March Madness Memories: Illinois Teams in the Final Four

Thanks to Illinois and Bradley, the Land of Lincoln was represented in the Final Four of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament in five of six years between 1949 and 1954. 

     The Fighting Illini won four Big Ten titles during Harry Combes's 20-year run as their head coach--and made it to the Final Four the first three times. Future Bulls head coach and broadcaster Johnny "Red" Kerr was the star of the 1951-52 team that went 22-4 and was ranked No. 2 in the nation before losing a heartbreaker to St. John's in the semifinal game. The Illini's next Big Ten championship and NCAA berth came eleven years later. After subduing Bowling Green 70-67 in the first round, Illinois ran into a buzzsaw in the form of the eventual champion Loyola Ramblers.

     The Braves won the Missouri Valley Conference in 1949-50 and were ranked No. 1 in the nation heading into the postseason. They took part in both the NIT and NCAA tournaments, and lost the championship game of each to City College of New York. This was the year of an infamous point-shaving scandal that originated at CCNY and several other schools in the New York City area and eventually involved players at Bradley, Kentucky, and Toledo.

     Four years later, the Braves slogged through the regular season at 13-11, then caught fire in the tournament and defeated Oklahoma City, Colorado, Oklahoma State, and USC before cooling off in the championship game against LaSalle. 

 

The 1989 "Flyin' Illini" suffered their school's third straight two-point loss in the NCAA semifinal game, dating back to 1951. The 2005 Illini, under Bruce Weber, made it all the way to the championship game before narrowly losing to North Carolina. They are one of only four Illinois teams to appear in the title game, and one of three to lose that game. To date, the 1963 Loyola Ramblers are the only Illinois team to win all the marbles.    

 

MAYOR RICHARD J. DALEY (RIGHT) CONGRATULATES THE 1963 RAMBLERS.

 

ILLINOIS TEAMS IN THE NCAA MEN'S TOURNAMENT FINAL FOUR

Year    Team           Coach                      Result

1943    DePaul        Ray Meyer                Lost semifinal game vs. Georgetown, 53-49

1949    Illinois          Harry Combes          Lost semifinal game vs. Kentucky, 76-47

1950    Bradley        Forrest Anderson     Won semifinal game vs. Baylor, 68-66

                                                                 Lost title game vs. CCNY, 71-68

1951    Illinois          Harry Combes          Lost semifinal game vs. Kentucky, 76-74

1952    Illinois          Harry Combes          Lost semifinal game vs. St. John's, 61-59

1954    Bradley        Forrest Anderson     Won semifinal game vs. USC, 74-72

                                                                 Lost title game vs. LaSalle, 92-76

 

1963    Loyola         George Ireland         Won semifinal game vs. Duke, 94-75

                                                                 Won title game vs. Cincinnati, 60-58 (OT)

1979    DePaul        Ray Meyer                Lost semifinal game vs. Indiana St., 76-74

1989    Illinois          Lou Henson              Lost semifinal game vs. Michigan, 83-81

2005    Illinois          Bruce Weber            Won semifinal game vs. Louisville, 72-57

                                                                 Lost title game vs. North Carolina, 75-70

2018    Loyola         Porter Moser             Lost semifinal game vs. Michigan, 69-57                                                                                  

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White Sox Opening Day Honor Roll

Hope springs eternal for every ball club and its fans every year on Opening Day, but this year feels especially promising for the White Sox. Time will tell, as it always does, but there's every reason to believe that the Sox and their fans are in for a memorable ride together. We'll find out starting tonight when the South Siders begin the 2021 regular season in Anaheim.

     

RAY SCHALK

We've taken a look back at season openers of the past to compile the White Sox' All-Opening Day roster. Hall of Fame catcher Ray Schalk is the only Sox player to make 15 consecutive Opening Day starts at the same position. Paul Konerko also made 15 consecutive starts on Opening Day--two at designated hitter and the next 13 at first base. 

    

PAUL KONERKO

The only other players to start 13 or more times for the Pale Hose on Opening Day are three Hall of Famers--Frank Thomas, Luke Appling, and Nellie Fox--and the man who managed the Sox to the world championship in 2005--Ozzie Guillen.

 

FRANK THOMAS

The lists below reflect White Sox Opening Day lineups from 1901 through 2020. Asterisks indicate consecutive years.

 
Most Opening Day starts, any position
  1. Ray Schalk, 15* (1913-1927)

  1. Paul Konerko, 15* (1999-2013) 

  2. Frank Thomas, 14* (1991-2004)
  2. Luke Appling, 14 (1933-1949)
  3. Nellie Fox, 13* (1951-1963)
  3. Ozzie Guillen, 13* (1985-1997)

LUKE APPLING

 

Most Opening Day starts by position
  P. Mark Buehrle, 9 (2002-2011)
  C. Ray Schalk, 15* (1913-1927)
1B. Paul Konerko, 13* (2001-2013)
2B. Nellie Fox, 13* (1951-1963)
3B. Willie Kamm, 9* (1923-1931)

SS. Luke Appling, 14 (1933-1949)
LF. Bibb Falk, 7 (1921-1928)
LF. Minnie Minoso, 7 (1952-1961)

CF. Lance Johnson, 7 (1988-1995)
RF. Harold Baines, 8* (1980-1987)
DH. Frank Thomas, 5 (1998-2004)

Second most Opening Day starts by position
  P. Billy Pierce, 7 (1951-1959)
  C. Sherm Lollar, 10 (1952-1962)

1B. Frank Thomas, 9 (1991-2000)
2B. Eddie Collins, 12* (1915-1926)
3B. Robin Ventura, 8 (1990-1998)

SS. Ozzie Guillen, 13* (1985-1997)
LF. Patsy Dougherty, 5* (1907-1911)

LF. Joe Jackson, 5* (1916-1920)

LF. Carlos Lee, 5* (2000-2004)

LF. Carlos May, 5 (1969-1974)
CF. Happy Felsch, 6* (1915-1920)

CF. Chet Lemon, 6* (1976-1981)
CF. Fielder Jones, 6 (1902-1908)

RF. Magglio Ordonez, 7* (1998-2004)
DH. Greg Luzinski, 4* (1981-1984)
DH. Jim Thome, 4* (2006-2009)

DH. Adam Dunn, 4* (2011-2014)

 

Third most Opening Day starts by position
  P. Wilbur Wood, 5* (1972-1976)
  C. Billy Sullivan, 9 (1901-1912)
1B. Earl Sheely, 7* (1921-1927)
1B. Jose Abreu, 7* (2014-2020)

2B. Ray Durham, 8* (1995-2002)
3B. Bill Melton, 7* (1969-1975)

SS. Luis Aparicio, 10 (1956-1970)
LF. Rip Radcliff, 4* (1935-1938)

LF. Ralph Garr, 4* (1976-1979)

LF. Tim Raines, 4* (1992-1995)
CF. Mike Kreevich, 5 (1936-1941)

CF. Jim Landis, 5 (1959-1964)
RF. Floyd Robinson, 5* (1962-1966)

RF. Jermaine Dye, 5* (2005-2009)
DH. Harold Baines, 3 (1988-1997)

 

 

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Cubs Opening Day Honor Roll

Opening Day is upon us, and so (thank heaven) is the prospect of a full 162-game schedule and in-person attendance by the faithful. The Cubs seem to be in a transitional phase between the would-be dynasty that produced the long-awaited world championship of 2016 and whatever comes next. Their pennant prospects seem a little shaky--but hope springs eternal in the hearts and minds of Cubs fans, and never more so than on Opening Day.

     

ERNIE BANKS

We've taken a look back at season openers of the past to compile the Cubs' All-Opening Day roster. Ernie Banks made 17 consecutive Opening Day starts for the Cubs between 1954 and 1970, eight at shortstop and nine at first base. Anthony Rizzo will tie Mr. Cub at first base during this afternoon's game, while still having a ways to go to catch Charlie Grimm and Mark Grace. 

BILLY WILLIAMS

    
Billy Williams had 14 Opening Day starts at four positions: ten in left field, two in right field, one in center field, and one at first base. Ryne Sandberg also made 14 Opening Day starts, one at third base and 13 at second base. Ron Santo started 13 consecutive Opening Days for the Cubs at third base.
    

RYNE SANDBERG

The lists below reflect Cubs Opening Day lineups from 1901 through 2020. Asterisks indicate consecutive years.

Most Opening Day starts (any position)
  1. Ernie Banks, 17* (1954-1970)
  2. Billy Williams, 14* (1961-1974)
  3. Ryne Sandberg, 14 (1982-1997) 

  4. Ron Santo, 13* (1961-1973)
  5. Five players tied with 12

RON SANTO

Most Opening Day starts by position
  P. Fergie Jenkins, 7 (1967-1983)
  C. Gabby Hartnett, 12 (1922-1938)
1B. Charlie Grimm, 12* (1925-1936)

1B. Mark Grace, 12* (1989-2000)
2B. Ryne Sandberg, 13 (1983-1997)
3B. Ron Santo, 13* (1961-1973) 

SS. Shawon Dunston, 11 (1985-1997)

LF. Billy Williams, 10 (1962-1973)
CF. Andy Pafko, 7 (1944-1951)
RF. Sammy Sosa, 12* (1993-2004)

Second most Opening Day starts by position
  P. Carlos Zambrano, 6* (2005-2010)
  C. Johnny Kling, 7 (1901-1911)
1B. Ernie Banks, 9* (1962-1970) 

2B. Billy Herman, 10* (1932-1941)
3B. Stan Hack, 12 (1932-1947)

SS. Don Kessinger, 10* (1966-1975)
LF. Riggs Stephenson, 6* (1926-1931)

LF. Alfonso Soriano, 6* (2008-2013)

LF. Jimmy Sheckard, 6 (1906-1912)
CF. Hack Wilson, 6* (1926-1931)
RF. Bill Nicholson, 7 (1941-1948)

RF. Frank "Wildfire" Schulte, 7 (1906-1913)

Third most Opening Day starts by position
  P. Rick Sutcliffe, 5* (1985-1989)

  P. Grover Alexander, 5 (1918-1925)

  P. Charlie Root, 5 (1927-1932)
  C. Jody Davis, 6* (1983-1988) 

  C. Clyde McCullough, 6 (1941-1954)     
1B. Anthony Rizzo, 8* (2013-2020)

1B. Frank Chance, 8 (1904-1912)
2B. Johnny Evers, 9 (1904-1913)
3B. Aramis Ramirez, 7* (2004-2010)
SS. Joe Tinker, 9 (1902-1912) 

LF. Hack Miller, 4* (1922-1925)

LF. Hank Sauer, 4 (1950-1955)

LF. Kyle Schwarber, 4 (2016-2020)
CF. Rick Monday, 5* (1972-1976)

CF. Jimmy Slagle, 5 (1902-1908)
RF. Andre Dawson, 5 (1987-1992)

RF. Max Flack, 5 (1916-1921)

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Ray Meyer, George Mikan, and DePaul

When Chicago native Ray Meyer signed on as DePaul University’s basketball coach in 1942, he agreed to a one-year contract for the modest sum of $2,500. He turned down a three-year deal, he later explained, “because I didn’t know if I’d like the job or the profession.”

 

RAY MEYER and GEORGE MIKAN.

Meyer’s first agenda item was to turn the gangly, six-foot-10 freshman George Mikan into a basketball player. The two had met before, when Meyer was an assistant coach at Notre Dame (where he had been a member of the 1936 national championship squad). When Mikan tried out for the Irish, Meyer was not encouraging. “He said I was so uncoordinated I tripped over the lines on the court,” Mikan recalled. Head coach George Keogan suggested that Mikan try a smaller school where he might get to play some. Mikan heeded the advice and enrolled at DePaul, only to find when he got there that Meyer had been hired in the meantime. “I thought, ‘Oh, no, here we go again,’” said Mikan.

But if Mikan’s lack of polish was a problem, Meyer now made it his problem and project. “I knew the value of the big man in basketball,” he wrote. “He gets more points by accident than a little guy does on purpose.” Every day after the team’s regular practice, Meyer put Mikan through a grueling regimen of skipping rope, shadow boxing, jumping over chairs, playing catch with medicine balls and tennis balls, and, almost incidentally, dribbling and shooting a basketball. In one drill, Mikan would stand under the basket and make a layup with his right hand, then rebound and make a layup with his left, rebound and layup with his right, etc., etc., etc. Known as the “Mikan Drill,” this routine has been used for virtually all big men ever since; among its adherents are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal.

“Mikan was raw material with a little talent,” Meyer wrote. “His greatest asset was the desire to improve, which made him willing to listen and work. You can measure height and even talent, but not heart. Mikan showed me in the beginning he had the heart to be great.”

Meyer’s patient tutelage transformed the Clark Kent look-alike into a Superman. Mikan learned to execute hook shots deftly with either hand and to rebound and block shots like no one else. In his first season at DePaul, he led the Blue Demons to a 19-5 record and an appearance in the NCAA tournament’s semifinal round (which hadn’t yet been labeled the Final Four).

In 1943-44, Mikan and DePaul advanced to the championship game of the National Invitational Tournament, which was then equal to the NCAA in prestige, before losing to St. John’s to conclude a 22-4 campaign. Mikan was chosen national player of the year. The next year, DePaul won 18 of 20 regular-season games and marched through the NIT with awe-inspiring ease, crushing West Virginia 76-54, Rhode Island 97-53, and Bowling Green 71-54. In the semifinal game, Mikan nearly outscored the other team, settling for a “tie” with 53. He was selected most valuable player of the NIT and repeated as national player of the year.

Following the title game at Madison Square Garden, the Demons remained in New York for a contest with NCAA champion Oklahoma A&M and its six-foot-11 center Bob Kurland, Mikan’s only rival as the finest player in the country. Although the event was technically an exhibition to benefit the wartime Red Cross, it was hyped as a national championship game. DePaul had beaten the Aggies 48-46 several weeks earlier, and the rematch was expected to be a barn-burner. Unfortunately, it became somewhat anticlimactic when Mikan fouled out with six minutes left in the first half and three other starters soon followed. DePaul lost 52-44.

 After three seasons at DePaul, Mikan had become so outstanding that the rules were changed to diminish his dominance. It had been his custom to station himself under the opposition’s basket and simply swat incoming shots away or even catch them in midair and fling them ahead to teammates for easy fast breaks. Goaltending was outlawed prior to the 1945-46 season, but the change seemed not to bother Mikan, who continued to shine. He scored 555 points in 24 games (the previous year he had tallied 558 points, also in 24 games) and played superb defense. Rebounds were not counted in those days, but Mikan’s excellence in that area was well documented by contemporary sources.

DePaul rolled to a 19-5 mark in 1945-46, winning its final six games by an average of 20 points. Despite this, the Demons were snubbed by both the NCAA and NIT. Meyer suspected that his harsh comments about the officiating in the previous spring’s Oklahoma A&M game had gotten him and the Demons blackballed from both tournaments, but he never knew for sure. With no postseason opportunities forthcoming, the Mikan era at DePaul ended with a lopsided 65-40 victory over Beloit College in the regular-season finale on March 9, 1946.

Meyer then prepared to face life without the man who would later be voted the greatest player of the first half of the century. “While he was around,” Meyer wrote, “I was a great coach.” For his part, Mikan said of Meyer, “I’d be nothing without him.” The Demons had won 81 of 98 games in the four years and finished third, second, and first in their three postseason tournaments. Now Mikan was bound for greater glory in the pro ranks, while Meyer was destined for decades of obscurity. The 32-year-old coach would see his age double before he and DePaul returned to national prominence. 

 

 
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