 25 and the presence of a black superstar, Walter Dukes. The 7-foot All-America center was barred from hotels in the segregated southern city; the team opted instead to sleep on a train during the visit. Louisville won the game and the bad blood didn’t end there — keep reading — but the Pirates got the last laugh. Later that month they captured the NIT title, besting St. John’s in the final before a Madison Square Garden throng of 18,500.

“It was the biggest crowd ever to see a basketball game east of Chicago,” said Arnie Ring, who started at forward for Seton Hall. “The NCAA Tournament had 7,000 out in Kansas City for their final game (Indiana’s one-point win over Kansas).” All true. The Big Apple was the sport’s epicenter and those Pirates were the toast of the town. They’ll be toasted again Thursday night as Seton Hall inducts the squad into its Hall of Fame.

Dazed and prostrate

The joyride took a detour on that early March road swing, first with a loss at Dayton and then the debacle at Louisville. Life Magazine reported that the players “went after each other with elbows, body blocks and half nelsons” and things escalated after “a head-on collision left Dukes dazed and prostrate on the floor.” Said Cooper, “Walter got the ball and this guy (a Louisville forward) popped him in the jaw. Dukes went down, we lost the ball and Walter was called for walking.”

All hell broke loose during postgame handshakes. Life reported that a Seton Hall player, thinking he was about to be attacked, threw the first punch. Then maniacal Louisville fans poured onto the court. Somebody came out of the stands and grabbed Walter’s miraculous medal and ripped it off his neck,” Ring said. In 1989, Regan told Newsday that the man said to Dukes, “You call yourself a Catholic” as he yanked the medal away. Hannon got clobbered in the back of the head by a rampaging fan and collapsed to the floor, out cold.

“Harry Brooks had to get 13 stitches across his eye,” Cooper said. “Harry was from Union City; he was a tough guy with tough friends.” When Louisville made the NIT a few weeks later, Cooper said, “The word got out that (Harry Brooks' friends) were going to meet the Louisville team on the train and beat them up.”

The whole mess “was so bad that the FBI got involved,” Cooper said. Only threats of expulsion by Seton Hall's brass kept everyone at bay.

We did something special

When the season ended the Pirates chose the NIT over the NCAA Tournament, without a moment’s hesitation. Thanks to clutch play by Regan, they survived the opener against Niagara despite Dukes fouling out with eight minutes left. Then they routed Manhattan before taking down St. John’s 58-46.

“They had a ticker-tape parade down South Orange Avenue,” said Ring, who grabbed 22 rebounds in the final. “The (Newark) mayor had a big dinner for us and invited the coaches of the teams we beat — they showed up.” Seton Hall finished 31-2 and remains the only New Jersey college basketball team that can lay claim to a National Title.

1953 NCAA Basketball Tournament

The 22-team 1953 NCAA Basketball Tournament began on March 10, 1953, and ended with the championship game on March 18 in Kansas City. Indiana, coached by Branch McCracken, won the tournament title with a 69–68 victory in the final game over Kansas, coached by Phog Allen.

East-1 Regional (March 13 and 14): Reynolds Coliseum, Raleigh, North Carolina
East-2 Regional (March 12 and 13): Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
West-1 Regional (March 12 and 13): Ahearn Field House, Manhattan, Kansas
West-2 Regional (March 13 and 14): Gill Coliseum, Oregon State, Corvallis, Oregon

Final Four (March 17 and 18): Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri

East Regional Participants: Duquesne, DePaul, Eastern Kentucky, Duquesne, Fordham, Holy Cross, Indiana, Lebanon Valley, LSU, Miami (OH), Navy, Notre Dame, Penn, Wake Forest

West Regional Participants: Hardin–Simmons, Idaho State, Kansas, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma A&M, Santa Clara, Seattle, TCU, Washington, Wyoming

NCAA Tournament Final Four: Indiana 80, LSU 67 • Kansas 79, Washington 53

1953 NCAA Tournament Final: Indiana 69, Kansas 68

The 1953 Final AP Poll included 5 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 9 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 1953 NIT included 8 Catholic schools in its 12-team field (67 %).
The 1953 NCAA Tournament included 8 Catholic schools in its 22-team field (36 %).
The 1953 postseason tournaments included 16 Catholic school in a combined field of 34 teams (47 %).

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A Brief Timeline of the 1950s - Jennifer Rosenberg, ThoughtCo.com - Updated March 5, 2020

1953

In April 1953, Cambridge University scientists James Watson and Francis Crick published a paper in the scientific journal Nature, announcing the discovery of the double-helix chemical structure of DNA. On May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first people to ever climb to the summit of Mount Everest, the ninth British expedition to attempt to do so.

Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin died of a cerebral hemorrhage on March 5 in Kutsevo Dacha, and on June 19, Americans Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed in the electric chair for conspiracy to commit espionage. Another first: in December, Hugh Hefner published the first Playboy magazine, featuring actress Marilyn Monroe on the cover and nude centerfold.

1953 American Car Spotters Guide • Top 10 Movies of 1953 • Top 10 Actors/Actresses • 1953 Oscar Winners

The Billboard Top 30 Singles of 1953 • Top 100 Pop Songs in 1953 - Playback.FM Music Links
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1953 - The Atlantic Coast Conference is established.

July 27, 1953 - The The Korean War ‘Ends’. In 1952, the US elected a new president, and on November 29, 1952, the president-elect, Dwight D. Eisenhower, went to Korea to learn what might end the Korean War. With the United Nations' acceptance of India's proposed Korean War armistice, the KPA, the PVA and the UN Command signed the Korean Armistice Agreement on July 27, 1953. South Korean president Syngman Rhee refused to sign the agreement. The war is considered to have ended at this point, even though there was no peace treaty. North Korea nevertheless claims that it won the Korean War.

September 30 to October 5, 1953 - In the 1953 World Series, the New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in 6 games for their 5th consecutive title—a mark which has not been equalled.

The 1953-54 College Basketball Season

1953-54 College Basketball Recap – Infoplease - February 11, 2017

1954 Final AP Top 20 Poll

1. Kentucky • SEC
2. La Salle
3. Holy Cross
4. Indiana • Big Ten
5. Duquesne
6. Notre Dame
7. Bradley
8. Western Kentucky
9. Penn State
10. Oklahoma State • Missouri Valley
16. Niagara
17. Seattle

1954 National Invitational Tournament

The twelve-team 1954 National Invitation Tournament was the seventeenth edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. Holy Cross defeated Duquesne 71-62 in the Championship game, held in Madison Square Garden.

Eight teams played in the first round, with four teams awarded first-round byes and seeds: #1 Duquesne, #2 Western Kentucky, #3 Holy Cross, #4 Niagara.

Participants: #1 Duquesne, #2 Western Kentucky State, #3 Holy Cross, #4 Niagara, Bowling Green, BYU, Dayton, Louisville, Manhattan, St. Francis (NY), Saint Francis (PA), Wichita State.

NIT Semifinal Games: #3 Holy Cross 75, #2 Western Kentucky 69 • #1 Duquesne 66, #4 Niagara 51

1954 COLLEGE BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Holy Cross 71, Duquesne 62

Don Prohovich Recalls NIT Glory Days - Garry Brown, Mass Live Sports - March 25, 2019

As we watch the "March Madness" of present-day NCAA Division I basketball, it might be difficult to believe that there was a time when another tournament had greater prestige. Those were the days when the National Invitation Tournament thrived as a basketball showcase in the country's most glamorous arena – Madison Square Garden, New York City.

Former superstar athlete Don Prohovich can sit back and reminisce about how it used to be. His NIT memories are of 1954, when he played in the backcourt for a Holy Cross team that beat favored Duquesne 71-62 for the NIT championship. Those Crusaders became the first New England team to win this tourney, which began in 1938. Only one other New England school has won it – Providence in 1961 and '63.

In 1954, Holy Cross posted a 26-2 record – still the best in the school's history. Near the end of that memorable season, the decision was made – Holy Cross would go to the NIT rather than wait for an invitation to the NCAA tournament. Nothing unusual about that in those days, because the NIT was so highly regarded.

"The NCAA really wasn't that big at the time," Prohovich said. "Anyway, everybody wanted to play in Madison Square Garden. That was THE place for college basketball," Prohovich said. The decision to go to NIT certainly suited Holy Cross players and the legion of fans who followed the Crusaders throughout the northeast. They loved to have them playing in New York.

The Crusaders filled the Garden, drawing 17,525 for the semifinals and a turnaway 18,496 for the Championship game.

National Invitation Tournament - Wikipedia

From its onset and at least into the mid-1950s, the NIT was regarded as the most prestigious showcase for college basketball. In the early 1950s, the NCAA committee changed their postseason rules, prohibiting a team from competing in both tournaments. In 1954, Holy Cross became the last team to claim or celebrate a National Championship based solely on an NIT Championship win.

1954 NCAA Basketball Tournament

The 24-team 1954 NCAA Basketball Tournament began on March 8 and ended with the championship game on March 20 in Kansas City. La Salle, coached by Ken Loeffler, won the national title with a 92–76 victory in the final game over Bradley, coached by Forddy Anderson. Tom Gola of La Salle was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Of note, Kentucky, the top-ranked team in the nation (with a record of 25–0) did not participate in any post-season tournament. Since several key players had technically graduated the year before (when Kentucky was banned from playing a competitive schedule due to the point-shaving scandal a few years earlier), those players were ruled ineligible for the NCAA tournament. Despite the wishes of the players, Adolph Rupp ultimately decided his team wouldn't play.

East-1 Regional (March 12 and 13): The Palestra, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
East-2 Regional (March 12 and 13): Iowa Field House, Iowa City, Iowa
West-1 Regional (March 12 and 13): Gallagher Hall, Stillwater, Oklahoma
West-2 Regional (March 12 and 13): Gill Coliseum, Oregon State, Corvallis, Oregon

Final Four (March 19 and 20): Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri

East Regional Participants: Connecticut, Cornell, Fordham, George Washington, Indiana, La Salle, LSU, Loyola (LA), Navy, NC State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Toledo

West Regional Participants: Bradley, Colorado, Colorado A&M, Idaho State, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma A&M, Rice, Santa Clara, Seattle, USC, Texas Tech

NCAA Tournament Final Four: La Salle 69, Penn State 54 • Bradley 74, USC 72

1954 NCAA Tournament Final: La Salle 92, Bradley 76

The 1954 Final AP Poll included 5 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 9 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 1954 NIT included 7 Catholic schools in its 12-team field (58 %).
The 1954 NCAA Tournament included 6 Catholic schools in its 24-team field (25 %).
The 1954 postseason tournaments included 13 Catholic school in a combined field of 36 teams (36 %).

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A Brief Timeline of the 1950s - Jennifer Rosenberg, ThoughtCo.com - Updated March 5, 2020

1954

In a landmark decision on May 17, and after two rounds of argument, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled segregation was illegal in the Brown v. Board of Education decision. In other news, on January 21, the first atomic submarine was launched in the Thames River in Connecticut, the U.S.S. Nautilus. On April 26, Jonas Salk's polio vaccine was given to 1.8 million children in a massive field trial.

1954 American Car Spotters Guide • Top 10 Movies of 1954 • Top 10 Actors/Actresses • 1954 Oscar Winners

The Billboard Top 30 Singles of 1954 • Top 100 Pop Songs in 1954 - Playback.FM Music Links
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1954 - The Ivy League is established.

May 17, 1954 - Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was a landmark Supreme Court case in which the justices ruled unanimously that racial segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional. Brown v. Board of Education was one of the cornerstones of the civil rights movement, and helped establish the precedent that “separate-but-equal” education and other services were not, in fact, equal at all.

September 29 to October 2, 1954 - In the 1954 World Series, the New York Giants swept the Cleveland Indians in four games to win their first championship since 1933, defeating the heavily favored Indians, who had won an AL-record 111 games in the 154-game regular season. "The Catch" occurred during Game 1 of this series, when Giants center fielder Willie Mays snared a long drive near the outfield wall with his back to the infield.

November 2, 1954 - The 1954 United States Elections took place in the middle of Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower's first term. In the election, the Republicans lost the Congressional majorities they had won in the previous election. In the House, the Republicans lost eighteen seats to the Democratic Party, losing control of the chamber. Republicans would not re-take the House until 1994. The Republicans also lost control of the U.S. Senate, losing two seats to the Democrats. Republicans would not re-take control of the Senate until 1980.

History of the NIT and the NCAA Tournament – Post # 10

People today don't give enough credit to the value of an NIT bid in the era before UCLA began to dominate. Back then, the NIT champ was usually a ranked team. Until the late 50s, the urban Catholics especially, routinely chose to play in the NIT over the NCAAs. If you just look at NCAA bids, you would never realize that teams like DePaul, Seton Hall, Duquesne, LaSalle, and Dayton were elite powerhouse programs during the first 2 decades of postseason play (the polls from this era will confirm this, which is why schools like LaSalle, and Duquesne still rank surprisingly high on those various all time lists despite doing little the last 40 years). The appeal of playing in The Garden, especially for teams in the northeast, and Great Lakes, was far more attractive than going to play some football school in a podunk town, where the refs were likely to screw you. Ask that Bona fan how much the Bonnies enjoyed the NCAAs when the Stith brothers were there. UCLA put to rest any doubts about who the best team was each year though, which helped accelerate the decline of the NIT.

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

Part III: The NCAA Tournament Crowns the National Champion 1955-1959

The NIT and the NCAA Tournament – Infoplease - February 11, 2017

By the time San Francisco, with Bill Russell and K.C. Jones, was putting together back-to-back national titles in 1955–56, the NCAA tournament had overtaken the NIT as the true playoff for the National Championship. By then, the NCAAs had automatic berths for all major conference champions and had expanded from eight to 25 teams while the NIT was still inviting only 12 teams.

The 1954-55 College Basketball Season

NCAA Rule Change for 1954–55 Season • The one-and-one free throw is introduced allowing a player to take a second free throw if the first one is made.

NCAA Rule Change for 1954–55 Season • Games return to two 20-minute halves.

February 21, 1955 AP Men's Top 20 Basketball Poll

1. San Francisco
2. Kentucky
3. La Salle
4. Duquesne
5. Marquette
6. NC State
7. Minnesota
8. Utah
9. UCLA
10. George Washington
11. Dayton

Dayton Flyers 2019-20 Media Guide – University of Dayton – November 5, 2019 [Page 96: The 1954-55 Dayton Flyers Season]

February 26, 1955 - #11 Dayton 67, #4 Duquesne 58 (Attendance at UD Fieldhouse: 5,808)

February 26, 1955 - Wilt Chamberlain commited to Coach Tom Blackburn and the Dayton Flyers.

Who was the most influential person in the storied University of Dayton Basketball Program? – UDPride Message Board – December 17, 2014

In Post # 19 Alberto Strasse wrote: ‘Blackburn and Wilt’: Ritter Collett wrote about what happened when Wilt Chamberlain visited Dayton [on February 25, 1955]. This story is important to me because I was in the Fieldhouse as a very young boy when Chamberlain was introduced to the crowd. The Flyers were playing the vaunted Duquesne Dukes – then a top 10 team coached by Doody Moore and featuring Sihugo Green and the Rickets brothers. They were ALL staying at the Biltmore hotel in Downtown Dayton.

Tom Blackburn, according to Collett, did not want Wilt to be seen by Coach Moore from Duquesne. He ordered Wilt to be served his meals in his room using room service. Blackburn was afraid that the coach with the higher rated team would steal his recruit.

In Post # 22 Viperstick wrote: According to Hal McCoy, Wilt Chamberlain did commit to UD, before committing to KU:

If the self-anointed national experts did any research, any homework, they would know that Wilt Chamberlain committed to UD but at the last moment he switched to the University of Kansas.

In Post # 23 Lifelong Flyer Fan wrote: I found it. Bucky Albers story when Wilt died in 1999. It was the other schools recruiting him that told him what "being able to order anything from room service and not have to pay for it" meant. He actually said he left Dayton with a good impression and said the only game he remembered from his recruitment was the Dayton vs. Duquesne game.

1954-55 College Basketball Recap – Infoplease - February 11, 2017

After opening the 1954–55 campaign with two quick wins, San Francisco lost its third game to UCLA (47–40, in Westwood) before running off 21 consecutive victories to finish the regular season first in the AP poll.

Led by guard K.C. Jones and center Bill Russell, the Dons edged PCC champ Oregon State, 57–56, in the West Regional final at Corvallis, Ore., then went on to meet Tom Gola and defending champion La Salle in the NCAA Championship game in Kansas City. In a surprise move, USF coach Phil Woolpert assigned the 6-1 Jones to cover the 6-7 Gola and K.C. outscored UPI's first Player of the Year, 24–16. Russell, meanwhile, scored 23 and pulled down 25 rebounds as the Dons beat the third-ranked Explorers easily, 77–63, to end the year at 28–1.

No.2 Kentucky entered the NCAA tournament at 22–2, but was an eight point loser to Marquette in the semifinals of the East Regional.

In March, 1955, the President of the University of San Francisco had a very difficult choice to make – which post-season tournament invitation should the Dons basketball team accept?

From its inception in 1937, the winner of the National Invitational Tournament had always been considered to be college basketball’s National Champions - by sports writers, college basketball fans, and the wider media. In fact, just six years previously, the San Francisco Dons won the 1949 NIT with their thrilling 48-47 win over Loyola Chicago at Madison Square Garden, and were proclaimed basketball’s National Champions. But in March, 1955, the President of USF listened to his AD, basketball Coach Phil Woolpert, students, alumni, fans and benefactors, and chose the favorable geography of the NCAA Tournament over the established prestige of the NIT.

1955 NCAA Tournament West-2 First Round: Cow Palace, San Francisco, California – capacity: 12,953 ==> Distance from USF campus: 8 miles.

1955 NCAA Tournament West-2 Regional: Oregon State Coliseum, Corvallis, Oregon – capacity: 10,000 ==> Distance from USF campus: 575 miles.

1955 NCAA Tournament Final Four: Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri - capacity: 7,300 ==> Distance from USF campus: 1,805 miles.

1955 NIT: Madison Square Garden, NYC – capacity: 18,496 ==> Distance from USF campus: 2,909 miles.

1955 Final AP Top 20 Poll

1. San Francisco
2. Kentucky • SEC
3. La Salle
4. NC State • ACC
5. Iowa • Big Ten
6. Duquesne
7. Utah ==> NCAA Tournament
8. Marquette
9. Dayton
10. Oregon State
20. Saint Louis

Before the first post-season game even tipped off, the NCAA Tournament field had garnered 9 of the AP Top 20 teams, including four teams ranked higher than any teams in the NIT field, which included only three teams in the AP Top 20.

1955 NCAA Basketball Tournament

The 24-team 1955 NCAA Basketball Tournament began on March 8, 1955, and ended with the championship game on March 19 in Kansas City, Missouri. San Francisco, coached by Phil Woolpert, won the national title with a 77–63 victory in the final game over La Salle, coached by Ken Loeffler. Bill Russell of San Francisco was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

East Regional Participants: Canisius, Duke, Iowa, Kentucky, La Salle, Marquette, Memphis State, Miami (OH), Penn State, Princeton, Villanova, West Virginia, Williams

West Regional Participants: Bradley, Colorado, Idaho State, Oklahoma City, Oregon State, San Francisco, Seattle, SMU, Tulsa, Utah, West Texas State

1955 NCAA Tournament Final Four: La Salle 76, Iowa 73 • San Francisco 62, Colorado 50

1955 COLLEGE BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: San Francisco 77, La Salle 63 (Attendance: 7,300

1954-55 San Francisco Dons Schedule & Results • 1954-55 San Francisco Dons Roster and Stats

1955 National Champions San Francisco Dons – University of San Francisco

The 1954–55 San Francisco Dons Basketball Team - Wikipedia

This lengthy article is well worth a read: San Francisco Dons – Fandom/NBA Wiki - 2008

1955 National Invitational Tournament

The twelve-team 1955 National Invitation Tournament was the eighteenth edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition.

Eight teams played in the first round, with four teams awarded first-round byes: Duquesne, Dayton, Holy Cross, Cincinnati.

Participants: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Dayton, Duquesne, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Louisville, Manhattan, Niagara, Saint Francis (PA), Saint Louis, Seton Hall.

1955 NIT Semifinal Games: Duquesne 65, Cincinnati 61 • Dayton 79, Saint Francis (PA) 73

1955 NIT Final: Duquesne 70, Dayton 58

1954-55 Duquesne Dukes Schedule & Results • 1954-55 Duquesne Dukes Roster and Stats

1954-55 Dayton Flyers Schedule & Results • 1954-55 Dayton Flyers Roster and Stats

50 Years Ago, Sihugo Green and Dick Ricketts Led Duquesne to the NIT Title – Phil Axelrod, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - March 16, 2005

"The NCAA tournament was second-fiddle back then," said Ray Goss, the longtime radio voice of the Dukes who was a freshman at the university in 1955. "We chose the NIT over the NCAA that year," recalled Mickey Winograd, a hard-nosed, 6’-2” junior playmaker on the 1955 team.

The undersized Dukes slayed the giant Dayton Flyers in the NIT championship , 70-58, on March 20, 1955 before a sellout crowd of 18,496 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Duquesne's strengths were Sihugo Green, a 6-3 junior forward with leaping ability that allowed him to guard Dayton's 7-foot Bill Uhl, and 6-7 senior center Dick Ricketts, a graceful big man who could step outside and hit the mid-range jumper.

Green and Ricketts combined to score all 35 of Duquesne's first-half points as the Dukes led the Flyers, 35-30, at intermission. Green finished with 33 points and Dick Ricketts with 23. Dayton's Jack Sallee, who had scored 50 points in two previous NIT games, managed just two against the passionate defense of Mickey Winograd. "I used to guard the other team's top scoring guard. I was a tough little kid ," Winograd said. "We all played tough defense. We had to box out and do anything we could because we were a very small team." Dayton's only offensive threats were Uhl with 25 points and 6-8 Johnny Horan with 20. Dick Ricketts remains Duquesne's all-time leading scorer (1,963 points) and rebounder (1,359).

The 1955 Final AP Poll included 5 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 6 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 1955 NIT included 8 Catholic schools in its 12-team field (67 %).
The 1955 NCAA Tournament included 5 Catholic schools in its 24-team field (21 %).
The 1955 postseason tournaments included 13 Catholic school in a combined field of 36 teams (36 %).

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A Brief Timeline of the 1950s - Jennifer Rosenberg, ThoughtCo.com - Updated March 5, 2020

1955

The good news of 1955: On July 17, Disneyland Park opened, the first of two theme parks built at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, the only theme park designed and built by Walt Disney himself. Entrepreneur businessman Ray Kroc founded a franchise business on a successful restaurant operated by brothers Dick and Mac McDonald, forming what would become McDonald's.

The bad news: 24-year-old actor James Dean died in a car accident on September 20, after making only three movies.

The civil rights movement began with the August 28 murder of Emmett Till, the refusal on December 1 by Rosa Parks to give up her seat on the bus to a white man, and the subsequent Montgomery Bus Boycott. In November, the first retractable seat belts were described in the Journal of the American Medical Association by neurologist C. Hunter Shelden.

1955 American Car Spotters Guide • Top 10 Movies of 1955 • Top 10 Actors/Actresses • 1955 Oscar Winners

The Billboard Top 30 Singles of 1955 • Top 100 Pop Songs in 1955 - Playback.FM Music Links
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September 28 to October 4, 1955 - In the 1955 World Series, the Brooklyn Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in seven games to capture their first championship in franchise history. It would be the only Series the Dodgers won while based in Brooklyn, as the team relocated to Los Angeles after the 1957 season.

The 1955-56 College Basketball Season

1955-56 College Basketball Recap – Infoplease - February 11, 2017

Defending national champion San Francisco staked its claim as the best college basketball team ever in 1955–56. The Dons entered the season on a 26–game winning streak and exited with a record 55 in a row by becoming the first undefeated team (29–0) ever to win the NCAA title.

All four of USF's tourney opponents were ranked—No.8 UCLA, No.18 Utah, No.7 SMU, and No.4 Iowa—and the Dons beat them all by at least 11 points. Iowa, the Big Ten champ for the second straight year, came into the NCAA final on a 17–game win streak of its own before losing, 83–71.

USF center Bill Russell might have clinched his second tournament Most Outstanding Player award if Temple's 5-11 Hal Lear hadn't scored 160 point in five games. But the defensive-minded Russell was everybody's Player of the year and established such an intimidating court presence that following the season, the NCAA passed the so-called “Russell-Rule,” extending the foul lane from six to 12 feet.

1956 Final AP Top 20 Poll

Rank. Team (First-place votes) • Conference • Record • Points

1. San Francisco (66 First-place votes) 25-0 • 1161
2. NC State (9) • ACC • 24-3 • 809
3. Dayton (2) • 23-3 • 786
4. Iowa (8) • Big Ten • 17-5 • 755
5. Alabama (27) SEC • 21-3 • 712
6. Louisville (2) • 23-3 • 551
7. SMU (3) • Southwest • 22-2 • 450
8. UCLA (1) • 21-5 • 315
9. Kentucky (2) • SEC • 19-5 • 282
10. Illinois • Big Ten • 18-4 • 257
14. Holy Cross (1) • 22-4 • 121

1956 NCAA Basketball Tournament

The twenty-five team 1956 NCAA Basketball Tournament began on March 12, 1956, and ended with the championship game on March 24 on Northwestern University's campus in Evanston, Illinois. This was the first NCAA tournament in which the four regionals were given distinct names, although the concept of four regional winners advancing to a single site for the "Final Four" had been introduced in 1952. San Francisco, coached by Phil Woolpert, won the National Title with an 83–71 victory in the final game over Iowa.

East Regional: The Palestra, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Midwest Regional: Iowa Field House, Iowa City, Iowa
West Regional: Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kansas
Far West Regional: Oregon State Coliseum, Corvallis, Oregon

Final Four: McGaw Memorial Hall, Evanston, Illinois

East Regional Participants: Canisius, Connecticut, Dartmouth, Holy Cross, Manhattan, NC State, Temple, West Virginia

Midwest Regional Participants: DePaul, Iowa, Kentucky, Marshall, Morehead State, Wayne State (MI)

West Regional Participants: Houston, Kansas State, Memphis State, Oklahoma City, SMU, Texas Tech

Far West Regional Participants: Idaho State, San Francisco, Seattle, UCLA, Utah,

1956 NCAA Tournament Final Four: Iowa 83, Temple 76 • San Francisco 86, SMU 68

1956 COLLEGE BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: San Francisco 83, Iowa 71

The 1955-56 San Francisco Dons Basketball Team - Wikipedia

1955-56 San Francisco Dons Schedule & Results • 1955-56 San Francisco Dons Roster and Stats

The 1955-56 San Francisco Dons - Anderson, Sports Illustrated – July 3, 2006

Fifty years ago Bill Russell and his USF teammates dominated college basketball with defense and forever changed the way the game is played.

1956 National Invitational Tournament

The twelve-team 1956 National Invitation Tournament was the nineteenth edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. In the Final, held in Madison Square Garden, #2 seed Louisville defeated #1 Dayton 93-80.

Nine of the twelve NIT teams represented Catholic schools. Eight teams played in the first round, with four teams awarded first-round byes and seeds: #1 Dayton, #2 Louisville, #3 Saint Joseph's, #4 Niagara. It is worth noting that neither Saint Joseph's nor Niagarawere ranked in the 1956 Final AP Poll .

Participants: Below is a list of the 12 teams selected for the tournament. The top four teams were seeded and received a bye in the first round.

#1 Dayton, #2 Louisville, color=red]#3 Saint Joseph's,[/color] #4 Niagara, Duquesne, Lafayette, Marquette, Oklahoma A&M, St. Francis (NY), Saint Louis, Seton Hall, Xavier.

1956 NIT Semifinal Games: #2 Louisville 89, #3 Saint Joseph's 79 • #1 Dayton 89, St. Francis (NY) 58

1956 NIT Final: #2 Louisville 93, #1 Dayton 80

1955-56 Dayton Flyers Schedule & Results • 1955-56 Dayton Flyers Roster and Stats

The 1956 Final AP Poll included 2 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 3 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 1956 NIT included 9 Catholic schools in its 12-team field (75 %).
The 1956 NCAA Tournament included 6 Catholic schools in its 25-team field (24 %).
The 1956 postseason tournaments included 15 Catholic school in a combined field of 37 teams (41 %).

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A Brief Timeline of the 1950s - Jennifer Rosenberg, ThoughtCo.com - Updated March 5, 2020

1956

On the light side of 1956, Elvis Presley burst onto the entertainment scene with a September 9th appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show;" on April 18, actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier III of Monaco; that great device, the TV remote, was invented by Robert Adler who called his ultrasonic device the Zenith Space Command. On October 29, the Suez Crisis began when Israeli armed forces invaded Egypt over their nationalization of the critical waterway known as the Suez Canal.

1956 American Car Spotters Guide • Top 10 Movies of 1956 • Top 10 Actors/Actresses • 1956 Oscar Winners

The Billboard Top 30 Singles of 1956 • Top 100 Pop Songs in 1956 - Playback.FM Music Links
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January 1 to December 15, 1956 - Elvis Presley Tours America. Elvis Presley's career was just starting to soar in 1956. It was an incredibly busy year, both professionally and personally. Not only did he record and release some of his most legendary songs, but he also released his first album and made his first movie. Elvis performed on a variety of stages in 1956. He performed everywhere from TV sets to auditoriums to a university's field house. Evis traveled roughly more than 41,000 miles and visited 26 states as well as Washington D.C.

May 28, 1956 - The first Elvis Presley Concert at UD Fieldhouse takes place.

June 29, 1956 – President Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 into law. Under the act, the federal government would pay for 90 percent of the cost of construction of Interstate Highways. Each Interstate Highway was required to be a controlled-access highway with at least four lanes and no at-grade crossings. The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System had an initial cost estimate of $25 billion over 12 years; it ended up costing $114 billion (equivalent to $521 billion in 2018) and took 35 years to build.

August 13 to 17, 1956 - At the 1956 Democratic National Convention (held in the International Amphitheatre on the South Side of Chicago), former Governor Adlai Stevenson of Illinois was nominated for president and Senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee was nominated for vice president.

August 20 to 23, 1956 - At the 1956 Republican National Convention (held at the Cow Palace in San Francisco), President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Vice President Richard M. Nixon were renominated as the party's candidates for the 1956 election.

October 3 to 10, 1956 - In the 1956 World Series, the New York Yankees beat the defending champion Brooklyn Dodgers in seven games. The Series was a rematch of the 1955 World Series. It was the last all-New York City Series until 44 years later in 2000, as the Dodgers and the New York Giants moved to California after the 1957 season. The highlight was Don Larsen's perfect game in Game 5.

November 6, 1956 - The 1956 United States Elections saw no major change in power, as the Republicans defended the presidency and the Democrats retained control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The 1956-57 College Basketball Season

NCAA Rule Change for 1955–1957 Season • Grasping the rim is ruled unsportsmanlike conduct.

NCAA Rule Change for 1956–1957 Season • The free-throw lane is increased from 6 feet to 12 feet in width.


Six-foot wide free throw lane prior to 1956-57 season.

December 3, 1956 - University of Kansas center Wilt Chamberlain made his varsity debut. In his first game, he scored 52 points and grabbed 31 rebounds, breaking both all-time Kansas records in an 87–69 win against Northwestern.

1956-57 College Basketball Recap – Infoplease - February 11, 2017

North Carolina became the first team from the Old South to win the NCAA tournament, but the Tar Heels did it with a roster full of Irish Catholic Yankees (and one Jew) from coach Frank McGuire's hometown of New York City. They also did it by winning two triple overtime games in less than 24 hours at the Final Four and beating Wilt Chamberlain in the title game.

The Tar Heels won the first No.1 vs No.2 championship game since 1949 in the first title game overtime in tourney history. In the third extra period, North Carolina’s Joe Quigg sank two foul shots with six seconds left for the win. Wilt Chamberlain, a sophomore, led all scorers with 23 points and was named MVP.

1957 Final AP Top 20 Poll

1. North Carolina • ACC
2. Kansas • Big 7
3. Kentucky • SEC
4. SMU • Southwest
5. Seattle
6. Louisville
7. West Virginia
8. Vanderbilt • SEC
9. Oklahoma City
10. Saint Louis
17. Notre Dame
20. Canisius

1957 NCAA Basketball Tournament

The twenty-three team 1957 NCAA Basketball Tournament began on March 11, 1957, and ended with the championship game on March 23 in Kansas City, Missouri.

The 1956–57 school year was the first in which NCAA members were formally divided into separate competitive levels, with larger and more competitive athletic programs placed in the University Division (known since 1973 as NCAA Division I), and smaller programs placed in the College Division (which would itself be divided into Divisions II and III in 1973).

North Carolina, coached by Frank McGuire, won the national title with a 54–53 triple-overtime victory in the final game over Kansas, coached by Dick Harp. Wilt Chamberlain of Kansas became the 4th player to be named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player despite not playing for the championship team.

East Regional: The Palestra, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mideast Regional: Memorial Coliseum, Lexington, Kentucky
Midwest Regional: SMU Coliseum, Dallas, Texas
West Regional: Oregon State Coliseum, Corvallis, Oregon

Final Four: Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City

East Regional Participants: Canisius, Connecticut, Lafayette, North Carolina, Syracuse, West Virginia, Yale

Mideast Regional Participants: Kentucky, Miami (OH), Michigan State, Morehead State, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh

Midwest Regional Participants: Kansas, Loyola (LA), Oklahoma City, SMU, Saint Louis

West Regional Participants: BYU, California, Hardin–Simmons, Idaho State, San Francisco

1957 NCAA Tournament Final Four: North Carolina 74, Michigan State 70, OT • Kansas 80, San Francisco 56

1957 COLLEGE BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: North Carolina 54, Kansas 53 OT

1957 National Invitational Tournament

The twelve-team 1957 National Invitation Tournament was the twentieth edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. Bradley defeated Memphis 84-83 in the Finals, held in Madison Square Garden.

Participants: Bradley, Cincinnati, Dayton, Manhattan, Memphis, St. Bonaventure, Saint Peter's, Seattle, Seton Hall, Temple, Utah, Xavier

1957 NIT Semifinal Games: Memphis 80, St. Bonaventure 78, • Bradley 94, Temple 66

1957 NIT Final: Bradley 84, Memphis 83

The 1957 Final AP Poll included 2 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 4 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 1957 NIT included 7 Catholic schools in its 12-team field (58 %).
The 1957 NCAA Tournament included 5 Catholic schools in its 23-team field (22 %).
The 1957 postseason tournaments included 12 Catholic school in a combined field of 35 teams (34 %).

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A Brief Timeline of the 1950s - Jennifer Rosenberg, ThoughtCo.com - Updated March 5, 2020

1957

The year 1957 is most remembered for the October 4 launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik, which orbited for three weeks and began the space race and the space age. On March 12, Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) published the children's classic "The Cat in the Hat," selling over one million copies within three years. ON March 25, the European Economic Community was established by a treaty signed by representatives of France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg.

1957 American Car Spotters Guide • Top 10 Movies of 1957 • Top 10 Actors/Actresses • 1957 Oscar Winners

The Billboard Top 30 Singles of 1957 • Top 100 Pop Songs in 1957 - Playback.FM Music Links
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September 23, 1957 - President Eisenhower issued Executive Order 10730, which put the Arkansas National Guard under federal authority, and sent 1,000 U.S. Army troops from the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock to maintain order as Central High School desegregated.

October 2 to 10, 1957 - In the 1957 World Series, the Milwaukee Braves beat the defending champion New York Yankees in seven games. Hank Aaron led all regulars with a .393 average and eleven hits, including a triple, three home runs and seven RBI.

The 1957-58 College Basketball Season

NCAA Rule Change for 1957–1958 Season • Offensive goaltending is now banned

1957-58 College Basketball Recap – Infoplease - February 11, 2017

Sophomores Jerry West of West Virginia and Oscar Robertson of Cincinnati burst on the scene in 1957–58 and led their teams to the top of the final AP Top 25. West and the Mountaineers were 26–1 through the regular season, winning their fourth straight Southern Conference title. Cincinnati was 24–2 and conference champ in its first year as a member of the Missouri Valley, while Robertson became the first sophomore ever to lead the nation in scoring (35.1) and gain Player of the Year honors. Come the NCAAs, however, both teams lost their opening games—West Virginia to unranked Manhattan and Cincinnati to No.3 Kansas State.

The eventual National Champion turned out to be ninth-ranked Kentucky, giving coach Adolph Rupp four NCAA titles. The Wildcats reached the Final Four in Louisville, then proceeded to slip past Temple, 61–60, in the semifinals and beat Elgin Baylor and Seattle by 12 for the Championship.

Wilt Chamberlain and Kansas, NCAA finalists in 1957, lost the Big Eight crown to Kansas State and didn't make it back for the '58 tournament. Wilt then decided not to return for the 1958–59 season and signed with the Harlem Globetrotters for $65,000.

In the NIT, unranked Xavier of Ohio, which entered the tourney with a 15-11 record, upset defending champion and No.14 Bradley in the quarterfinals and did the same to No.11 Dayton in the finals—winning 78–74 in overtime.

March, 1958 - In Liverpool, Quarry Bank High School students John Lennon (age 17), Paul McCartney (age 16), and George Harrison (age 16) formed a band called The Quarrymen.

1958 Final AP Top 20 Poll

1. West Virginia ==> NCAA Tournament
2. Cincinnati ==> NCAA Tournament
3. Kansas State • Big 8 ==> NCAA Tournament
4. San Francisco ==> NCAA Tournament
5. Temple ==> NCAA Tournament
6. Maryland • ACC ==> NCAA Tournament
7. Kansas • Big 8 ==> NCAA Tournament
8. Notre Dame ==> NCAA Tournament
9. Kentucky • SEC ==> NCAA Tournament
10. Duke • ACC
11. Dayton ==> NIT
18. Seattle ==> NCAA Tournament

The 1958 NIT was the nail in the coffin for the NIT’s prestige, as for the first time since its inception, the NIT failed to attract a single team ranked in the AP Poll Top 10. No one disputes that the San Francisco Dons were the best college basketball team in the country in 1955 and 1956, and the greater prestige of the NCAA Tournament was cemented in 1957 when AP #1 North Carolina beat AP #2 Kansas 54-53 in overtime to win the NCAA Tournament and be proclaimed ‘National Champions’.

1958 NCAA Basketball Tournament

The twenty-four team 1958 NCAA Basketball Tournament began on March 11, and ended with the championship game on Saturday, March 22, in Louisville, Kentucky.

Led by head coach Adolph Rupp, the Kentucky Wildcats won the National Title with an 84–72 victory in the final game over Seattle, coached by John Castellani. The Chieftains led by 39–36 at the half, but star forward Elgin Baylor picked up his fourth personal foul with over sixteen minutes remaining. The Chieftains were outscored by fifteen in the second half, and Baylor was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

East Regional: Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina
Mideast Regional: Memorial Coliseum, Lexington, Kentucky
Midwest Regional: Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kansas
West Regional: Cow Palace, San Francisco, California

Final Four: Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky

East Regional Participants: Boston College, Connecticut, Dartmouth, Manhattan, Maryland, Temple, West Virginia

Mideast Regional Participants: Indiana, Kentucky, Miami (OH), Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Tennessee Tech

Midwest Regional Participants: Arkansas, Cincinnati, Kansas State, Loyola (LA), Oklahoma State

West Regional Participants: Arizona State, California, Idaho State, San Francisco, Seattle, Wyoming

1958 NCAA Tournament Final Four: Kentucky 61, Temple 60 • Seattle 73, Kansas State 51

1958 COLLEGE BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Kentucky 84, Seattle 72

NIT Historical Facts – USA Today - March 25, 2002

In 1958, Xavier lost 10 of its final 15 regular-season games after a 10-1 start and the NIT asked the Musketeers to give back its NIT bid. Xavier, however, said "no" and went on to win the 1958 NIT title despite being seeded last under first-year head coach Jim McCafferty.

1958 National Invitational Tournament

The twelve-team 1958 National Invitation Tournament was the twenty-first edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. Xavier defeated Dayton 78-74 in the Final, held in Madison Square Garden.

Participants: Bradley, Butler, Dayton, Fordham, Niagara, Saint Francis (PA), Saint Joseph's, Saint Peter's, St. Bonaventure, St. John's, Utah, Xavier

1958 NIT Semifinal Games: Dayton 80, St. John's 56 • Xavier 72, St. Bonaventure 53

1958 NIT Final: Xavier 78, Dayton 74, OT

1957-58 Xavier Musketeers Schedule & Results • 1957-58 Xavier Musketeers Roster and Stats

1957-58 Dayton Flyers Schedule & Results • 1957-58 Dayton Flyers Roster and Stats

1958 NIT Champions to be Honored February 10th – Xavier University - January 17, 2008

The 1957-58 Musketeers became the first school from Ohio to win a national championship in basketball by winning the 1958 National Invitation Tournament. Led by first-year head coach Jim McCafferty, the Musketeers defeated Niagara, Bradley, and St. Bonaventure to reach the NIT championship game at Madison Square Garden in New York. In the final, Xavier defeated rival #11 Dayton 78-74 in overtime. Sport magazine called Xavier's Cinderella run "one of the greatest upsets in basketball history".

Xavier was seeded last in the tournament after losing 10 of its last 15 regular season games after starting 10-1. Four Musketeers were named to the All-Tournament Team, including MVP Hank Stein, after XU knocked off the highly-favored Flyers.

Xavier University’s claim that “The 1957-58 Musketeers became the first school from Ohio to win a national championship in basketball” is not recognized by anyone outside the Xavier community/fanbase. Even the Xavier student newspaper is careful to avoid calling Xavier’s 1958 NIT win a ‘national championship’:

Xavier Takes Down No 11 Rival Dayton Flyers In Nit Final - Adam Tortelli, The Xavier Newswire - October 24, 2013

March 22, 1958, ignited Xavier’s long list of men’s basketball accomplishments with a 78-74 victory over nemesis and No. 11 ranked Dayton in the National Invitational Tournament’s (NIT) championship game — many still argue Xavier had no business playing in the tournament.

The 1957-58 season went downhill after a 10-1 beginning due to the academic ineligibility of Cornelius “Corny” Freeman (top rebounder and scorer for the Musketeers) in the second semester. Despite losing seven of their last eight games played and being asked by NIT officials to give up their bid, Xavier and rookie head coach Jim McCaffery refused to relinquish what they had rightfully earned.

After ending the season with back-to-back losses, XU was given the 12th seed in the 12-team tournament. Poor plays in the second half of the season and the inability to recover from Freeman’s ineligibility left the players and coaches feeling pessimistic. The majority of the team only planned on being in New York City for one or two days, maximum. However, with their backs against the wall, the Musketeers prevailed to pile on four victories over Niagara University, No. 2 Bradley University and No. 3 St. Bonaventure University in one of the nation’s most prestigious postseason tournaments at the time.

After a long and excruciating three months of basketball without its best player, Xavier headed into Madison Square Garden to face off against the top-seed in the tournament, No. 11 in the country and up-the-road rival Dayton. The Dayton Flyers already won the two regular season matchups and an upset seemed nothing short of a miracle against a familiar team. Dayton already finished as NIT runner-ups in 1951, 1952, 1955, and 1956.

The 1958 Final AP Poll included 2 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 4 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 1958 NIT included 9 Catholic schools in its 12-team field (75 %).
The 1958 NCAA Tournament included 6 Catholic schools in its 24-team field (25 %).
The 1958 postseason tournaments included 15 Catholic school in a combined field of 36 teams (42 %).

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A Brief Timeline of the 1950s - Jennifer Rosenberg, ThoughtCo.com - Updated March 5, 2020

1958

On October 23, Boris Pasternak was awarded a Nobel Prize for Literature, but the Soviet government, which had attempted to ban his novel Doctor Zhivago, forced him to reject it. On July 29, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the act establishing The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Hula hoops were invented by Arthur K. "Spud" Melin and Richard Knerr and the toy was to take the world of kids by storm. And a toy that would become a classic was introduced: LEGO toy bricks, pioneered and patented the final shape, even though the right material for the product took another five years to develop. Chinese Leader Mao Tse-tung launched the "Great Leap Forward," a failed five-year economic and social effort that led to millions of deaths and was abandoned by 1961.

1958 American Car Spotters Guide • Top 10 Movies of 1958 • Top 10 Actors/Actresses • 1958 Oscar Winners

The Billboard Top 30 Singles of 1958 • Top 100 Pop Songs in 1958 - Playback.FM Music Links
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October 1 to 9, 1958 - The 1958 World Series was a rematch of the 1957 World Series. The New York Yankees defeated the defending champion Milwaukee Braves in seven games for their 18th title, and their seventh in 10 years.

November 4, 1958 - The 1958 United States Elections took place in the middle of Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower's second term. Eisenhower's party suffered large losses. They lost 48 seats to the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives, and also lost thirteen seats in the U.S. Senate to the Democrats. This marked the first time that the six-year itch phenomenon occurred during a Republican presidency since Ulysses S. Grant's second term in 1874. Alaska and Hawaii were admitted as states during the 86th Congress. The ranks of liberal Democrats swelled as the Republican Party suffered several losses in the Northeast and the West. The election contributed to a weakening of the conservative coalition and those opposed to the civil rights movement, allowing for the eventual passage of the Great Society and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The election saw an influx of northern Democrats who sought to reform the Congressional seniority system, which often gave the best positions to senior southerners who rarely faced difficult re-elections and thus were able to rack up long terms of service.

The 1958-59 College Basketball Season

1958-59 College Basketball Recap – Infoplease - February 11, 2017

Ten years after leading an unheralded San Francisco team to the NIT championship, coach Pete Newell did the same thing in the NCAAs, this time with California. Newell's defensive-minded Golden Bears, led by 6-10 Darrall Imhoff and 6-5 Bill McClintock, went 20–4 during the regular season, held the opposition to 51 points a game, and were ranked No.11 by AP. At the Final Four in Louisville, they had to play Oscar Robertson and Jerry West on consecutive nights. Cal beat Cincinnati in the semifinals, 64–58, holding Robertson and the Bearcats 26 points below their per game average. In the final, West scored 28, but the Bears won 71–70.

West was named tournament MVP, the fourth straight year the honor went to a member of a losing team. The other three were Hal Lear of Temple and two future L.A. Lakers teammates of West's—Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor. The country's top two teams at the end of the regular season, Kansas State and Kentucky, were knocked out of the NCAA tournament in the regionals—No.1 K-State by Cincinnati in the Midwest final and UK by cross-state rival Louisville in the Mideast semifinals. No.3 Mississippi State (24–1), the SEC champion, refused an invitation to the NCAAs because it was an integrated event.

1959 Final AP Top 20 Poll

1. Kansas State • Big 8
2. Kentucky • SEC
3. Mississippi State • SEC
4. Bradley
5. Cincinnati
6. NC State • ACC
7. Michigan State • Big Ten
8. Auburn • SEC
9. North Carolina • ACC
10. West Virginia
11. California
12. Saint Louis
13. Seattle
14. Saint Joseph's
15. Saint Mary's (CA)
19. St. Bonaventure
20. Marquette

1959 NCAA Basketball Tournament

The twenty-three team 1959 NCAA Basketball Tournament began on March 7, 1959, and ended with the championship game on March 21 in Louisville, Kentucky. California, coached by Pete Newell, won the National Title with a 71–70 victory in the final game over West Virginia, coached by Fred Schaus. Jerry West of West Virginia was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

East Regional: Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina
Mideast Regional: McGaw Memorial Hall, Evanston, Illinois
Midwest Regional: Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kansas
West Regional: Cow Palace, San Francisco, California

Final Four: Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky

East Regional Participants: Boston University, Connecticut, Dartmouth, Navy, North Carolina, Saint Joseph's, West Virginia

Mideast Regional Participants: Bowling Green, Eastern Kentucky, Kentucky, Louisville, Marquette, Michigan State

Midwest Regional Participants: Cincinnati, DePaul, Kansas State, Portland, TCU

West Regional Participants: California, Idaho State, New Mexico State, Saint Mary's, Utah

1959 NCAA Tournament Final Four: West Virginia 94, Louisville 79 • California 64, Cincinnati 58

1959 COLLEGE BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: California 71, West Virginia 70

1959 National Invitational Tournament

The twelve-team 1959 National Invitation Tournament was the twenty-second edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. St. John's 76, defeated Bradley 76-71 in the Final, held in Madison Square Garden.

Participants: Bradley, Butler, Denver, Fordham, Manhattan, NYU, Oklahoma City, Providence, St. Bonaventure, St. John's, Saint Louis, Villanova

1959 NIT Semifinal Games: Bradley 59, NYU 57 • Providence 55, St. John's 76

1959 NIT Final: St. John's 76, Bradley 71

1958-59 St. John’s Redmen Schedule & Results • 1958-59 St. John’s Redmen Roster and Stats

1959 St. John’s Redmen Basketball Team – Wikipedia

Alan Seiden, a Key to a St. John’s 1959 NIT Title, Is Dead at 71 - Richard Goldstein, The New York Times - May 5, 2008

Alan Seiden, an all-American guard who helped lead the St. John’s basketball team to the 1959 National Invitation Tournament title, died Saturday at his home in Jamaica Estates, Queens. He was 71. Seiden had a team-high 22 points for St. John’s when it defeated Bradley, 76-71, in overtime, in the NIT final in 1959, when the tournament was still a prestigious postseason event, held solely at Madison Square Garden.

The 1959 Final AP Poll included NO Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 6 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 1959 NIT included 7 Catholic schools in its 12-team field (58 %).
The 1959 NCAA Tournament included 5 Catholic schools in its 23-team field (22 %).
The 1959 postseason tournaments included 12 Catholic school in a combined field of 35 teams (34 %).

=====================================================================================================================
A Brief Timeline of the 1950s - Jennifer Rosenberg, ThoughtCo.com - Updated March 5, 2020

1959

On the first day of 1959, Fidel Castro, leader of the Cuban Revolution, became the dictator of Cuba and brought communism to the Caribbean country. The year also saw the famous Kitchen Debate on July 24 between Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon, one of a series of impromptu discussions between the two. The great fixed quiz show scandals—in which contestants were secretly given assistance by the show producers—were first revealed in 1959.

In the 1959 World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago White Sox, 4–2. Each of the three games played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum drew record crowds, Game 5's attendance of 92,706 continues to be a World Series record to this day, and one which cannot feasibly be broken in any modern ballpark. It was the Dodgers' second World Series victory in five years, their first in Los Angeles, and marked the first championship for a West Coast team. It was the first World Series in which no pitcher for either side pitched a complete game. This was the only Fall Classic played during the period from 1949 through 1964 in which no games were played in New York City.

1959 American Car Spotters Guide • Top 10 Movies of 1959 • Top 10 Actors/Actresses • 1959 Oscar Winners

The Billboard Top 30 Singles of 1959 • Top 100 Pop Songs in 1959 - Playback.FM Music Links

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

Part IV: Comparing the 1950s to the Ten-School Big East Era

… 1. Introduction
… 2. AP Polls and NCAA Tournaments: 2014 to 2020
… 3. Data Extraction: 2014 to 2020
… 4. Data Extraction: 1950 to 1959
… 5. Ranking the Years: Final AP Poll Top 10
… 6. Ranking the Years: Final AP Poll Top 20
… 7. Ranking the Years: Post-Season Tournament Invitations
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1. Introduction

Part II and Part III above included a lot of detailed information about Catholic college basketball in the 1950s. In Part IV, I will provide a context for that information by comparing it to similar information extracted from the previous seven seasons, i.e., the 2013-14 season through the incomplete 2019-20 season, when the Big East existed as a ten-school conference. In order to make these comparisons as accurate and meaningful as possible, I will be comparing ‘apples with apples’ by ‘trimming’ the raw data from the more-recent period to match the data extracted from the 1950s. This will be accomplished by incorporating the following four adjustments:

1. The AP Men’s Basketball Polls from 1949 to 1960 ranked the Top 20 teams for each season. In 1990, the AP Poll was expanded to include the Top 25 teams. Therefore, in order to compare ‘apples with apples’ in Part IV, I will recognize only the Top 20 teams in the Final AP Polls from 2014 to 2020, and ignore the teams ranked No. 21 through No. 25.

2. I will recognize the winner of the NIT as college basketball’s National Champion from 1950 through 1954, and recognize the winner of the NCAA Tournament as college basketball’s National Champion from 1955 through 1959 and from 2014 through 2019. There was no National Champion in 2020 due to the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament on March 12, 2020.

3. Noting that the post-season tournament field (NIT + NCAAT) has increased significantly in recent decades, I will make a further adjustment in order to compare ‘apples with apples’:

Year – No. of Teams in Post-season Tournament Field (NIT + NCAAT)

1950 – 20 teams ……… 1955 – 36 teams
1951 – 28 teams ……… 1956 – 37 teams
1952 – 28 teams ……… 1957 – 35 teams
1953 – 34 teams ……… 1958 – 36 teams
1954 – 36 teams ……… 1959 – 35 teams

For the purpose of comparing the percentage of Catholic schools in the post-season tournament field, I will recognize only the top 37 teams in the NCAA Tournament field as the only post-season tournament teams for the years 2014-2020. The teams ranked #38 or worse in the NCAA Tournament will not be recognized as post-season tournament teams, nor will any NIT teams.

4. As all college basketball fans know, the NCAA Tournament was cancelled after all NCAA Division I regular-season games had been played, but before the Conference Tournaments began/concluded. For the purposes of this study, the 2020 post-season tournament field will be deemed to be the top 37 teams in The 2020 Final Bracket Matrix.
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2. AP Polls and NCAA Tournaments: 2014 to 2020

2014 Final AP Men's Top 20 Basketball Poll

6. Villanova • Big East
16. Creighton • Big East

2014 NCAA Basketball Tournament

Overall NCAA Rank • Seed No. • Team • Conference • Record

5 • #2 • Villanova • Big East • 28–4
11 • #3 • Creighton • Big East • 26–7
18 • #5 • Saint Louis • Atlantic 10 • 26–6
30 • #8 • Gonzaga • West Coast • 28–6

38 • #10 • St. Joseph's • Atlantic 10 • 24–9
41 • #11 • Dayton • Atlantic 10 • 23-10
43 • #11 • Providence • Big East • 23–11
46 • #12* • Xavier • Big East • 21–12

* Team seeding designations 11* and 12* indicate assignment to First Round Play-in game at UD Arena.

2014 National Championship Game: UConn 60, Kentucky 54

The 2014 Final AP Poll included 1 Catholic school in the Top 10 and 2 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 2014 NCAA Tournament included 4 Catholic schools seeded in the Top 37 teams (11 %).

2015 Final AP Men's Top 20 Basketball Poll

2. Villanova • Big East
7. Gonzaga • West Coast
8. Notre Dame • ACC

2015 NCAA Basketball Tournament

Overall NCAA Rank • Seed No. • Team • Conference • Record

2 • #1 • Villanova • Big East • 32–22
7 • #2 • Gonzaga • West Coast • 32–2
12 • #3 • Notre Dame • ACC • 29–5
16 • #4 • Georgetown • Big East • 21–10
22 • #6 • Providence • Big East • 22–11
24 • #6 • Xavier • Big East • 21–13
33 • #9 • St. John's • Big East • 21–11

46 • #11* • Dayton • Atlantic 10 • 25-8

2015 National Championship Game: Duke 68, Wisconsin 63

The 2015 Final AP Poll included 3 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 3 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 2015 NCAA Tournament included 7 Catholic schools seeded in the Top 37 teams (19 %).

2016 Final AP Men's Top 20 Basketball Poll

6. Villanova • Big East
9. Xavier • Big East
20. Seton Hall • Big East

2016 NCAA Basketball Tournament

Overall NCAA Rank • Seed No. • Team • Conference • Record

7 • #2 • Villanova • Big East • 29–5
8 • #2 • Xavier • Big East • 27–5
22 • #6 • Notre Dame • ACC • 21–11
24 • #6 • Seton Hall • Big East • 25–8
26 • #7 • Dayton • Atlantic 10 • 25–7
32 • #8 • Saint Joseph's • Atlantic 10 • 27–7
33 • #9 • Providence • Big East • 23–10

44 • 11 • Gonzaga • WCC • 26–7

2016 National Championship Game: Villanova 77, North Carolina 74

The 2016 Final AP Poll included 2 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 3 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 2016 NCAA Tournament included 7 Catholic schools seeded in the Top 37 teams (19 %).

2017 Final AP Men's Top 20 Basketball Poll

1. Villanova • Big East
2. Gonzaga • West Coast
14. Notre Dame • ACC

2017 NCAA Basketball Tournament

Overall NCAA Rank • Seed No. • Team • Conference • Record

1 • #1 • Villanova • Big East • 31–3
4 • #1 • Gonzaga • WCC • 32–1
19 • #5 • Notre Dame • ACC • 25–9
24 • #6 • Creighton • Big East • 25–9
25 • #7 • Saint Mary's • WCC • 28–4
28 • #7 • Dayton • Atlantic 10 • 24–7
34 • #9 • Seton Hall • Big East • 21–11

39 • #10 • Marquette • Big East • 19–12
41 • #11 • Xavier • Big East • 21–13
42 • #11* • Providence • Big East • 20–12

2017 National Championship Game: North Carolina 71, Gonzaga 65

The 2017 Final AP Poll included 2 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 3 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 2017 NCAA Tournament included 7 Catholic schools seeded in the Top 37 teams (19 %).

2018 Final AP Men's Top 20 Basketball Poll

2. Villanova • Big East
3. Xavier • Big East
8. Gonzaga • West Coast[/b]

2018 NCAA Basketball Tournament

Overall NCAA Rank • Seed No. • Team • Conference • Record

2 • #1 • Villanova • Big East • 30–4
4 • #1 • Xavier • Big East • 28–5
15 • #4 • Gonzaga • WCC • 30–4
29 • #8 • Seton Hall • Big East • 21–11
30 • #8 • Creighton • Big East • 21–11
35 • #10 • Providence • Big East • 21–13

42 • #11* • St. Bonaventure • Atlantic 10 • 25–7

2018 National Championship Game: Villanova 79, Michigan 62

The 2018 Final AP Poll included 3 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 3 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 2018 NCAA Tournament included 6 Catholic schools seeded in the Top 37 teams (16 %).

2019 Final AP Men's Top 20 Basketball Poll

4. Gonzaga • West Coast

2019 NCAA Basketball Tournament

Overall NCAA Rank • Seed No. • Team • Conference • Record

4 • #1 • Gonzaga • WCC • 30–3
17 • #5 • Marquette • Big East • 24–9
21 • #6 • Villanova • Big East • 25–9

38 • #10 • Seton Hall • Big East • 20–13
44 • #11 • Saint Mary's • West Coast • 22–11
47 • #11* • St. John's • Big East • 21–12
53 • #13 • Saint Louis • Atlantic 10 • 23–12

2019 National Championship Game: Virginia 85, Texas Tech 77, OT

The 2019 Final AP Poll included 1 Catholic school in the Top 10 and 1 Catholic school in the Top 20.
The 2019 NCAA Tournament included 3 Catholic schools seeded in the Top 37 teams (8 %).

2020 Final AP Men's Top 20 Basketball Poll

2. Gonzaga • West Coast
3. Dayton • Atlantic 10
7. Creighton • Big East
10. Villanova • Big East
15. Seton Hall • Big East

2020 NCAA Basketball Tournament

On March 12, 2020 the NCAA Tournament, as well as all other NCAA championships for the remainder of the academic season, was cancelled in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. It was the first time the tournament had been cancelled since its creation in 1939. The Big East called off its tournament at halftime during a quarter-final game between Creighton and St. John's. Most major conferences also announced suspensions of all athletics. Later in the day, the NCAA announced the Tournament would be cancelled, along with all remaining winter and spring championships for the academic year.

The 2020 Final Bracket Matrix – Averages of 97 Final Brackets - bracketmatrix.com – Late March, 2020 • Record

Overall BracketMatrix Rank • Seed No. • BM Average Seed No. • Team • Conference • Record

2 • #1 • 1.00 • Gonzaga • West Coast • 31-2
4 • #1 • 1.08 • Dayton • Atlantic 10 • 29-2
7 • #2 • 2.21 • Villanova • Big East • 24-7
8 • #2 • 2.31 • Creighton • Big East • 23-7
11 • #3 • 3.30 • Seton Hall • Big East • 21-9
30 • #8 • 7.94 • St. Mary's (CA) • West Coast • 25-8
32 • #8 • 8.14 • Providence • Big East • 19-12
33 • #9 • 8.87 • Marquette • Big East • 18-12

The 2020 Final Bracket Matrix did not include any Catholic schools seeded No. 10 through No. 12.

The 2020 Final AP Poll included 4 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 5 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 2020 Final Bracket Matrix included 8 Catholic schools seeded in the Top 37 teams (22 %).
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3. Data Extraction: 2014 to 2020

The 2014 Final AP Poll included 1 Catholic school in the Top 10 and 2 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 2014 NCAA Tournament included 4 Catholic schools seeded in the Top 37 teams (11 %).

The 2015 Final AP Poll included 3 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 3 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 2015 NCAA Tournament included 7 Catholic schools seeded in the Top 37 teams (19 %).

The 2016 Final AP Poll included 2 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 3 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 2016 NCAA Tournament included 7 Catholic schools seeded in the Top 37 teams (19 %).

The 2017 Final AP Poll included 2 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 3 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 2017 NCAA Tournament included 7 Catholic schools seeded in the Top 37 teams (19 %).

The 2018 Final AP Poll included 3 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 3 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 2018 NCAA Tournament included 6 Catholic schools seeded in the Top 37 teams (16 %).

The 2019 Final AP Poll included 1 Catholic school in the Top 10 and 1 Catholic school in the Top 20.
The 2019 NCAA Tournament included 3 Catholic schools seeded in the Top 37 teams (8 %).

The 2020 Final AP Poll included 4 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 5 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 2020 Final Bracket Matrix included 8 Catholic schools seeded in the Top 37 teams (22 %).
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4. Data Extraction: 1950 to 1959

The 1950 Final AP Poll included 4 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 6 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 1950 postseason tournaments included 6 Catholic school in a combined field of 20 teams (30 %).

The 1951 Final AP Poll included 2 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 5 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 1951 postseason tournaments included 8 Catholic school in a combined field of 28 teams (29 %).

The 1952 Final AP Poll included 3 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 8 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 1952 postseason tournaments included 13 Catholic school in a combined field of 28 teams (46 %).

The 1953 Final AP Poll included 5 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 9 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 1953 postseason tournaments included 16 Catholic school in a combined field of 34 teams (47 %).

The 1954 Final AP Poll included 5 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 9 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 1954 postseason tournaments included 13 Catholic school in a combined field of 36 teams (36 %).

The 1955 Final AP Poll included 5 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 6 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 1955 postseason tournaments included 13 Catholic school in a combined field of 36 teams (36 %).

The 1956 Final AP Poll included 2 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 3 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 1956 postseason tournaments included 15 Catholic school in a combined field of 37 teams (41 %).

The 1957 Final AP Poll included 2 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 4 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 1957 postseason tournaments included 12 Catholic school in a combined field of 35 teams (34 %).

The 1958 Final AP Poll included 2 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 4 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 1958 postseason tournaments included 15 Catholic school in a combined field of 36 teams (42 %).

The 1959 Final AP Poll included NO Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 6 Catholic schools in the Top 20.
The 1959 postseason tournaments included 12 Catholic school in a combined field of 35 teams (34 %).
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5. Ranking the Years: Final AP Poll Top 10

1T. 1953 - 5 Catholic schools in the Top 10
1T. 1954 - 5 Catholic schools in the Top 10
1T. 1955 - 5 Catholic schools in the Top 10

4T. 1950 - 4 Catholic schools in the Top 10
4T. 2020 - 4 Catholic schools in the Top 10

6T. 1952 - 3 Catholic schools in the Top 10
6T. 2015 - 3 Catholic schools in the Top 10
6T. 2018 - 3 Catholic schools in the Top 10

9T. 1951 - 2 Catholic schools in the Top 10
9T. 1956 - 2 Catholic schools in the Top 10
9T. 1957 - 2 Catholic schools in the Top 10
9T. 1958 - 2 Catholic schools in the Top 10
9T. 2016 - 2 Catholic schools in the Top 10
9T. 2017 - 2 Catholic schools in the Top 10

15T. 2014 - 1 Catholic schools in the Top 10
15T. 2019 - 1 Catholic schools in the Top 10

17. 1959 - 0 Catholic schools in the Top 10
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6. Ranking the Years: Final AP Poll Top 20

1T. 1953 - 9 Catholic schools in the Top 20
1T. 1954 - 9 Catholic schools in the Top 20

3. 1952 - 8 Catholic schools in the Top 20

4T. 1950 - 6 Catholic schools in the Top 20
4T. 1959 - 6 Catholic schools in the Top 20
4T. 1955 - 6 Catholic schools in the Top 20

7T. 1951 - 5 Catholic schools in the Top 20
7T. 2020 - 5 Catholic schools in the Top 20

9T. 1957 - 4 Catholic schools in the Top 20
9T. 1958 - 4 Catholic schools in the Top 20

11T. 1956 - 3 Catholic schools in the Top 20
11T. 2015 - 3 Catholic schools in the Top 20
11T. 2016 - 3 Catholic schools in the Top 20
11T. 2017 - 3 Catholic schools in the Top 20
11T. 2018 - 3 Catholic schools in the Top 20

16. 2014 - 2 Catholic schools in the Top 20

17. 2019 - 1 Catholic school in the Top 20
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7. Ranking the Years: Post-Season Tournament Invitations

1. 1953 - 47 % ==> 16 Catholic school in a combined field of 34 teams.
2. 1952 - 46 % ==> 13 Catholic school in a combined field of 28 teams.
3. 1958 - 42 % ==> 15 Catholic school in a combined field of 36 teams.
4. 1956 - 41 % ==> 15 Catholic school in a combined field of 37 teams.

5T. 1954 - 36 % ==> 13 Catholic school in a combined field of 36 teams.
5T. 1955 - 36 % ==> 13 Catholic school in a combined field of 36 teams.
7T. 1957 - 34 % ==> 12 Catholic school in a combined field of 35 teams.
7T. 1959 - 34 % ==> 12 Catholic school in a combined field of 35 teams.
9. 1950 - 30 % ==> 6 Catholic school in a combined field of 20 teams.

10. 1951 - 29 % ==> 8 Catholic school in a combined field of 28 teams.
11. 2020 - 22 % ==> 8 Catholic schools seeded in the Bracket Matrix Top 37 teams.

12T. 2015 - 19 % ==> 7 Catholic schools seeded in the NCAAT Top 37 teams.
12T. 2016 - 19 % ==> 7 Catholic schools seeded in the NCAAT Top 37 teams.
12T. 2017 - 19 % ==> 7 Catholic schools seeded in the NCAAT Top 37 teams.
15. 2018 - 16 % ==> 6 Catholic schools seeded in the NCAAT Top 37 teams.
16. 2014 - 11 % ==> 4 Catholic schools seeded in the NCAAT Top 37 teams.
17. 2019 - 8 % ==> 3 Catholic schools seeded in the NCAAT Top 37 teams.

For the fans of Catholic college basketball, it was particularly unfortunate that the 2020 NCAA Tournament was cancelled, as Catholic schools were collectively having their best season since the football schools departed from the Big East conference. It would not be an exaggeration to say that for the first time since the mid-1950s five Catholic schools had a legitimate chance of winning the National Championship.

Overall BracketMatrix Rank • Seed No. • BM Average Seed No. • Team • Conference • Record

2 • #1 • 1.00 • Gonzaga • West Coast • 31-2
4 • #1 • 1.08 • Dayton • Atlantic 10 • 29-2
7 • #2 • 2.21 • Villanova • Big East • 24-7
8 • #2 • 2.31 • Creighton • Big East • 23-7
11 • #3 • 3.30 • Seton Hall • Big East • 21-9

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

Part V: More About Catholic College Basketball in the 1950s

… 1. What Does ‘Tradition’ Really Mean?
… 2. Post-season Tournament Teams of the 1950s, Listed by Year
… 3. Post-season Tournament Teams of the 1950s, Listed Alphabetically by Present-day Conference
… 4. Post-season Tournament Teams of the 1950s, Ranked by Number of Appearances
… 5. The ESPN/Sagarin Top 40 Programs of the 1950s
… 6. Epilogue
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1. What Does ‘Tradition’ Really Mean?

During the past seven years, the word tradition has been used (and misused) hundreds of times on this message board, the most recent occurrence being:

Link:

Who Has Had the Best Program in the New Big East? – Post #12

Tradition means you have a lot of cool stuff to read about, a couple of banners in the rafters, and a great fanbase full of older alumni who were around for all the said historic moments.

Close, but no cigar. The English word tradition comes from the Latin ‘traditio’ - to transmit, to hand over, to give for safekeeping. The concept of tradition is the notion of holding on to a previous time. It is presumed that at least two transmissions over three generations are required for a belief to be seen as traditional. The 1950s began 70 years ago and ended 60 years ago – three generations ago, by any plausible definition.
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2. Post-season Tournament Teams of the 1950s, Listed by Year

1950 NIT Participants: Arizona, Bradley, CCNY, Duquesne, Kentucky, La Salle, Long Island, Niagara, St. John's, San Francisco, Syracuse, Western Kentucky.
1950 NCAAT Participants: Ohio State, Holy Cross, North Carolina State, CCNY, Baylor, Bradley, BYU, UCLA

1951 NIT Participants: Arizona, Beloit, BYU, Cincinnati, Dayton, La Salle, Lawrence Tech, NC State, St. Bonaventure, St. John's, Saint Louis, Seton Hall
1951 NCAAT Participants: Columbia, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisville, NC State, St. John's, Villanova, Arizona, BYU, Kansas State, Montana State, Oklahoma A&M, San Jose State, Texas A&M, Washington.

1952 NIT Participants: Dayton, Duquesne, Holy Cross, La Salle, Louisville, NYU, St. Bonaventure, St. John's, Saint Louis, Seattle, Seton Hall, Western Kentucky
1952 NCAAT Participants: Dayton, Duquesne, Illinois, Kentucky, NC State, Penn State, Princeton, St. John's, Kansas, New Mexico State, Oklahoma City, Santa Clara, Saint Louis, TCU, UCLA, Wyoming

1953 NIT Participants: BYU, Duquesne, Georgetown, La Salle, Louisville, Manhattan, Niagara, St. John's, Saint Louis, Seton Hall, Tulsa, Western Kentucky.
1953 NCAAT Participants: Duquesne, DePaul, Eastern Kentucky, Fordham, Holy Cross, Indiana, Lebanon Valley, LSU, Miami (OH), Navy, Notre Dame, Penn, Wake Forest, Hardin–Simmons, Idaho State, Kansas, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma A&M, Santa Clara, Seattle, TCU, Washington, Wyoming.

1954 NIT Participants: Duquesne, Western Kentucky State, Holy Cross, Niagara, Bowling Green, BYU, Dayton, Louisville, Manhattan, St. Francis (NY), Saint Francis (PA), Wichita State.
1954 NCAAT Participants: Connecticut, Cornell, Fordham, George Washington, Indiana, La Salle, LSU, Loyola (LA), Navy, NC State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Toledo, Bradley, Colorado, Colorado A&M, Idaho State, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma A&M, Rice, Santa Clara, Seattle, USC, Texas Tech.

1955 NCAAT Participants: Canisius, Duke, Iowa, Kentucky, La Salle, Marquette, Memphis State, Miami (OH), Penn State, Princeton, Villanova, West Virginia, Williams, Bradley, Colorado, Idaho State, Oklahoma City, Oregon State, San Francisco, Seattle, SMU, Tulsa, Utah, West Texas State
1955 NIT Participants: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Dayton, Duquesne, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Louisville, Manhattan, Niagara, Saint Francis (PA), Saint Louis, Seton Hall.

1956 NCAAT Participants: Canisius, Connecticut, Dartmouth, Holy Cross, Manhattan, NC State, Temple, West Virginia, DePaul, Iowa, Kentucky, Marshall, Morehead State, Wayne State (MI), Houston, Kansas State, Memphis State, Oklahoma City, SMU, Texas Tech, Idaho State, San Francisco, Seattle, UCLA, Utah.
1956 NIT Participants: Dayton, Louisville, Saint Joseph's, Niagara, Duquesne, Lafayette, Marquette, Oklahoma A&M, St. Francis (NY), Saint Louis, Seton Hall, Xavier.

1957 NCAAT Participants: Canisius, Connecticut, Lafayette, North Carolina, Syracuse, West Virginia, Yale, Kentucky, Miami (OH), Michigan State, Morehead State, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Kansas, Loyola (LA), Oklahoma City, SMU, Saint Louis, BYU, California, Hardin–Simmons, Idaho State, San Francisco.
1957 NIT Participants: Bradley, Cincinnati, Dayton, Manhattan, Memphis, St. Bonaventure, Saint Peter's, Seattle, Seton Hall, Temple, Utah, Xavier

1958 NCAAT Participants: Boston College, Connecticut, Dartmouth, Manhattan, Maryland, Temple, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, Miami (OH), Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Tennessee Tech, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Kansas State, Loyola (LA), Oklahoma State, Arizona State, California, Idaho State, San Francisco, Seattle, Wyoming.
1958 NIT Participants: Bradley, Butler, Dayton, Fordham, Niagara, Saint Francis (PA), Saint Joseph's, Saint Peter's, St. Bonaventure, St. John's, Utah, Xavier.

1959 NCAAT Participants: Boston University, Connecticut, Dartmouth, Navy, North Carolina, Saint Joseph's, West Virginia, Bowling Green, Eastern Kentucky, Kentucky, Louisville, Marquette, Michigan State, Cincinnati, DePaul, Kansas State, Portland, TCU, California, Idaho State, New Mexico State, Saint Mary's (CA), Utah.
1959 NIT Participants: Bradley, Butler, Denver, Fordham, Manhattan, NYU, Oklahoma City, Providence, St. Bonaventure, St. John's, Saint Louis, Villanova
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3. Post-season Tournament Teams of the 1950s, Listed Alphabetically by Present-day Conference

3 • DePaul
1 • Georgetown
2 • Marquette
1 • Providence
8 • St. John's
5 • Seton Hall
3 • Villanova
3 • Xavier

8 • Dayton
8 • Duquesne
3 • Fordham
7 • La Salle
5 • St. Bonaventure
3 • Saint Joseph's
8 • Saint Louis

1 • Boston College
3 • Canisius
5 • Holy Cross
3 • Loyola (LA)
7 • Manhattan
6 • Niagara
4 • Notre Dame
1 • Portland
2 • St. Francis (NY)
3 • Saint Francis (PA)
1 • Saint Mary's (CA)
2 • Saint Peter's
5 • San Francisco
3 • Santa Clara
7 • Seattle
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4. Post-season Tournament Teams of the 1950s, Ranked by Number of Appearances

8 • Dayton
8 • Duquesne
8 • St. John's
8 • Saint Louis

7 • Connecticut
7 • La Salle
7 • Manhattan
7 • Seattle

6 • Niagara

5 • Holy Cross
5 • St. Bonaventure
5 • San Francisco
5 • Seton Hall

4 • Notre Dame

3 • Canisius
3 • DePaul
3 • Fordham
3 • Loyola (LA)
3 • Saint Francis (PA)
3 • Saint Joseph's
3 • Santa Clara
3 • Villanova
3 • Xavier

2 • Butler
2 • Marquette
2 • St. Francis (NY)
2 • Saint Peter's

1 • Boston College
1 • Georgetown
1 • Portland
1 • Providence
1 • Saint Mary's (CA)

0 • Creighton
0 • Gonzaga
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5. The ESPN/Sagarin Top 40 Programs of the 1950s

The ESPN/Sagarin Top 40 Programs of the 1950s – 13 Catholic Schools in the Top 40

1. Kentucky
2. Illinois
3. Kansas State
4. Kansas
5. Indiana
6. UCLA
7. Dayton
8. Iowa
9. Louisville
10. Cincinnati
11. Minnesota
12. Oklahoma State
13. Duquesne
14. Saint Louis
15. La Salle
16. NC State
17. Notre Dame
22. San Francisco
24. Holy Cross
29. St. John’s
33. Niagara
34. Xavier
37. DePaul
39. Seattle
40. Fordham

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6. Epilogue

The decade began with City College NY winning both the NIT and NCAA Tournaments at Madison Square Garden as the Catholic colleges began their ascent. Catholic college basketball reached its apex in 1953, when the Final AP Poll included 5 Catholic schools in the Top 10 and 9 Catholic schools in the Top 20.

The 1953 postseason tournaments included a record 16 Catholic schools in a combined field of 34 teams (47 %). Six of the eight schools in the 1953 National Invitational Tournament Quarterfinals were Catholic and all four schools in the 1953 NIT Semifinals were Catholic.

Seton Hall captured the 1953 NIT title, besting St. John’s in the final before a Madison Square Garden throng of 18,500*. “It was the biggest crowd ever to see a basketball game east of Chicago,” said Arnie Ring, who started at forward for Seton Hall. “The NCAA Tournament had 7,000 out in Kansas City for their final game.” All true. The Big Apple was the sport’s epicenter and those Pirates were the toast of the town.[b]

*
The previous attendance record of 18,485 was set on March 15, 1952 when unranked La Salle upset Dayton in the NIT Championship game.

[b]Anti-Catholic prejudices were rife in the 1950s, and there is ample anecdotal evidence to support the contention that Catholic colleges were discriminated against in the AP College Basketball Polls in the 1950s. It can reasonably be assumed that a significant majority of the voters in these 1950s AP Polls were not Catholic, and accordingly, favored state schools (especially Big Ten schools) over Catholic colleges when they voted. Many Catholic colleges had Catholic, Jewish, and Black players in the 1950s. Most state schools did not – a fact well known to the AP Poll voters of the day.

For example, Seton Hall finished the season with a 31-2 record, with one of those losses coming at Louisville after the Pirates were attacked and mugged during the game. Indiana finished the season with a 23-3 record, with all three losses coming against unranked teams. The Final 1953 AP Poll (conducted after the NIT and NCAAT) unjustly ranked Indiana #1 over #2 Seton Hall - typical of the 1950s AP Polls.

Catholic colleges won the National Championship for a record five consecutive years: 1952 (LaSalle), 1953 (Seton Hall), 1954 (Holy Cross), 1955 (San Francisco), and 1956 (San Francisco again) before the state schools began their dominance in 1957 with North Carolina’s thrilling overtime win over Kansas in the NCAA Tournament, followed by Kentucky’s fourth NCAA Tournament championship in 1958.

As the 1950s drew to an close, so did the pre-eminence of Catholic-schools. The decade of the 1950s was truly The Golden Age of Catholic Basketball.


1959 Cadillac Convertible

The ESPN/Sagarin Top 40 Programs of the 1960's

7. Dayton
10. Villanova
17. St. John’s
18. Saint Louis
19. Providence
22. Saint Joseph’s
24. Loyola-Chicago
36. St. Bonaventure

The Dayton Flyers played their home games in the UD Fieldhouse from 1950 through 1969. The Dayton Flyers won more games than any other school in both the 1950s and 1960s. UD won 435 games between 1950 and 1969 and ranks among the top teams of the 1950s and 1960s in Division I history. The Flyers' .763 (228-71) winning percentage in the 1950s ranks fifth in the decade. Their .729 (207-77) winning percentage ranks eighth in the 1960s. According to the ESPN/Sagarin Rankings, the Dayton Flyers averaged a No. 7 national ranking for 20 consecutive years from 1950 through 1969 – an unprecedented feat by a Catholic college basketball program that is unlikely to ever be repeated.

Those of you who have wondered why a Dayton Flyers fan would frequent the Holy Land of Hoops message board need look no further than this thread. Decades before the Big East Conference was founded in 1979, I was a big college basketball fan of the great Catholic Independents of the East and Midwest – in an era when schools like St. John's, Seton Hall, Manhattan, Niagara, Duquesne, and Dayton were ‘bigger names’ than Villanova, Xavier, Georgetown, and Gonzaga.

One thing I have learned since John Kennedy was elected President is that with the exception of the so-called ‘blue bloods’, college basketball success is cyclical, and highly dependent of the quality of the head coach of the day. From what I have read on this board, many of the younger Big East fans appear to believe that there is some degree of permanency associated with the ‘good teams’ of today. Those of you who are fortunate enough to live to a ripe old age will discover for yourselves that is not the case. In any event, thank you all for being passengers in my journey through yesteryear. It’s been fun. Enjoy the rest of your summer, stay safe, and hope that we get the opportunity to watch college basketball this year.