MAY 2, 1966
PACKERS CLAIM CUP IN SUPRISE FINAL MATCHUP WITH BEES
Shock Two-Time Defending Champ Montreal in SemisIt had been 14 years since the Chicago Packers last won the Challenge Cup, awarded to the North American Hockey Confederation champions. It was not for a lack of opportunity as since they last hoisted hockey's holy grail in the spring of 1952, the Packers made five other trips to the finals, only to come up short each time. That changed this year in a season that a Cup title was a very unexpected surprise. But when you are the Chicago Packers and had only won the Cup once before in the franchise's forty year history, you will take a Challenge Cup win any way you can get it.
As the season progressed it seemed almost a foregone conclusion that the mighty Montreal Valiants, winners of the previous two Challenge Cups, would make it a hat trick. Montreal set an NAHC record a year ago with 104 points during the regular season and the Vals were not far off that pace this time around either. Third-year coach Matt McGranahan, who had not known a season that did not end in a title, once more led the Vals to the best regular season mark in the league: the Valiants 41-19-10 record was good for 92 points and a six point bulge on a resurgent Toronto Dukes club.
Montreal's bread and butter was its defense with veteran goaltender Nathan Bannister (38-17-10, 2.12) standing tall behind the loop's best defense that featured Mark Moggy (10-26-36), Gil Thibault (12-20-32), veteran Jean Tremblay (7-33-40) and Jeff Gaudreault (9-17-26). Moggy owns 3 Dewar Trophy's, presented to the top rearguard in the league, but this year he had to settle for runner-up as the winner was his blueline partner Thibault.
The Valiants also had an offense to match their defensive prowess with Scott Ducek, the 28-year-old pivot who had a breakout season and won the McDaniels Trophy a year ago, following up his big year with one that nearly matched it. Ducek (33-45-78) centered the Vals top line between second year left winger Tim Bernard (25-39-64) and 26-year-old rookie right winger Pete Fortin (25-43-68). Undrafted out of junior, Fortin was a classic late-bloomer, perfecting his skills with four years of toiling in the minors before catching Montreal's attention when he was invited to camp on a tryout basis. All Fortin did was capture the McLeod Trophy as top rookie and make the post-season first all-star team where he lined up alongside blueliners Moggy and Thibault. Gaudreault and Tremblay made the second time, marking the second season in a row that Montreal claimed each of the four all-star defense slots. Ducek also made the second team.
*** Big Turnaround In Toronto as Welcombe Sells Club ***
After two years of missing the playoffs, something unheard of in Toronto, changes came to the Dukes. Surprisingly in was not the coach that was removed as Ari Bear returned for a sixth season, nor was it a blockbuster trade as most of the same cast returned. Instead it was the owner as David Welcombe announced that he was selling the club after more than two and half decades. Welcombe decided age was catching up to him and he traded the quest for the Challenge Cup for the quest for the perfect cheddar.
"I have always wanted to own a cheese shop," Welcombe said at the press conference announcing the sale. "Work in one, run one. I think that may be the best retirement plan for me."
Under Welcombe's stewardship the Dukes won 8 Challenge Cups and before he left, Welcombe announced that he was donating a trophy to the league. It will be presented to the player judged to be the Most Valuable in the playoffs and would simply be known as the "David Welcombe Trophy."
Taking over the Dukes was 48-year-old Ian Linterman from Thornhill, On. Linterman made is fortune with the Canadian department store chain named Linterman's and officially became the Dukes owner just prior to the start of the regular season.
Perhaps it was the new owner but more likely it was a renewed commitment to defense, coupled with a bounce-back season from Dukes goaltender Mike Connelly (34-19-10, 2.31) that propelled Toronto back into the playoffs with a second place finish. Connelly won his second Juneau Trophy as the league's top netminder and erased a dreadful year a season ago from his memory. Add in a 43-year-old Quinton Pollack (38-45-83), who already owns practically every record in the book, playing like he was a decade younger and won his 10th McDaniels Trophy and led the league in scoring for the 9th team, claiming the newly-minted Denny Trophy. Pollack actually finished tied with Boston's Neil Wilson (25-58-83) in points but wins the Denny Trophy on the tiebreaker of more goals scored.
The Chicago Packers, fresh off of a Cup Final loss to Montreal a year ago, finished in third place with the veteran forward duo of Pete Bernier (24-46-70) and Ken York (37-25-62) leading the way. Chicago's impending success in the post-season this time around perhaps was foreshawowed by the final two months of the regular season when the Packers went 16-6-1 to overtake Boston for third.
The Bees stumbled down the stretch, dropping five of their final six games but by then they had already secured a playoff berth. Captain Neil Wilson (25-58-83) was once again the head Bee in the hive, and the 32-year-old's 58 assists this season were two shy of the decade old record set by, who else, Quinton Pollack. A pair of young forwards in Bruce Callahan (26-21-47) and Nick Quinn (23-20-43) had strong seasons, although Quinn's came to a premature end in late February when the 24-year-old suffered a hand injury. Goaltending remains a concern in Boston ever since Oscar James retired two years ago but there is hope that 23-year-old Alex Daoust, their 1962 second round pick, is ready to assume the full-time starter role after getting some experience as a backup to Francois Campeau this season.
Goaltending was the problem in Detroit as veteran Charlie Dell retired and the Motors had hoped another former Toronto Dukes netminder in Justin MacPhee (19-36-7, 3.52). MacPhee burst onto the NAHC scene in 1959-60 and won both the Juneau and McLeod Trophies as a 28-year-old rookie. It was his only year as a number one goalie until Detroit acquired him this season to replace another former long-time Toronto backup in Dell. The plan failed miserably as MacPhee had an awful season but a struggling Detroit defense did little to alleviate his woes. The Motors have lost a lot of the big scorers they had from their back-to-back Cups to start the decade but Hobie (37-40-77) and Benny Barrell (18-29-47) a still around and 21-year-old center Carl Simon (17-26-43) shows promise.
The New York Shamrocks finished last for the fifth time in the past six years. New York's woes have been well documented and include just one trip to the playoffs in the last eleven years. They did acquire long-time Montreal backup goaltender Tim Burrows (12-36-6, 3.72) but the 33-year-old found life much tougher playing behind the weak New York defense compared to Montreal's all-star foursome. Perhaps the least known all-star in the league is Alex Kalmakoff (20-30-50) the 26-year-old Shamrocks forward and the only New York player selected to a post-season all-star team in over a decade. Kalmakoff was named to the second team for the second time in three years after being a first team selection a year ago.
NAHC PLAYOFFS
The first place Montreal Valiants had gone 16-3 over the playoffs the past two years and were 9-2-3 against the Boston Bees as they prepared to commence their bid for a third straight Cup, something that had not been accomplished since the Bees won three in a row from 1941-43. All started well for the Vals as defenseman Mark Moggy had two goals and an assist in a 4-2 victory in the series opener but third period goals from Tom Gagnon and Bruce Callahan plus some standout goaltending by Francois Campeau allowed the Bees to steal a game on the road with a 3-1 victory.
The clubs would split the two games in Beantown before Boston shocked the Vals 2-1 in game five to move within a win of a series upset. Ed Halliday had a 3-point night on the road in game six as the champs refused to go quietly, sending the series to the distance with a 5-2 victory. The Bees, sensing an upset, outshot Montreal for the first time in the series and rode a 21-save shutout from Campeau to a 3-0 victory.
The other semi-final had the second place Toronto Dukes meeting the third place Chicago Packers. The two clubs were nearly even head to head with the Packers winning 7, the Dukes 6 and the final game ending in a draw. Chicago came out flying on the road at Dominion Gardens, scoring 4 times in the first 17 minutes of game one and coasting to a 6-2 victory. Toronto regrouped and evened the series heading to the Windy City with a 3-1 victory.
The third game was a marathon, as it needed four overtime periods to declare a winner. It was well after midnight when Chicago's Matt McGrath mercifully ended things with a goal after 122 minutes and 59 seconds of hockey. The final was 3-2. Game four would also end in a 3-2 score but this time the winner came in regulation, courtesy of Quinton Pollack, to allow the Dukes to even the series at two.
Game Five was another overtime session, and nearly as long as the third game. The two teams were tied at 5 after regulation and it stayed that way until 8 minutes into the third overtime when Chicago's Ken York set up Tommy Gordon with the game winner. York would score twice while Pete Bernier would assist on all three goals in game six as the Packers wrapped up the series with a 3-0 victory behind the shutout goaltending of Andrew Bomberry.
*** Bees and Packers Evenly Matched as Surprise Finalists ***
It was the third place Chicago Packers and fourth place Boston Bees that met in the finals. It marked the fourth time the duo would face off with the Challenge Cup on the line. Chicago won its first-ever Cup by beating Boston in 1952 but since then the Bees had won three Cups with the Packers standing on the ice to watch the victory celebration. Boston held a slight advantage in the regular season series, going 6-5-1 against Chicago.
Each had momentum entering the series. The Bees fresh off a game seven shutout of first place Montreal while the Packers were celebrating a grueling series against Toronto. Both clubs were likely worn out from the semi-finals as game one began, so of course it resulted in overtime. Guy Bernier had scored late in the third period to tie the contest at two but it was the Bees who would find overtime magic as just 2:41 into the first overtime David Bertrand beat Chicago goalie Bomberry.
Boston entered the third period of game two with a 2-1 lead as the Bees were looking to steal both games at Lakeside Auditorium. The Packers had other ideas and rallied with three goals in the final eight minutes to even the series with a 4-2 victory.
The series shifted to Denny Arena and the Bees outshot Chicago 50-33 and outscored them 4-1 in game three to take the series lead but Chicago bounced back with a 3-2 overtime victory in game four. This one also ended fairly quickly as just over 11 minutes into the extra period Ray Weller got the winner for the visitors.
Game Five might have been Boston's most dominant showing as the Bees outshot Chicago 45-19 and carried the play but somehow lost 4-0. Andrew Bomberry obviously was outstanding in the Packers net and Chicago got first period goals from Pete Bernier, Matt McGrath and J.P. Morrisette and then relied on Bomberry. Boston would force a game seven with a 4-3 win on home ice in the sixth game. The Bees needed third period goals from Jean Lebel and Bruce Callahan -his 10th of the playoffs- to ensure a return to Chicago.
Not since Alex Monette scored 4 goals to allow Detroit to beat Toronto 4-3 in game six and win the 1954 Challenge Cup had a single player come up with such a dominant performance in a Cup clinching game than the show put on display by Ken York in game seven of this series. The 29-year-old Chicago winger entered game seven already have scored 10 goals and a playoff record 19 points but he was just getting started as York scored a hat trick in game seven and had his Packers up 4-1 after forty minutes. The Bees stormed back with 3 unanswered third period goals to send the game into overtime. It would have been a moment that surpassed even Monette's 1954 achievement had York added a fourth goal. He did not, but his teammate J.P. Morisette did score, setting off a wild celebration at Lakeside Auditorium as the Packers won 5-4 and claimed the Challenge Cup for the second time in their long history.
Ken York, who finished with 13 goals and 22 points was named the first winner of the David Welcombe Trophy, presented to the most valuable player of the playoffs. Heavy consideration was given also to his linemate Pete Bernier, who had 2 goals and a record 17 assists in the 13 playoff games.
PHANTOMS DO IT AGAIN!
Back to Back FBL Titles as Philadelphia Again Stops Toronto in Finals The Federal Basketball League expanded to nine teams for the 1965-66 season and followed big league baseball and football by taking the show west. The Los Angeles Condors became the loop's newest team and despite a grueling travel schedule as the only club on the west coast they actually fared pretty well, finishing with a 30-50 record but avoided last place in the five team West Division. Mostly a collection of spare parts deemed expendable by the existing teams, the Condors did land a star player in the expansion draft by nabbing Bill Knick from the Chicago Panthers. Knick had led the FBL in rebounding in 1964-65 and he, along with former Toronto Falcons center Lonnie Tait, gave the Condors a pair of big men that could hold their own in the league. Knick finished among the top five in both scoring average (24.6) and rebounding (12.2) and became the Condors leader. The Condors also may have found a gem rookie guard Taffy LaBarbera, who averaged 12.8 points per game after the Dickson College star was ignored in the FBL draft and made the club as a free agent.
While Los Angeles provided something new to follow in the league, much of what happened in 1965-66 was very similar to the previous season as once more the Philadelphia Phantoms and Toronto Falcons were the top teams in the sport. Unlike a year ago when the Phantoms finished tied with Boston for first place, this season saw the defending league champions dominate the East Division during the regular season. Philadelphia went 58-22 and finished eleven games ahead of the second place Washington Statesmen. Five-time All-Star forward Dan Holland, who was playoff MVP last year and in 1961 when the Phantoms also were crowned champions, led the way with 25.8 points per game and was among the rebound leaders as well. Holland had plenty of help on offense as three other Philadelphia starters: Lenny Stanley, George Price and Percy Carner, all averaged over 17 points per game.
The Statesmen were a distant second but it was Washington's highest finish since their 1958-59 championship team led the East Division. The Statesmen were led by guard Ralph Peck, who finished in the top ten in both points and assists and was named league MVP. Peck is just 26, the same age as backcourt mate Joe Godfrey who, along with 27-year-old center Sam Pisani accounted for most of the scoring. The excitement for the future was tempered somewhat when Peck suffered a broken leg in the playoffs.
There were no real races at all in the East Division as the Boston Centurions finished comfortably in third to claim the final playoff spot, well behind Washington but comfortably ahead of the last place New York Knights. Longtime Cents Steve Barrell and Bert LaBrecque continue to be the heart of the team and 26-year-old Art Owens, a former CC Los Angeles star, showed promise as the starting center after spending the past three seasons as a back-up.
The New York Knights missed the playoffs for the second year in a row with about the only bright spot being Ken Robinson as the smooth-shooting forward led the FBL in scoring for the second straight season. A year ago Robinson became the first player to ever average more than 30 points per game in an FBL season and this year he did it for a second time.
*** Toronto Tops The West ***
Just as the Philadelphia Phantoms ran away with the East Division, the Toronto Falcons did the exact same in the West. In fact, Toronto's 58-22 regular season record was equal to that of their foes from Philadelphia. Guard Bill Spangler, an 8 year veteran, once more was the head Falcon and he made his fifth appearance on the league's first all-star team. This season marked the fourth time in the past five years that Toronto led the way in the West.
Detroit finished in second place for the third straight season but the Mustangs were 14 games back of Toronto. Detroit had little pressure to hold second as they finished nine games ahead of third place Chicago. The Mustangs had the highest scoring offense in the league but they did not show the same exuberance on defense, allowing more points than every other club except for the New York Knights. Jack Sayler and Charlie DeSantis each averaged more than 20 points per game for the Mustangs. The Panthers did not score as much as Detroit but did have a pair of 20-point men of their own in Bob Christensen, who also led the league in rebounding, along with Dick Brown. Chicago also had the league's most productive playmaker in guard Mark Robinson, who led the loop in assists for the second consecutive season.
Los Angeles, as mentioned above, managed to finish ahead of the woeful St. Louis Rockets for fourth place. The Rockets were bitten hard by the injury bug with starters Harry Garlick and Jerry Kosior each missing significant portions of the season.
*** PLAYOFF RECAP ***
With the dominant showing by division leaders Philadelphia and Toronto the feeling was the first two runs of the playoffs would have no bearing on the final outcome with the Phantoms and Falcons seemingly destined for a rematch of last season's title series, won by Philadelphia in five games.
That being said there was some entertaining basketball being played in the opening round of the Eastern playoffs. The Washington Statesmen beat Boston 109-91 in the opener of their best-of-five set as Sam Pisani scored 28 points and regular season MVP Ralph Peck added 26 but the Centurions, who finished 11 games behind the Statesmen in the regular season, stole game two on the road with a 96-89 victory in a contest that saw Boston guard Steve Barrell come within one rebound of a triple double. The series shifted to Beantown for the crucial third game. It went down to the wire with Barrell once more playing a key role as the veteran guard scored the final two of his 15 points on the evening with 3 seconds left to lift the Centurions to a 90-89 victory. Game four was do or die for the Statesmen and they responded well, leading 49-41 early in the third quarter when disaster struck. Ralph Peck, the heart of the Washington club, fell awkwardly in great pain and after a several minute delay was stretchered off the court. The result would later be diagnosed as a broken leg and the stunned Statesmen seemed to fall apart as Boston outscored them 53-35 the rest of the way as the Centurions clinched the series.
The opening round on the West Division side of the playoffs was far less dramatic as Detroit swept the Chicago Panthers three straight to advance to face Toronto. Detroit, riding the momentum from the Chicago sweep took a three games to one lead on the Falcons in the best-of-seven second round but Toronto, led by guard Bill Spangler who scored, 26,23 and 32 points in the next three games, roared back to take the series in seven. Philadelphia also lost the opener of their series with Boston and fell in game five as well but in the end proved far too much for the Centurions and won the series in six.
The finals pitting Philadelphia against Toronto were a rematch of the previous season's title series - the first time that has happened since Washington beat Toronto in seven games in both the spring of 1950 and 1951 finals. The series opened in Toronto and the scoring star was an unlikely hero as the hometown Falcons claimed a 97-88 victory. Bill Spangler was banged up early in the game so he was limited to just 15 minutes and 8 points. His backup Will Brooks, who had helped Western Iowa to an AIAA championship game appearance several years back, made the most of his opportunity as the 27-year-old guard scored a playoff personal best 21 points to more than make up for Spangler's absence.
Before the second game Toronto learned that the injury to Spangler was much more serious than first thought. The First-Team All League guard had suffered a broken bone in his foot and was done for the season. Philadelphia pulled out a 96-93 victory in game two to even the series with center George Price, who had 18 points and 18 boards, leading the way.
The series would not cross the border into Canada again as Toronto, without its best player, was no match for the Phantoms. Philadelphia, led by 36 points from guard Lenny Stanley and 27 from Price, took game three in a rout, winning 126-104. The fourth game was just as lobsided with Price dominating the Falcons to the tune of 22 points, 12 rebounds and 8 blocked shots in a 99-71 Phantoms victory and they wrapped up the series two nights later, beating Toronto 122-102. Price, who just completed his seventh season but first as a full-time starter at center for the Phantoms, was named the playoff MVP.
The Phantoms title also allowed the city of Philadelphia to leap-frog Toronto for fifth place among professional sports titles won by city's. The City of Brotherly Love now owns 18 pro sport titles, including four from the Phantoms, while Toronto is one back at 17, the vast majority of which come from hockey's Toronto Dukes but the cage Falcons have won a pair FBL titles. New York, of course, with its multiple sports teams leads the way with 29 wins followed by Boston, Detroit and Chicago.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL RECAP
DETROIT CITY COLLEGE CROWNED COLLEGE CAGE CHAMP
The Detroit City College Knights have long been known as a football power in the Great Lakes Alliance so perhaps it comes as a great surprise that since the Knights last were crowned national champion on the gridiron in 1955, they have won not one but two AIAA basketball tournaments. The latest came last month when the Knights capped off a 26-3 season with a 65-61 victory over Noble Jones College in the championship game which is contested annually at New York's Bigsby Garden.
It was a special season for DCC even before the tournament began as the Knights 15-1 section record allowed them to claim the Great Lakes Alliance basketball title for the first time in 24 years. The only section loss came early in conference play when they were thumped 66-46 on the road against Indiana A&M but the veteran loaded roster that was built by coach Ken Benford to make a deep tournament run this year did just that.
Forward Les Hoeft, a 6'9" tower of strength out of Newton, NJ, was one of three seniors in the starting lineup which was rounded out by a pair of juniors. Hoeft, who would average 14.3 points per game and 7.2 rebounds, would be named the Great Lakes Alliance player of the year and earn Second Team All-American status. Many are predicting Hoeft may well be the first overall selection in the upcoming Federal Basketball League draft.
He did nothing to hurt his draft stock in the tournament as Hoeft was the clear leader of the Knights postseason run. He led the way with 12 points and 12 boards as DCC, the top seed in the Midwest Region, opened the tournament with a 59-36 clobbering of Central Athletic Association champion Fond du Lac. The games grew tougher but Hoeft and his mates were up for the challenge with the big forward scoring a team high 17 points in the second round 70-53 win over Northern California. He would be one of three Knights to score 12 in a nail-biting 54-53 victory over Charleston Tech in the regional final.
In New York for the final four the Knights had to contend with a pair of Deep South Conference schools. The semi-finals were also a tight game but Hoeft scored 18 points in a 61-58 victory over Mississippi A&M. The other semi-final saw Noble Jones College narrowly hold off North Carolina Tech 42-41. It marked the second consecutive year the Colonels would reach the title game but they followed up last year's loss to Redwood with another defeat. Noble Jones College strategy was to double-team Hoeft all game and it was successful in that they held him to just 6 points and only 7 shot attempts. The problem was that left another talented Detroit City College senior wide-open most of the game and guard Bill DuMont poured in 24 points to key the victory.
With the victory Detroit City College becomes one of just 14 schools to win at least two AIAA tournaments since the event debuted in 1909. Noble Jones College has now lost three of the four title games the school has ever appeared in with the lone victory coming in that famous 1949-50 season when the Charlie Barrell led Colonels topped Liberty College in a battle of unbeaten teams.
THREE TO WATCH
Here are three players you may be hearing quite a lot about in the future. Dick Van Der Linden of Rainier College was the Barrette Award winner as the AIAA Basketball Player of the Year this season and among the leading scorers in the nation. The Seattle native was a freshman All-American and a four year starter for the Majestics. The forward averaged 18.4 points per game and graduates as the all-time leading scorer for Rainier College. He is expected to be a first round pick in the upcoming Federal Basketball League draft.
Another likely first round selection, and a candidate to go number one overall is Les Hoeft. The 6'8" senior led the Detroit City College Knights to their second-ever AIAA tournament win and was named a second team All-American selection.
Finally we have a freshman who may end up making his mark as a pro on the gridiron instead of the hardwood. That would be Tom Bowens Jr., son of the legendary Boston Americans and Detroit Maroons end and current head football coach at CC Los Angeles. Tom Jr. was a multi-sport start at Hollywood High School and was an easy recruit for his father to land. Junior did see some action as a freshman last fall on the CCLA grid squad, but where he stood out was on the basketball court where Bowens, a guard, started all 29 games for the Coyotes and averaged 8.7 points per game. CCLA struggled with a 14-15 record and missed the AIAA tournament for the first time in four years but with a pair of freshmen in Bowens and forward Ernie Gibson, along with a sophomore and two juniors in the starting lineup the Coyotes may be a force to reckon with over the next couple of years.
FLASHBACK 1959 AIAA COLLEGE BASKETBALL TITLE GAME
Nine Future FBL Players Appeared In Game
Many talk about the 1950 AIAA title game between Noble Jones College and Liberty College - the only time two undefeated teams met for the national championship- as one of the best collections of college basketball talent on the court at once. It was 65-60 victory for Noble Jones College and both teams had some future pro stars.
The Colonels were led by then-freshman Charlie Barrell, who would go on to win a title in the Federal Basketball League as well as play some pro football but is best known as a 7-time all-star with FABL's Los Angeles Stars and currently a member of the Chicago Chiefs. Barrell was joined on that Noble Jones squad by Arlie Noonan and Mike Miller, each of whom would enjoy productive pro careers. Noonan was a first round pick of Detroit in 1951 and spent nine seasons with the Mustangs, winning an FBL title and playing in over 400 games while Miller spent a decade with the Chicago Panthers, primarily as a back-up behind Luther Gordon.
Gordon of course also factored in that 1950 title tilt as he was the star center and two-time AIAA college player of the year who was the heart of the Liberty College Bells team. He is regarded as one of the best, if not the best, pro basketball player of all time, winning the FBL MVP award five teams and seven scoring titles. Forward Edgar Stillwell also played for Liberty College in that game before going on to have a brief FBL career with Toronto.
However, when it comes to future pro talent coming out of a single college basketball championship game it may be tough to match the 1959 contest between Carolina Poly and Western Iowa. The "Bird Game" was won 59-51 by the Cardinals over the Canaries but how is this for a collection of pro talent to be on the same college basketball court:
Western Iowa was led by senior forward Bob Christensen, senior guard Jerry Blake and junior center Bill Knick. They also had sophomore guards by the name of Art Schempp and Will Brooks. Four of them started and played at least 29 minutes in the title game with the exception being Brooks who had 11 minutes off the bench. All five also are enjoying FBL careers. Four players from Carolina Poly went on to either be drafted or play pro ball. The most notable is current Philadelphia Phantoms center Dan Holland, who was playoff MVP twice and owns three FBL championship rings. Peter Neilson was a starting guard on that Cardinals team and is now a teammate of Holland's in Philadelphia while Everett Carman, a forward, is currently playing for the expansion Los Angeles Condors. A fourth Cardinals player, forward Gary Woodall was drafted by St Louis but never played a regular season FBL game.
Here is a look at each of them:
WESTERN IOWA
BOB CHRISTENSEN - He was a second team All-American that season and the leader of the Canaries. He would be drafted third overall by the Chicago Panthers in 1959 and led the FBL in rebounds each of the past two years while also being named First-Team All-League twice. Now 29, Christensen is a key piece of the Panthers team.
JERRY BLAKE - Selected by Toronto in round two of the 1959 draft, Blake remains with the Falcons, primarily as a backup but has played in 416 games over the past 7 seasons, won a pair of FBL titles and reached the finals on two other occasions including this season.
BILL KNICK - Knick was drafted by the New York Knights with the sixth pick in the 1960 draft. He spent two seasons as a backup in the Big Apple before being waived and signed by Chicago where he was reunited with Christensen. Knick was named First-Team All-League in his second season with Chicago and led the league in rebounds his third year. Exposed in the expansion draft, he was selected by the Los Angeles Condors and finished in the top six in the league in both points per game and rebounds this past season.
ART SCHEMPP - Selected second overall by the New York Knights in 1961, Schempp has been a starting guard in New York for each of the past three seasons.
WILL BROOKS - Brooks was the first overall pick by Toronto in the 1962 FBL draft. A teammate of Blake, he has been the first guard off the bench for Toronto through most of his five year career and owns two FBL championship rings.
CAROLINA POLY
DAN HOLLAND - Selected 4th overall by the Philadelphia Phantoms in the 1960 draft, Holland has led the Phantoms to three FBL titles and was named playoff MVP twice. He was among the league scoring and rebound leaders last season, his sixth in the league, averaging 25.8 ppg and 13.2 rpg. In college not only was he an AIAA tournament champion as a junior but Holland was also National Freshman of the Year in 1956 and National Player of the Year and first team All-American as a senior in 1959-60.
PETER NEILSEN- Selected 6th overall by Detroit in the 1961 FBL draft, Neilsen played just one game for the Mustangs before being waived. Philadelphia signed him in 1964, and he has spent the past two seasons as a reserve guard and teammate of Dan Holland on back-to-back FBL title winners.
EVERETT CARMAN - A sophomore on the Carolina Poly championship squad, the forward was a St Louis Rockets second round pick in 1961 but was waived at training camp. He played semi-pro ball for the next couple of years before Boston signed him part way through the 1964-65 season. Carman appeared in 34 games that year for the Centurions but played sparingly and was exposed in the expansion draft. He did do enough to impress the expansion Los Angeles Condors and won a starting job in training camp. He averaged 10.0 per game over 66 games for the Condors this past season where he was a teammate of Bill Knick.
GARY WOODALL - Was drafted by St Louis in round two of the 1960 FBL draft but was cut in training camp. Is still active in semi-pro leagues and hopes to crack an FBL roster one day but at 28 time is running out for the forward.