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Tiger Fan · 09-14-2025, 11:20 AM

JANUARY 2, 1965

OVERTIME WIN LIFTS BUCKS TO NATIONAL TITLE
Travis College Tops Bayou State in Oilman Classic 47-44

The addition of overtime to eliminate tie games in collegiate football has been a way of life since 1952 but it rarely has come into play on New Years Day and never for a game whose outcome determined the national title. Never that is until January 1, 1966 when Travis College outlasted Bayou State 47-44 in a marathon title game that required four round of overtime to determine a winner. The Bucks, thanks to a 6-yard Devon Lorenz touchdown run after the Cougars were forced to settle for a field goal with their fourth OT possession, earned the win in the Oilman Classic and coupled with Noble Jones College falling 35-30 to College of Omaha in the Sunshine Classic, were number one.

It marked the fifth time in school history that Travis College led the way in football but this was the Bucks first national title since 1953 and quite a turnaround for Coach Karl Ogden's squad that went just 5-6 a year ago. The Bucks finished 11-1 with the only blemish on their record being a 31-24 loss to Southwestern Athletic Association rival Darnell State. With 5 football titles the Bucks are in rare company, joining Coastal California, Georgia Baptist and Noble Jones College as the only schools to do so.

Noble Jones College appeared to have the inside track towards becoming the first six time national champion as the Colonels entered their New Year's Day meeting with College of Omaha ranked #1 in the nation despite having already suffered two losses on the season. Dominant showings late in the season against ranked Deep South Conference foes Georgia Baptist (26-3 win) and Cumberland (36-3) helped propel the Colonels to top spot, ahead of South Atlantic Conference champion Charleston Tech at second and Bayou State in third with Travis College sitting in fourth.

The Bucks took care of business against Bayou State while each of the top two ranked schools came up short on New Years. The Colonels dug themselves a hole early in Miami, falling behind College of Omaha 35-10 early in the third period before staging a furious comeback which fell just short. Meanwhile in New Orleans the third Deep South school to earn a New Years invite, Georgia Baptist, put on a defensive clinic in a dominant 22-0 whitewashing of the second ranked Charleston Tech Admirals.

When the dust settled with Travis College(11-1) on top of the pile it was the Central Ohio Aviators(10-2), Grafton Scholars (10-0), College of Omaha Raiders (10-2) and St. Blane Fighting Saints (10-2) that rounded out the top five. Central Ohio, which finished second in the final rankings for the second year in a row and have now spent each of the past six years ranked in the top ten, won its second straight East-West Classic, blasting West Coast Athletic Association champ Portland Tech 24-3 and put a sour ending to what was the Magpies first WCAA title and East-West Classic appearance since 1920.

The Aviators can't help but feel this was a missed opportunity as they stumbled out of the gate, losing September contests on the road at Western Florida and Minnesota Tech, before reeling off 10 straight victories culminating in their win in Santa Ana. It was an odd year for Minnesota Tech as the Lakers, classic participants each of the past two seasons and ranked 4th a year ago, knocked off Central Ohio in their Great Lakes Alliance opener but did not win another conference game and finished 3-8.

Grafton has suddenly emerged as a school to fear in a conference that really has become an afterthought when talking college football. The Scholars went 10-0 for the second time in three years and after being ranked 4th two seasons ago they finish third in the polls this time around. No Academia Alliance school has finished number one since 1928 when George Fox turned the trick in what was the first season of the Brunson Polling System.

Plains Athletic Association champion College of Omaha finished third thanks to their Sunshine Classic victory over then number Noble Jones College. It was just the third New Year's Day appearance for the Raiders who previously lost to Alabama A&M in the 1956 Sunshine Classic and beat Colorado Poly in the now-defunct San Joaquin Classic back in 1952. It was also the first time the school finished ranked in the top twenty since 1952.

Number five was the St. Blane Fighting Saints with their highest finish since they were fifth in the 1956 rankings. It also marked back-to-back ranked seasons -they were 18th a year ago- for Frank Dugger's Saints since their run of five straight ranked finishes ended in that same 1956 season. It may be a beginning of a resurgence for what was one of the most powerful programs of the 1940s but fell on hard times the past few years. St. Blane had an outstanding recruiting class led by freshman quarterback Jack Denson, who stepped right in as the starter and meshed nicely with senior end Jim Whitehead and fellow frosh Rich Ramirez to give the Saints a potent passing attack. The Saints beat Western Iowa 34-13 in the Bayside Classic, which marked their first New Year's action in nine years.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL NOTES

The Minnesota Tech Lakers suffered one of the worst drop-offs in recent memory. The Lakers went 10-2 a year ago following a 9-2 campaign in 1963, finishing in the top ten both times and winning a pair of Classic games. This season Coach Tim Hillman's Lakers started well enough, beating Alabama Baptist, GLA rival Central Ohio and St Patrick's to start 3-0 and begin visions of a third straight New Year's Day appearance. It did not happen as the Lakers imploded and lost their final 8 games of the season. The result was a 3-8 season, worst by a Lakers squad since going 0-9 in 1951. A big reason for the freefall was the absence of 1964 Great Lakes Alliance all-star quarterback Ed Corsetti, who threw for 17 touchdowns a year ago. Corsetti was the first round pick of the National Football Association's Cincinnati Riverman and had a decent rookie season in pro ball.
Quite a debut season for freshman Bulein quarterback Bob Fullerton. He led the AIAA in passing yardage with 1,520 with a big reason being his teammate Horace Reuter. The sophomore end set a college record with 987 receiving yards in 1965 including one game when Reuter had 11 catches for a single game record 287 yards. It came in a season-ending 45-14 win over Huntington State.
CC Los Angeles has had its struggles in recent years under Coach Tom Bowens, as the former AFA receiving star and ex-Detroit Maroons coach saw his college mark dip to 49-44 after a 4-7 campaign. Bowens son Tom Jr. joined the team but was used sparingly as a freshman. Like his dad, Tom Junior is a wide receiver.

BOSTON AMERICANS CLAIM PRO GRID CROWN
Veteran Back Sova Becomes Modern Rushing Leader

There seems to be no slowing down Kevin Sova as the Boston Americans halfback had another big season, rushing for 1,269 yards and helping the Americans to win their second pro football title in the past four years and fifth in franchise history. Sova, who has been in the Yanks backfield since 1953 after finishing up a stellar college career at Carolina Poly, surpassed the 1,000 yard rushing mark for the sixth time and with 12,983 career yards on the ground he is now the modern-day (post 1950) all-time rushing leader. Sova would add another 180 yards in two playoff games to help the Americans defeat Houston for the AFA title and then the NFA champion New York Titans in the second annual meeting between the winners of each league.

The Americans won ten of their first twelve games before a two-game slump to end the season but they had already clinched the East Division title by that point. Boston did not dominate the league as they were around the middle of the pack in team offense and team defense but their strength was a running game that chewed up time off the clock and did just enough to ensure they claimed top spot in the division with a two game bulge on the second place New York Stars.

Sova was joined on the AFA All-Star roster by two of the linemen that cleared holes for him in tackle Jim Gabor and center Jeff Gebhardt. The passing game was not a priority but that did not stop Bob Bosco from finishing fourth in the loop with 674 yards receiving. Just two Boston defenders earned All-Star game invites. They would be defensive backs Frank Wetheim and Junior Erickson. Wertheim was a rookie, a first round selection out of Central Ohio.

The New York Stars had the best rushing defense in the entire AFA but their 8-6 record was only good enough for second place and it marked the second year in a row Coach Dolph Ulrich's squad failed to make the playoffs after a string of six straight seasons with playoff football. Veteran quarterback Orlin Youngs continues to lead the offense of what was a streaky team. The Stars were blinked out due primarily to a five-game losing skid in the middle of the season. They rebounded with 5 straight wins including a 28-14 road win late in the year over Boston but by then it was too late to catch the Americans.

Buffalo finished 7-7 for the second straight season, tying the franchise record for victories as the Red Jackets completed their fifth campaign. The defense looks ready to take the next step but the Buffalo offense is not, especially at quarterback where they tried two former first round draft picks in Roy Leathers and John Simoneau but neither appears to be the answer.

Philadelphia tied Buffalo for third place as the Frigates, division winners a year ago, missed the playoffs for the fourth time in the past five years. Rookie quarterback Jim Clark, selected 20th overall out of Northern California, had the opportunity to learn on the job after Jack Osterman, who started the past five seasons and made the All-Star game each of them, threatened to retire. Osterman was eventually released and signed with the New York Stars to backup Orlin Youngs. With a rookie under center, the Frigates running game worked overtime and with some success as both emerging third year halfback Larry Lewis and veteran Doug Lucy topped the 1,000 yard mark on the season.

After improving their record each of the past two seasons the Washington Wasps took a step back with a 6-8 season - the reverse of their record a year ago. The Wasps had some success through the air, both on offense with quarterback Pat Roberts enjoying his most productive season, and on defense where only four other teams surrendered less passing yards but the running game, especially stopping it, was an issue.

Pittsburgh and Cleveland both struggled and tied for last in the East Division at 5-9. The Paladins have now gone 13 years without seeing a playoff game but that is nothing compared to the Cleveland Finches, who has not played in the postseason since 1947.

*** Houston Continues to be a Model Franchise in AFA West ***

If you were tasked with developing the perfect expansion team look no further than the Houston Drillers for the blueprint on how to do just that. The Drillers joined the AFA along with the Buffalo Red Jackets in 1961 and both clubs struggled immediately as they were each forced to field a team with scraps and cast-offs from the established 12 AFA teams at the time. Houston went just 3-11 in that debut campaign but they laid the groundwork for what was to come.

What happened in 1962 shocked the AFA establishment as the Drillers went 10-4 and made it all the way to the AFA championship game before falling to Boston. The missed the playoffs in both 1963 and 1964 but went 8-6 and 11-3 over those two seasons. A 10-4 finish this time around sent Houston to the AFA title game for the second time in four years. Since the Drillers 3-11 debut, they have posted a dominant 39-17 record with two playoff berths in a four year span.

It was key decisions made in 1961 turned out to be what built the Drillers into a power. First off they managed to snag young quarterback Miller Bogert from the Chicago Wildcats and all Bogert has done was make the postseason All-Star Classic roster twice and provide a steady hand for the offense. Houston does not need Bogert to do a lot, just play it safe as the Drillers biggest strength has been a defense anchored by John Padgett and Lou Lawlor.

Padgett was a second round pick out of Darnell State in the Drillers first draft of 1961. His relentless pressure on opposing quarterbacks has earned him four consecutive appearances in the All-Star Classic and with a league leading 15 sacks this season he was named football's Defensive Player of the Year. Drafting Padgett and signing the veteran linebacker Lawlor after Washington had cast him aside made the Drillers defense one to be feared.

Wise drafting since 1961 has helped flesh out the Drillers roster and 1965 first round Vern Rebovich was no exception. The 1964 Christian Trophy winning halfback out of Payne State did not miss a beat moving to the pros, as the rookie rushed for 1,114 yards in his debut season.

Houston was good enough in 1965 that the Drillers dethroned the two-time defending champion St Louis Ramblers, who finished second in the West Division at 8-6, two games back of front-running Houston. The writing was clearly on the wall in early November when the Ramblers, at 6-3 and just coming off a disappointing road loss to last place Detroit, hosted a 7-2 Drillers team in a game that would set the tone for the four weeks of the season. A tone was certainly set as Houston decimated the defending champs, blanking them 43-0 while the Drillers defense held the Ramblers to just 85 yards in total offense.

Chicago ended up tied with St. Louis for second place as the Wildcats ended a two-year stretch of losing seasons by finishing at 8-6. There is some hope for the future in the Windy City as Chip Fitch, Chicago's 1961 first rounder, enjoyed a solid season after the former Pittsburgh State quarterback had his struggles a year ago. What did Chicago in this time was their poor home record as the Wildcats went just 3-4 at Cougars Park compared to a 5-2 road mark.

The San Francisco Wings have now missed the playoffs for six consecutive seasons after finishing fourth at 7-7. Third year halfback Arlo Gauthier finished among the rushing leaders with 1,122 yards as the Wings offense seldom took to the air and relied on its rushing game. Their downfall was a defense that simply surrendered too many points in key games.

The Los Angeles Tigers and Kansas City Cowboys tied for fifth at 6-8 and defense was an issue for both. For the Tigers it was their fourth consecutive 6-8 finish while for the Cowboys, who have made the playoffs just once since the end of the Pat Chappell era well over a decade ago, it was an improvement on the previous two seasons when Kansas City went 3-11 and 4-10. There is hope for the future as the Cowboys may have found themselves the type of powerful runner they had not seen since their Continental Conference days with Mike Peel. That would be in the form of Leroy Avens, a burly 216 pound ball carrier selected first overall out of Cowpens State in April. Avens was named Offensive Rookie of Year after he gained 1,187 yards and scored 6 touchdowns in his debut season in Kansas City.

That leaves the Detroit Maroons in last place at 5-9. It has been a crazy past few seasons for longtime Maroons coach Sam Wiggins and his squad. In the past five years the inconsistent Maroons have posted records of 12-2, 4-10, 10-4, 8-6 and now 5-9. Using that pattern perhaps the Maroons will contend next season but with a defense as bad as they were in 1965 - no team in either the AFA or NFA surrendered more points- it is hard to imagine a quick turnaround for Rollie Barrell's club this time.

**** Little Middle Ground in the NFA ***

In the sophomore National Football Association teams are either very good or very bad. There are some explosive offenses in the loop, notably in Los Angeles, Minnesota and New York -each winners of 11 games this season- but there are also some awful clubs as three of the eight teams -Cincinnati, Dallas and San Diego- each surrendered well over 300 points against and combined to go 8-34 on the season.

The East Division belonged to the New York Titans who went head to head with the established Stars for support in the Big Apple and played a very exciting brand of football. The Titans found a marquee star in Elvin McGoldrick, a 5'9" jitterbug of a back who had previously enjoyed success in Kansas City. The 27-year-old zigged and zagged his way to 1,416 yards and a league best 15 touchdowns which resulted in McGoldrick being named the Most Valuable Player in football. The Titans also got a strong season out of veteran quarterback Garton Bird, who had enjoyed early success with the Los Angeles Tigers before being unable to find his rhythm with Buffalo. Bird found a nice connection with former Noble Jones College star receiver Don Bernard that added another dimension to the Titans offense beyond just the running of McGoldrick.

The Miami Mariners, who won the NFA East a year ago, slipped to 8-6 and second place in the NFA East Division this time around. Cincinnati and Dallas brought up the rear in the East Division. The Rivermen had just an awful defense while the Stallions were bad all around. The defense had its troubles and former Cleveland Finches quarterback Bran Wechsler could not move the Dallas offense.

The NFA West was a battle between the defending league champion Minnesota Lakers and the Los Angeles Olympians. Both clubs had plenty of offense and strong defenses. Minnesota had the best run defense in either association while the offense featured second year quarterback Jody Lofgren throwing to Billy Morris, an undrafted rookie signed a year ago out of Darnell State, who led the NFA with 68 catches this season. The Lakers had the ground game covered as well, with former New York Stars back Ephraim Stanek, who ran for 1,443 yards which was second in pro football behind only Los Angeles Olympians Duffy Knotts, who was named top offensive player after rushing for 1,592 yards. Sled Hicks, a Detroit castoff, was named to the All-Star Classic for the second year in a row after the Olympians quarterback threw a league high 18 touchdown passes and for 2,332 yards.

The Denver Mountaineers improved to 7-7 after winning just 4 games a year ago and even beat Los Angeles once this season but they have a long ways to go to compete with the two powers in their division. There are few bright spots in San Diego as the Admirals finished 3-11 for the second consecutive season but they do have a young team led by linebacker Mike Krugman. The third round pick from Bluegrass State had 109 tackles and was named the defensive rookie of the year.

PLAYOFFS

Minnesota won the National Football Association title a year ago and the Lakers went 11-3 this season but they needed the tie-breaker of a better divisional record to keep their championship hopes alive this season. The Lakers and the Los Angeles Olympians, also 11-3, split their two meetings this season but the Lakers got the nod to face East Division champion New York because they went 5-1 against West Division opponents while the Olympians were only 4-2.

The New York Titans, on the other hand, had a playoff berth locked up before the calendar turned to December and they looked to be quite a foe for the Lakers. At least they did until it was learned that New York quarterback Garton Bird would miss the game with an injury. That was huge as it meant backup John Mehl would get his first start of the season and that the Minnesota defense could focus on stopping MVP halfback Elvin McGoldrick.

It worked for three quarters as the Lakers, who were a perfect 7-0 at home, lead 13-0 at the break and refused to allow New York to move the ball. Minnesota quarterback Jody Lofgren had a strong game, completing 24 of 35 passes for 202 yards but a pair of interceptions proved costly and led to 10 New York points in the second half.

Mehl completed just 6 passes all day but two of them came on the same drive that bled from the end of the third quarter to the early moments of the fourth period. The first was a 42-yard catch and run by Don Bernard that was the Titans longest play of the day from scrimmage and it was quickly followed by a 24-yard pass to Ziggy Sines setting up a first and goal on the Minnesota one-yard line with New York trailing 13-3 at the time. McGoldrick had a terrible game, he carried the ball just 6 times for 7 yards but one of those yards resulted in a score that narrowed the Minnesota lead to 13-10 with 13 minutes left in the game. Two long Bob Bialecki field goals put New York ahead by 3 points with 1:48 to play when Lofgren made his second crucial mistake, getting picked off again deep in his own territory which allowed McGoldrick to score his second one-yard touchdown run of the afternoon and give the Titans a 23-13 win in a game that was dominated everywhere but where it matters most by the Lakers.

*** Yanks Prove Too Much For Houston Once Again ***

The Houston Drillers and Boston Americans hooked up in the American Football Association championship game for the second time in four years. Boston won the first meeting 27-20, putting an end to a Cinderella second season in the league for the young Drillers. Once more the Yanks would crush the Drillers dreams. Due to scheduling quirks the West Division Drillers and East Division Americans had never met in the regular season.

Few things went right for the Drillers on this day. First, starting quarterback Miller Bogert was injured and completed just 3 of 7 passes for 21 yards. His replacement Bob Newberry did not have much more success. Meanwhile the Drillers defense had its troubles containing Boston back Kevin Sova, who ran for a game high 107 yards. The two defenses were strong, each forcing three turnovers but the only one that led to points for either side came when the outcome was pretty much decided. Boston quarterback Bob McKoon threw an interception while ahead 20-0 with less than 4 minutes left in the game. The Drillers turned it into a Vern Rabovich touchdown run but all that did was avoid the shutout as the Americans prevailed 20-7.

AFA-NFA CLASSIC GAME

The American Football Association and National Football Association seemed to have a very good relationship and it was becoming very easy to think of them as one entity- certainly a far cry from the bitter battle of the post-war era when the Continental Football Conference attempted to challenge the AFA.

They agreed that the shared title game between the two, set for the week after each crowned its association champion, would continue and perhaps even become permanent. They shared awards, held a common draft and faced each other in an All-Star Game. Yes, it was easy to consider the two a single entity, but not when they were on the field together. The NFA played an exciting brand of football, with an emphasis on the passing game and creating marketable star players, but just as the inaugural meeting last December showed, the 1965 showdown between Association champs proved there was still gap in talent. However, that gap seems like it may be closing as the New York Titans offense outperformed the Boston Americans in this year's title game but the veteran loop still came out on top. Boston won by a 17-3 score despite the fact the New York Titans, who hosted the contest at Empire Stadium, had more rushing yards, more passing yards and dominated the time of possession.

After neither club accomplished much on its first series of the game the Americans struck for a big play on their second possession. It came with New York focusing on playoff MVP Kevin Sova after the Boston back gained 12 yards on first down. With the Titans defense creeping in expecting another Sova carry, Yanks quarterback Bob McKoon crossed them up and threw a 53-yard pass to wideout Jack Amodeo. A play later Sova did indeed get the ball, and finished off the scoring drive with a 9-yard run to give the AFA champs an early lead.

New York would answer with a field goal to cut the Boston lead to 7-3 but early in the second quarter the Americans added a second touchdown, this one on a 2-yard pass from McKoon to Bob Bosco to cap a 10-play, 59-yard drive. A missed 25-yard field goal but Titans kicker Bob Bialecki was compounded when Boston's kicker, Mike Marshall, was successful on a 34-yarder of his own late in the second period to put the Americans ahead 17-3.

That would prove to be the end of the scoring although the Titans had some opportunities in the second half but failed to capitalize. The biggest blow to the hosts came midway through the fourth quarter when regular season MVP back Elvin McGoldrick ran for 38-yards and deep into Boston territory only to fumble away the ball as he was hauled down.

QUISENBERRY TAKES FOURTH TURN WITH MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE

George Quisenberry became the first man ever to hold an ABF World Title on four different occasions when the 29-year-old Toronto born middleweight knocked out reigning champ Ed Eads in the 7th round of their title bout in Philadelphia last August. Quisenberry, who finished the year off with a successful defense in Cleveland, scoring a 13th round TKO win over Bill Sanderson, had held the title on three previous occasions.

Quisenberry first won the middleweight title in 1958 when he scored a unanimous decision over Frenchman Yohan Revel. Quisenberry's time at the top was short-lived, as after beating Joe Clarke that August he would lose to George Hatchell in his second title defense four months later. In the fall of 1959 Quisenberry was back, beating Mark McCoy, another multi-time title holder, in McCoy's first defense after the veteran Kansas City boxer had wrestled the title away from Hatchell.

Quisenberry would then enjoy his longest run as champion, with seven successful defenses over a two and a half year stretch before Lyman King knocked him out in a January 1962 battle at New York's Bigsby Garden. Quisenberry would fight King again nearly a year later and they would battle to a majority draw, allowing King to retain his crown, but that led to a rematch and this time Quisenberry would dominate the 15-round title fight, also at Bigsby Garden, and win a unanimous decision to claim the title for the third time. It was another very short run at the top as Quisenberry, fighting in his hometown of Toronto, was knocked out in the first round of his first defense by Marc Maisonneuve.

King would regain the middleweight crown with a 5th round TKO of Maisonneuve in November of 1963 - in what was King's first fight since losing to Quisenberry nine months earlier. King would hold the title throughout 1964 but in May of 1965 he was outpointed by Ed Eads. The Texan would hold the title just three months as he lost his first title defense to Quisenberry in August.

There was much more stability in the other two divisions in 1965 as both Norm Robinson and Brandon Dart each made three successful title defenses last year. Robinson, the heavyweight champ, won all three of his defenses by stoppages - knocking out Walt Phillips in Las Vegas in January, and scoring TKO wins over Bill Mayville in May and Jim Hatfield in September. Dart, who has made five successful defenses since winning the welterweight title in the spring of 1964, outpointed Charlie McMichael in Boston in Mary, knocked out the previously unbeaten Billy Dvorak in Detroit in June and won by a third round TKO over Kyle Johnson in Las Vegas in October.

It was a tough end for Billy Dvorak. The Columbia, MD., born 25-year-old started 1965 25-0 and ranked 4th in welterweight division. Had a title shot against Brandon Dart but was knocked out for fist pro loss. Dvorak's next fight was against another young contender by the name of George Henry and it was a hard fought battle that saw Dvorak lose a decision but broke his right wrist so badly in the bout that he spent the rest of the year undergoing multiple surgeries and the expectation is he will never be healed sufficiently to fight at a high level again.

The Year That Was
Current events from 1965

Jan 4- President Lyndon Johnson proclaims his "Great Society" during his State of the Union Address. The focus was on a series of domestic policies whose main goal was the total elimination of poverty and racial injustice.
Jan 20- President Johnson begins his first full term and Hubert Humphrey is sworn in as Vice President.
Feb 20- Ranger 8 crashes into the Moon after a successful mission of photographing possible landing sites for the Apollo program missions.
Feb 21- Malcolm X is assassinated in New York City
Mar 7- In what will become known as Bloody Sunday, some 200 Alabama State Troopers clash with 525 civil rights demonstrators in Selma, Alabama.
Mar 8- Some 3,500 American troops arrive in Vietnam, become the first American combat troops in the nation.
Mar 16- Police clash with some 600 marchers in Montgomery, Alabama as more than 1,500 demonstrate at the city courthouse.
Mar 21- Martin Luther King leads a 3,200 Civil Rights activists in a four-day march from Selma to the Alabama state capitol in Montgomery.
Apr 11- The Palm Sunday Tornado outbreak leaves more than 250 dead after an estimated 51 tornadoes hit six US states.
Apr 28- US troops are sent to the Dominican Republic to thwart the possibility of another Communist takeover similar to Cuba.
Jun 3- Gemini 4 astronaut Ed White makes the first US space walk.
Jul 28- President Johnson orders an increase in US troops in Vietnam from 75,000 to 125,000 and doubles the number of men drafted per month to 35,000.
Jul 30- Johnson since the Social Security Act of 1965, establishing Medicare and Medicaid.
Aug 6- The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is signed into law, outlawing literacy tests and other discriminatory voting practices.
Aug 11- The Watts riots begin in Los Angeles
Aug 18 - Operation Starlite : the first major American ground battle in Vietnam commences.
Aug 26- President Johnson announces the end of draft deferment for newly married men.
Sep 9 - 76 die as Hurricane Betsy roars ashore near New Orleans and becomes known as "Billion Dollar Betsy" after it becomes the first storm to cause over $1 billion in damages.
Oct 16- Anti-war protests draw 100,000 in 80 US cities and around the world.
Nov 6 - Cuba and the United States agree to start an airlift for Cubans who want to go to the US. Over six years 250,000 take advantage of this program.
Nov 14- Battle of the la Drang becomes the first major engagement between American and North Vietnamese forces.
Nov 27- Tens of thousands of war protesters picket the White House and then march on the Washington Monument.
Dec 15 - Gemini 6 and Gemini 7 perform the first controlled rendezvous in Earth orbit.

Next up will be the 1965-66 Hockey and Basketball recaps.

09-14-2025, 11:20 AM	#1130
Tiger Fan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 9,769	Football brings 1965 to a close. JANUARY 2, 1965 OVERTIME WIN LIFTS BUCKS TO NATIONAL TITLE Travis College Tops Bayou State in Oilman Classic 47-44 The addition of overtime to eliminate tie games in collegiate football has been a way of life since 1952 but it rarely has come into play on New Years Day and never for a game whose outcome determined the national title. Never that is until January 1, 1966 when Travis College outlasted Bayou State 47-44 in a marathon title game that required four round of overtime to determine a winner. The Bucks, thanks to a 6-yard Devon Lorenz touchdown run after the Cougars were forced to settle for a field goal with their fourth OT possession, earned the win in the Oilman Classic and coupled with Noble Jones College falling 35-30 to College of Omaha in the Sunshine Classic, were number one. It marked the fifth time in school history that Travis College led the way in football but this was the Bucks first national title since 1953 and quite a turnaround for Coach Karl Ogden's squad that went just 5-6 a year ago. The Bucks finished 11-1 with the only blemish on their record being a 31-24 loss to Southwestern Athletic Association rival Darnell State. With 5 football titles the Bucks are in rare company, joining Coastal California, Georgia Baptist and Noble Jones College as the only schools to do so. Noble Jones College appeared to have the inside track towards becoming the first six time national champion as the Colonels entered their New Year's Day meeting with College of Omaha ranked #1 in the nation despite having already suffered two losses on the season. Dominant showings late in the season against ranked Deep South Conference foes Georgia Baptist (26-3 win) and Cumberland (36-3) helped propel the Colonels to top spot, ahead of South Atlantic Conference champion Charleston Tech at second and Bayou State in third with Travis College sitting in fourth. The Bucks took care of business against Bayou State while each of the top two ranked schools came up short on New Years. The Colonels dug themselves a hole early in Miami, falling behind College of Omaha 35-10 early in the third period before staging a furious comeback which fell just short. Meanwhile in New Orleans the third Deep South school to earn a New Years invite, Georgia Baptist, put on a defensive clinic in a dominant 22-0 whitewashing of the second ranked Charleston Tech Admirals. When the dust settled with Travis College(11-1) on top of the pile it was the Central Ohio Aviators(10-2), Grafton Scholars (10-0), College of Omaha Raiders (10-2) and St. Blane Fighting Saints (10-2) that rounded out the top five. Central Ohio, which finished second in the final rankings for the second year in a row and have now spent each of the past six years ranked in the top ten, won its second straight East-West Classic, blasting West Coast Athletic Association champ Portland Tech 24-3 and put a sour ending to what was the Magpies first WCAA title and East-West Classic appearance since 1920. The Aviators can't help but feel this was a missed opportunity as they stumbled out of the gate, losing September contests on the road at Western Florida and Minnesota Tech, before reeling off 10 straight victories culminating in their win in Santa Ana. It was an odd year for Minnesota Tech as the Lakers, classic participants each of the past two seasons and ranked 4th a year ago, knocked off Central Ohio in their Great Lakes Alliance opener but did not win another conference game and finished 3-8. Grafton has suddenly emerged as a school to fear in a conference that really has become an afterthought when talking college football. The Scholars went 10-0 for the second time in three years and after being ranked 4th two seasons ago they finish third in the polls this time around. No Academia Alliance school has finished number one since 1928 when George Fox turned the trick in what was the first season of the Brunson Polling System. Plains Athletic Association champion College of Omaha finished third thanks to their Sunshine Classic victory over then number Noble Jones College. It was just the third New Year's Day appearance for the Raiders who previously lost to Alabama A&M in the 1956 Sunshine Classic and beat Colorado Poly in the now-defunct San Joaquin Classic back in 1952. It was also the first time the school finished ranked in the top twenty since 1952. Number five was the St. Blane Fighting Saints with their highest finish since they were fifth in the 1956 rankings. It also marked back-to-back ranked seasons -they were 18th a year ago- for Frank Dugger's Saints since their run of five straight ranked finishes ended in that same 1956 season. It may be a beginning of a resurgence for what was one of the most powerful programs of the 1940s but fell on hard times the past few years. St. Blane had an outstanding recruiting class led by freshman quarterback Jack Denson, who stepped right in as the starter and meshed nicely with senior end Jim Whitehead and fellow frosh Rich Ramirez to give the Saints a potent passing attack. The Saints beat Western Iowa 34-13 in the Bayside Classic, which marked their first New Year's action in nine years. COLLEGE FOOTBALL NOTES The Minnesota Tech Lakers suffered one of the worst drop-offs in recent memory. The Lakers went 10-2 a year ago following a 9-2 campaign in 1963, finishing in the top ten both times and winning a pair of Classic games. This season Coach Tim Hillman's Lakers started well enough, beating Alabama Baptist, GLA rival Central Ohio and St Patrick's to start 3-0 and begin visions of a third straight New Year's Day appearance. It did not happen as the Lakers imploded and lost their final 8 games of the season. The result was a 3-8 season, worst by a Lakers squad since going 0-9 in 1951. A big reason for the freefall was the absence of 1964 Great Lakes Alliance all-star quarterback Ed Corsetti, who threw for 17 touchdowns a year ago. Corsetti was the first round pick of the National Football Association's Cincinnati Riverman and had a decent rookie season in pro ball. Quite a debut season for freshman Bulein quarterback Bob Fullerton. He led the AIAA in passing yardage with 1,520 with a big reason being his teammate Horace Reuter. The sophomore end set a college record with 987 receiving yards in 1965 including one game when Reuter had 11 catches for a single game record 287 yards. It came in a season-ending 45-14 win over Huntington State. CC Los Angeles has had its struggles in recent years under Coach Tom Bowens, as the former AFA receiving star and ex-Detroit Maroons coach saw his college mark dip to 49-44 after a 4-7 campaign. Bowens son Tom Jr. joined the team but was used sparingly as a freshman. Like his dad, Tom Junior is a wide receiver. BOSTON AMERICANS CLAIM PRO GRID CROWN Veteran Back Sova Becomes Modern Rushing Leader There seems to be no slowing down Kevin Sova as the Boston Americans halfback had another big season, rushing for 1,269 yards and helping the Americans to win their second pro football title in the past four years and fifth in franchise history. Sova, who has been in the Yanks backfield since 1953 after finishing up a stellar college career at Carolina Poly, surpassed the 1,000 yard rushing mark for the sixth time and with 12,983 career yards on the ground he is now the modern-day (post 1950) all-time rushing leader. Sova would add another 180 yards in two playoff games to help the Americans defeat Houston for the AFA title and then the NFA champion New York Titans in the second annual meeting between the winners of each league. The Americans won ten of their first twelve games before a two-game slump to end the season but they had already clinched the East Division title by that point. Boston did not dominate the league as they were around the middle of the pack in team offense and team defense but their strength was a running game that chewed up time off the clock and did just enough to ensure they claimed top spot in the division with a two game bulge on the second place New York Stars. Sova was joined on the AFA All-Star roster by two of the linemen that cleared holes for him in tackle Jim Gabor and center Jeff Gebhardt. The passing game was not a priority but that did not stop Bob Bosco from finishing fourth in the loop with 674 yards receiving. Just two Boston defenders earned All-Star game invites. They would be defensive backs Frank Wetheim and Junior Erickson. Wertheim was a rookie, a first round selection out of Central Ohio. The New York Stars had the best rushing defense in the entire AFA but their 8-6 record was only good enough for second place and it marked the second year in a row Coach Dolph Ulrich's squad failed to make the playoffs after a string of six straight seasons with playoff football. Veteran quarterback Orlin Youngs continues to lead the offense of what was a streaky team. The Stars were blinked out due primarily to a five-game losing skid in the middle of the season. They rebounded with 5 straight wins including a 28-14 road win late in the year over Boston but by then it was too late to catch the Americans. Buffalo finished 7-7 for the second straight season, tying the franchise record for victories as the Red Jackets completed their fifth campaign. The defense looks ready to take the next step but the Buffalo offense is not, especially at quarterback where they tried two former first round draft picks in Roy Leathers and John Simoneau but neither appears to be the answer. Philadelphia tied Buffalo for third place as the Frigates, division winners a year ago, missed the playoffs for the fourth time in the past five years. Rookie quarterback Jim Clark, selected 20th overall out of Northern California, had the opportunity to learn on the job after Jack Osterman, who started the past five seasons and made the All-Star game each of them, threatened to retire. Osterman was eventually released and signed with the New York Stars to backup Orlin Youngs. With a rookie under center, the Frigates running game worked overtime and with some success as both emerging third year halfback Larry Lewis and veteran Doug Lucy topped the 1,000 yard mark on the season. After improving their record each of the past two seasons the Washington Wasps took a step back with a 6-8 season - the reverse of their record a year ago. The Wasps had some success through the air, both on offense with quarterback Pat Roberts enjoying his most productive season, and on defense where only four other teams surrendered less passing yards but the running game, especially stopping it, was an issue. Pittsburgh and Cleveland both struggled and tied for last in the East Division at 5-9. The Paladins have now gone 13 years without seeing a playoff game but that is nothing compared to the Cleveland Finches, who has not played in the postseason since 1947. * Houston Continues to be a Model Franchise in AFA West * If you were tasked with developing the perfect expansion team look no further than the Houston Drillers for the blueprint on how to do just that. The Drillers joined the AFA along with the Buffalo Red Jackets in 1961 and both clubs struggled immediately as they were each forced to field a team with scraps and cast-offs from the established 12 AFA teams at the time. Houston went just 3-11 in that debut campaign but they laid the groundwork for what was to come. What happened in 1962 shocked the AFA establishment as the Drillers went 10-4 and made it all the way to the AFA championship game before falling to Boston. The missed the playoffs in both 1963 and 1964 but went 8-6 and 11-3 over those two seasons. A 10-4 finish this time around sent Houston to the AFA title game for the second time in four years. Since the Drillers 3-11 debut, they have posted a dominant 39-17 record with two playoff berths in a four year span. It was key decisions made in 1961 turned out to be what built the Drillers into a power. First off they managed to snag young quarterback Miller Bogert from the Chicago Wildcats and all Bogert has done was make the postseason All-Star Classic roster twice and provide a steady hand for the offense. Houston does not need Bogert to do a lot, just play it safe as the Drillers biggest strength has been a defense anchored by John Padgett and Lou Lawlor. Padgett was a second round pick out of Darnell State in the Drillers first draft of 1961. His relentless pressure on opposing quarterbacks has earned him four consecutive appearances in the All-Star Classic and with a league leading 15 sacks this season he was named football's Defensive Player of the Year. Drafting Padgett and signing the veteran linebacker Lawlor after Washington had cast him aside made the Drillers defense one to be feared. Wise drafting since 1961 has helped flesh out the Drillers roster and 1965 first round Vern Rebovich was no exception. The 1964 Christian Trophy winning halfback out of Payne State did not miss a beat moving to the pros, as the rookie rushed for 1,114 yards in his debut season. Houston was good enough in 1965 that the Drillers dethroned the two-time defending champion St Louis Ramblers, who finished second in the West Division at 8-6, two games back of front-running Houston. The writing was clearly on the wall in early November when the Ramblers, at 6-3 and just coming off a disappointing road loss to last place Detroit, hosted a 7-2 Drillers team in a game that would set the tone for the four weeks of the season. A tone was certainly set as Houston decimated the defending champs, blanking them 43-0 while the Drillers defense held the Ramblers to just 85 yards in total offense. Chicago ended up tied with St. Louis for second place as the Wildcats ended a two-year stretch of losing seasons by finishing at 8-6. There is some hope for the future in the Windy City as Chip Fitch, Chicago's 1961 first rounder, enjoyed a solid season after the former Pittsburgh State quarterback had his struggles a year ago. What did Chicago in this time was their poor home record as the Wildcats went just 3-4 at Cougars Park compared to a 5-2 road mark. The San Francisco Wings have now missed the playoffs for six consecutive seasons after finishing fourth at 7-7. Third year halfback Arlo Gauthier finished among the rushing leaders with 1,122 yards as the Wings offense seldom took to the air and relied on its rushing game. Their downfall was a defense that simply surrendered too many points in key games. The Los Angeles Tigers and Kansas City Cowboys tied for fifth at 6-8 and defense was an issue for both. For the Tigers it was their fourth consecutive 6-8 finish while for the Cowboys, who have made the playoffs just once since the end of the Pat Chappell era well over a decade ago, it was an improvement on the previous two seasons when Kansas City went 3-11 and 4-10. There is hope for the future as the Cowboys may have found themselves the type of powerful runner they had not seen since their Continental Conference days with Mike Peel. That would be in the form of Leroy Avens, a burly 216 pound ball carrier selected first overall out of Cowpens State in April. Avens was named Offensive Rookie of Year after he gained 1,187 yards and scored 6 touchdowns in his debut season in Kansas City. That leaves the Detroit Maroons in last place at 5-9. It has been a crazy past few seasons for longtime Maroons coach Sam Wiggins and his squad. In the past five years the inconsistent Maroons have posted records of 12-2, 4-10, 10-4, 8-6 and now 5-9. Using that pattern perhaps the Maroons will contend next season but with a defense as bad as they were in 1965 - no team in either the AFA or NFA surrendered more points- it is hard to imagine a quick turnaround for Rollie Barrell's club this time. ** Little Middle Ground in the NFA * In the sophomore National Football Association teams are either very good or very bad. There are some explosive offenses in the loop, notably in Los Angeles, Minnesota and New York -each winners of 11 games this season- but there are also some awful clubs as three of the eight teams -Cincinnati, Dallas and San Diego- each surrendered well over 300 points against and combined to go 8-34 on the season. The East Division belonged to the New York Titans who went head to head with the established Stars for support in the Big Apple and played a very exciting brand of football. The Titans found a marquee star in Elvin McGoldrick, a 5'9" jitterbug of a back who had previously enjoyed success in Kansas City. The 27-year-old zigged and zagged his way to 1,416 yards and a league best 15 touchdowns which resulted in McGoldrick being named the Most Valuable Player in football. The Titans also got a strong season out of veteran quarterback Garton Bird, who had enjoyed early success with the Los Angeles Tigers before being unable to find his rhythm with Buffalo. Bird found a nice connection with former Noble Jones College star receiver Don Bernard that added another dimension to the Titans offense beyond just the running of McGoldrick. The Miami Mariners, who won the NFA East a year ago, slipped to 8-6 and second place in the NFA East Division this time around. Cincinnati and Dallas brought up the rear in the East Division. The Rivermen had just an awful defense while the Stallions were bad all around. The defense had its troubles and former Cleveland Finches quarterback Bran Wechsler could not move the Dallas offense. The NFA West was a battle between the defending league champion Minnesota Lakers and the Los Angeles Olympians. Both clubs had plenty of offense and strong defenses. Minnesota had the best run defense in either association while the offense featured second year quarterback Jody Lofgren throwing to Billy Morris, an undrafted rookie signed a year ago out of Darnell State, who led the NFA with 68 catches this season. The Lakers had the ground game covered as well, with former New York Stars back Ephraim Stanek, who ran for 1,443 yards which was second in pro football behind only Los Angeles Olympians Duffy Knotts, who was named top offensive player after rushing for 1,592 yards. Sled Hicks, a Detroit castoff, was named to the All-Star Classic for the second year in a row after the Olympians quarterback threw a league high 18 touchdown passes and for 2,332 yards. The Denver Mountaineers improved to 7-7 after winning just 4 games a year ago and even beat Los Angeles once this season but they have a long ways to go to compete with the two powers in their division. There are few bright spots in San Diego as the Admirals finished 3-11 for the second consecutive season but they do have a young team led by linebacker Mike Krugman. The third round pick from Bluegrass State had 109 tackles and was named the defensive rookie of the year. PLAYOFFS Minnesota won the National Football Association title a year ago and the Lakers went 11-3 this season but they needed the tie-breaker of a better divisional record to keep their championship hopes alive this season. The Lakers and the Los Angeles Olympians, also 11-3, split their two meetings this season but the Lakers got the nod to face East Division champion New York because they went 5-1 against West Division opponents while the Olympians were only 4-2. The New York Titans, on the other hand, had a playoff berth locked up before the calendar turned to December and they looked to be quite a foe for the Lakers. At least they did until it was learned that New York quarterback Garton Bird would miss the game with an injury. That was huge as it meant backup John Mehl would get his first start of the season and that the Minnesota defense could focus on stopping MVP halfback Elvin McGoldrick. It worked for three quarters as the Lakers, who were a perfect 7-0 at home, lead 13-0 at the break and refused to allow New York to move the ball. Minnesota quarterback Jody Lofgren had a strong game, completing 24 of 35 passes for 202 yards but a pair of interceptions proved costly and led to 10 New York points in the second half. Mehl completed just 6 passes all day but two of them came on the same drive that bled from the end of the third quarter to the early moments of the fourth period. The first was a 42-yard catch and run by Don Bernard that was the Titans longest play of the day from scrimmage and it was quickly followed by a 24-yard pass to Ziggy Sines setting up a first and goal on the Minnesota one-yard line with New York trailing 13-3 at the time. McGoldrick had a terrible game, he carried the ball just 6 times for 7 yards but one of those yards resulted in a score that narrowed the Minnesota lead to 13-10 with 13 minutes left in the game. Two long Bob Bialecki field goals put New York ahead by 3 points with 1:48 to play when Lofgren made his second crucial mistake, getting picked off again deep in his own territory which allowed McGoldrick to score his second one-yard touchdown run of the afternoon and give the Titans a 23-13 win in a game that was dominated everywhere but where it matters most by the Lakers. * Yanks Prove Too Much For Houston Once Again * The Houston Drillers and Boston Americans hooked up in the American Football Association championship game for the second time in four years. Boston won the first meeting 27-20, putting an end to a Cinderella second season in the league for the young Drillers. Once more the Yanks would crush the Drillers dreams. Due to scheduling quirks the West Division Drillers and East Division Americans had never met in the regular season. Few things went right for the Drillers on this day. First, starting quarterback Miller Bogert was injured and completed just 3 of 7 passes for 21 yards. His replacement Bob Newberry did not have much more success. Meanwhile the Drillers defense had its troubles containing Boston back Kevin Sova, who ran for a game high 107 yards. The two defenses were strong, each forcing three turnovers but the only one that led to points for either side came when the outcome was pretty much decided. Boston quarterback Bob McKoon threw an interception while ahead 20-0 with less than 4 minutes left in the game. The Drillers turned it into a Vern Rabovich touchdown run but all that did was avoid the shutout as the Americans prevailed 20-7. AFA-NFA CLASSIC GAME The American Football Association and National Football Association seemed to have a very good relationship and it was becoming very easy to think of them as one entity- certainly a far cry from the bitter battle of the post-war era when the Continental Football Conference attempted to challenge the AFA. They agreed that the shared title game between the two, set for the week after each crowned its association champion, would continue and perhaps even become permanent. They shared awards, held a common draft and faced each other in an All-Star Game. Yes, it was easy to consider the two a single entity, but not when they were on the field together. The NFA played an exciting brand of football, with an emphasis on the passing game and creating marketable star players, but just as the inaugural meeting last December showed, the 1965 showdown between Association champs proved there was still gap in talent. However, that gap seems like it may be closing as the New York Titans offense outperformed the Boston Americans in this year's title game but the veteran loop still came out on top. Boston won by a 17-3 score despite the fact the New York Titans, who hosted the contest at Empire Stadium, had more rushing yards, more passing yards and dominated the time of possession. After neither club accomplished much on its first series of the game the Americans struck for a big play on their second possession. It came with New York focusing on playoff MVP Kevin Sova after the Boston back gained 12 yards on first down. With the Titans defense creeping in expecting another Sova carry, Yanks quarterback Bob McKoon crossed them up and threw a 53-yard pass to wideout Jack Amodeo. A play later Sova did indeed get the ball, and finished off the scoring drive with a 9-yard run to give the AFA champs an early lead. New York would answer with a field goal to cut the Boston lead to 7-3 but early in the second quarter the Americans added a second touchdown, this one on a 2-yard pass from McKoon to Bob Bosco to cap a 10-play, 59-yard drive. A missed 25-yard field goal but Titans kicker Bob Bialecki was compounded when Boston's kicker, Mike Marshall, was successful on a 34-yarder of his own late in the second period to put the Americans ahead 17-3. That would prove to be the end of the scoring although the Titans had some opportunities in the second half but failed to capitalize. The biggest blow to the hosts came midway through the fourth quarter when regular season MVP back Elvin McGoldrick ran for 38-yards and deep into Boston territory only to fumble away the ball as he was hauled down. QUISENBERRY TAKES FOURTH TURN WITH MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE George Quisenberry became the first man ever to hold an ABF World Title on four different occasions when the 29-year-old Toronto born middleweight knocked out reigning champ Ed Eads in the 7th round of their title bout in Philadelphia last August. Quisenberry, who finished the year off with a successful defense in Cleveland, scoring a 13th round TKO win over Bill Sanderson, had held the title on three previous occasions. Quisenberry first won the middleweight title in 1958 when he scored a unanimous decision over Frenchman Yohan Revel. Quisenberry's time at the top was short-lived, as after beating Joe Clarke that August he would lose to George Hatchell in his second title defense four months later. In the fall of 1959 Quisenberry was back, beating Mark McCoy, another multi-time title holder, in McCoy's first defense after the veteran Kansas City boxer had wrestled the title away from Hatchell. Quisenberry would then enjoy his longest run as champion, with seven successful defenses over a two and a half year stretch before Lyman King knocked him out in a January 1962 battle at New York's Bigsby Garden. Quisenberry would fight King again nearly a year later and they would battle to a majority draw, allowing King to retain his crown, but that led to a rematch and this time Quisenberry would dominate the 15-round title fight, also at Bigsby Garden, and win a unanimous decision to claim the title for the third time. It was another very short run at the top as Quisenberry, fighting in his hometown of Toronto, was knocked out in the first round of his first defense by Marc Maisonneuve. King would regain the middleweight crown with a 5th round TKO of Maisonneuve in November of 1963 - in what was King's first fight since losing to Quisenberry nine months earlier. King would hold the title throughout 1964 but in May of 1965 he was outpointed by Ed Eads. The Texan would hold the title just three months as he lost his first title defense to Quisenberry in August. There was much more stability in the other two divisions in 1965 as both Norm Robinson and Brandon Dart each made three successful title defenses last year. Robinson, the heavyweight champ, won all three of his defenses by stoppages - knocking out Walt Phillips in Las Vegas in January, and scoring TKO wins over Bill Mayville in May and Jim Hatfield in September. Dart, who has made five successful defenses since winning the welterweight title in the spring of 1964, outpointed Charlie McMichael in Boston in Mary, knocked out the previously unbeaten Billy Dvorak in Detroit in June and won by a third round TKO over Kyle Johnson in Las Vegas in October. It was a tough end for Billy Dvorak. The Columbia, MD., born 25-year-old started 1965 25-0 and ranked 4th in welterweight division. Had a title shot against Brandon Dart but was knocked out for fist pro loss. Dvorak's next fight was against another young contender by the name of George Henry and it was a hard fought battle that saw Dvorak lose a decision but broke his right wrist so badly in the bout that he spent the rest of the year undergoing multiple surgeries and the expectation is he will never be healed sufficiently to fight at a high level again. The Year That Was Current events from 1965 Jan 4- President Lyndon Johnson proclaims his "Great Society" during his State of the Union Address. The focus was on a series of domestic policies whose main goal was the total elimination of poverty and racial injustice. Jan 20- President Johnson begins his first full term and Hubert Humphrey is sworn in as Vice President. Feb 20- Ranger 8 crashes into the Moon after a successful mission of photographing possible landing sites for the Apollo program missions. Feb 21- Malcolm X is assassinated in New York City Mar 7- In what will become known as Bloody Sunday, some 200 Alabama State Troopers clash with 525 civil rights demonstrators in Selma, Alabama. Mar 8- Some 3,500 American troops arrive in Vietnam, become the first American combat troops in the nation. Mar 16- Police clash with some 600 marchers in Montgomery, Alabama as more than 1,500 demonstrate at the city courthouse. Mar 21- Martin Luther King leads a 3,200 Civil Rights activists in a four-day march from Selma to the Alabama state capitol in Montgomery. Apr 11- The Palm Sunday Tornado outbreak leaves more than 250 dead after an estimated 51 tornadoes hit six US states. Apr 28- US troops are sent to the Dominican Republic to thwart the possibility of another Communist takeover similar to Cuba. Jun 3- Gemini 4 astronaut Ed White makes the first US space walk. Jul 28- President Johnson orders an increase in US troops in Vietnam from 75,000 to 125,000 and doubles the number of men drafted per month to 35,000. Jul 30- Johnson since the Social Security Act of 1965, establishing Medicare and Medicaid. Aug 6- The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is signed into law, outlawing literacy tests and other discriminatory voting practices. Aug 11- The Watts riots begin in Los Angeles Aug 18 - Operation Starlite : the first major American ground battle in Vietnam commences. Aug 26- President Johnson announces the end of draft deferment for newly married men. Sep 9 - 76 die as Hurricane Betsy roars ashore near New Orleans and becomes known as "Billion Dollar Betsy" after it becomes the first storm to cause over $1 billion in damages. Oct 16- Anti-war protests draw 100,000 in 80 US cities and around the world. Nov 6 - Cuba and the United States agree to start an airlift for Cubans who want to go to the US. Over six years 250,000 take advantage of this program. Nov 14- Battle of the la Drang becomes the first major engagement between American and North Vietnamese forces. Nov 27- Tens of thousands of war protesters picket the White House and then march on the Washington Monument. Dec 15 - Gemini 6 and Gemini 7 perform the first controlled rendezvous in Earth orbit. Next up will be the 1965-66 Hockey and Basketball recaps. __________________ Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles Last edited by Tiger Fan; 09-15-2025 at 08:17 PM.