THE NIT --- A WEEK TO REMEMBER FOREVER

[Wisexuowl]

<Bumping this up for selfish reasons, want some commentary from q, wise, and shadow, and any others who were kids, students or otherwise followed the '58 team.> ... FROM CARLOS

As you wish Sir!

I was waiting to do this for the St. Louis win to be in the W column as I am one who really believes in "one game at a time."

I'll apologize in advance if this get to be lengthily, but I'll willing to wager that once some of the old geezers read this, their memory banks will add some more to it.

1957-58 was Big Jim McCafferty's first at Xavier, and he inherited a fine group that Ned Wulk had assembled before moving on to Arizona State. The Xavier people were in a foul mood with Ned leaving and Mac arriving ... as Ned geared his teams to fast break, and Jim came in with a rep of a "slow down the tempo" coach. The truth was Jim had a slower tempo style at Loyola of the South simply because he didn't have the players to "run" --- remember, south of Kentucky, high schools used basketball only as a conditioning program for spring football, so the talent level in the New Orleans area wasn't exactly at the level of DeMatha High school, and it wasn't possible to recruit a black player. But even though Jim's 1957-58 team averaged more points per game that the "Wulk years" --- the tag of "slow down" never was erased.

The Xavier team had a pretty solid team, most everyone returning from a team that had gone to the NIT the previous year.

Fran Tartaron was the Captain and center. He was a transfer from Notre Dame playing his second and last season with Xavier. Corny Freeman was a 6-7 product of DePorres high school (and just in case you think segregation only existed in the south --- DePorres was the Catholic Black school in Cincinnati. Corny could absolutely jump out of the gym. Our Derrick Brown today is the closest I have ever seen in a Xavier uniform, but Corny could jump even higher. He led the nation in rebounding the year before.
Then there was Hank Stein, the floor leader with a deft shooting touch, smart, and the guy on the floor who ran Mac's "Single Guard" offense, an offense you still run today. Hank was from Louisville and came to Xavier with Joe Viviano, a 6-5 forward --- in those days we didn't have PF, SF, SG, etc. Joe had a great first step move and off it a quick shot, and set great screens.

Another local, Tony Olberding, good shooter and smart player from Cincinnati rounded out the starting five.

We had a good bench ... Al Gundrum was a Cincinnati guy, as was Jimmy Putoff who was from Purcell, Ricky Jannott and Ducky Castelle were New York tri-state products, the first of a long line from Troy-Albany-Schenectady. Stu Courchaine was up until then the tallest player ever at Xavier and came from Ned Wulk's home of Appleton, Wisconsin. Bill Midddendorf from Cincinnati, Rich Piontek (Dave's brother) from Bethel, PA, and Jim Dentinger from Louisville were key players off the bench too.

Xavier roared to a 13-2 start, losing only to Cincinnati (and Oscar at UC, and a four point loss to St. Joseph’s at the Palestra.

Now back then, and make no mistake about this, the NIT was by leaps and bounds the most prestigious of the two tournaments --- first because it was an "Invitational" tournament, because it was the oldest, because it was all played at one site, Madison Square Garden (the Mecca of college basketball) and last but not least, the NCAA tournament was a Conference Champions event, and had no, or little, room for the great number of independents.

So, with that 13-2 record, and back to back NIT trips, the NIT Committee, made up of the Metropolitan New York Basketball Coaches invited Xavier ... the first invitation issued that year ... and in what we call a "New York minute" -- Xavier accepted.

Then we lost Corny to grades, and in the middle of the season Mac had to start reworking things and by the end of the season we had lost nine of the last eleven games (three to nationally ranked teams and six on the road (and back then, "home cookin" meant just that).

At 15-11, the people in New York wanted no part, and figured that Xavier would graciously say yes to an offer to withdraw. But they didn't know Mac very well, or for that matter our players. It was apparent to them that (like "Hoosiers" things were beginning to come together) so the answer was, "nope, we're coming."

The field was, as usual with the NIT, absolutely awesome. Dayton, Butler, St. John's, Utah, Fordham, St Francis, St Joseph, St Peter, St Bonaventure, Niagara, and Bradley.

Dayton, Bradley, Utah, and St Bonaventure were seeded teams, and Xavier was matched against the number five seed in the first round ... Niagara with the great Alex "Boo" Ellis from Hamilton.

Midway through the first half Xavier caught fire with a guard attack that saw Al Gundrum coming off the bench (he finished with 15), Ducky Castelle (now a starter) finishing with 18, Hank with 17, and Viviano (26) and Olberding 15) --- Gee, a 95-86 win with a "slow down game?"

It really was like "Hoosiers" now. The team believed, but "outsiders" said, "OK, now you get Bradley who absolutely crushed you a year ago with their press."
But not this time. Mac was ready, and the team sliced through it and won rather easily, putting them into the semi-finals against St Bonaventure, the hottest team in the east who had beaten St. Joe's in the quarters.

Now, a little gem here. Chuck Osborne was the coach at Bradley, and by any standard, not a very nice man, and not respected by his fellow coaches. After losing, he stormed to the area at the press row where the NIT selection committee was sitting and yelled at the ... "now you can take your G@D damn Catholic tournament and go to hell."

Mac said later, it was the St Bonaventure game that he feared the most. He had seen them twice in Cincinnati in the UC Christmas tournament, and after that the Bonnies won like 18 in a row and had developed into the best team in the east.

But, Xavier romped and won by 19, and Cinderella was doing very well thank you.

Delta and American did some business that Friday, as Xavier fans and students became true believers ... just think, 1-11 a week ago and no hope. Now, the finals of the NIT and a third shot at Dayton.

Mac's single guard offense was a machine, but Tom Blackburn, one helluva coach, said to the media that he would just shut that offense down by zoning it. Mac was giddy when he learned that, because it was exactly what he wanted them to do ... Mac's teams never, before then, or ever after never, never lost to a zone defense.

The game was on national TV, a first for Xavier, and a nail biter all the way. Ending in a tie and going into overtime. Mac said that Big John McCarthy's hook shot at the end which rolled round and round the rim and then out, could have given Dayton the win, but in the huddle before the start of the OT, Mac said he knew "we'd win. It was in their eyes, and Hank smelled it." And they did, and the glass slippers fit well.

The New York (as well as the local) media went nuts .. the wire services went nuts, but then, Cinderella doesn't come by but every so often.

The next afternoon when the plane landed in Cincinnati, there were so many people overflowing the airport, they wouldn't bring the plane to the gate ....
Thousands were on the side of the old Dixie Highway waving when the team bus went by, and the Fieldhouse was jammed. They gave the team a well deserved salute.

Now before I leave you, here are a few asides (in addition to Osborne's remarks).

At the end of the game against Dayton, Mac walked down to the D bench to speak to a crushed Tom Blackburn and told him, "Coach, by rights, you should have won, you've been here (the finals) several times before, and it's just my first time." Blackburn told him "Jim, your team deserved it, and if I have to lose, I'm glad it was to you and Xavier."

It was the first time any Ohio University had ever won a national championship.

It took Xavier over the hump of being a basketball force to be reckoned with. And it expanded the recruiting base.

Today, Hank is a retired insurance broker who did very well; Al Gundrum is a retired high school administrator and was an assistant coach under Don Ruberg for four seasons; Joe Viviano went on to become the CEO of the Hershey Food Co, and is now retired. Fran Tartaron is retied and was at one time the Alumni Secretary at Xavier; Jim Dentinger is retired and living in, I think, the Tampa area; I know that Middendorf, Olberding, and Putoff are still living in the Cincinnati area, that Stu Courchane is a retired school administrator in his hometown; Rich is living in Pittsburg that last I knew; but I have lost all track of Ducky and Corny.

Of course Big Jim passed away two years ago this spring (He really, really wanted to live to see this weekend), and Don Ruberg, Jim's assistant, is a retired insurance executive and lives on (naturally) the west side with his wife Timmy.

I have lost track of the Manager (Ron Otting), and of course the SID then, Bob Coates, and team trainer, Ray Baldwin, will be at an Irish bar somewhere up there toasting that team.

Jim daughter, Bridget, is flying in from Seattle for the reunion, and has promised me "lotsa and lotsa pictures." When I get them, I'll get some direction to see if I can't post them.

Think any of those players got older? Naw

OK Q ... what do you recall?

[bluegrass]

Nice piece Wisexuowl.I have heard a lot about that team from my parents but that's a nice summary of what happened.I think younger fans don't understand how big the NIT was back then.It was more prestigious thean the NCAA tournament at that time.
You didn't mention the XU students throwing snowballs at the team bus as they left for New York.

[xavierj]

Thanks Wise, that was a great read. My dad played football back then at X and he told me a little about the NIT championship and how great it was for Xavier back then. Woudn't it be something that if 50 years later Xavier won another National Championship? It is a long shot but it could happen.

[bluegrass]

. Woudn't it be something that if 50 years later Xavier won another National Championship? It is a long shot but it could happen.

It is long shot but not as unrealistic as it use to be.The landsdcape of college bball has really changed in the last 5 to 10 years.Now I think it's not out of the question that Xavier could make the Final Four and if they make it that far,who knows.

[gundun]

Wise, Thanks for the great recap.

One question-- Is there any truth to the story that snowballs were thrown at the team bus as it left the Fieldhouse for the airport?

Also, will you be in San Antonio?

[CarlosTheJackal]

Wise, thanks for taking the time to give us the narrative, and the insights. Hope they play some highlights on the board for the fans in the Tas, and we home viewers get a sampling as part of the game coverage.

[Wisexuowl]

RE: The "snow ball thing.

It, like so many things, make a great story, and the NY media ate it up.
There was a heavy "wet" snow the day the team left for NY, while boarding a snow ball fight broke out between some players, and students going to and from The Old Red Building (the cafeteria) Elet Hall, and the ROTC classes and the main campus across Victory Parkway.

Some players were using the bus as a cover, while the others were using parked cars on the stadium side of the lot.

Once the players were all aboard, the bus got hammered with snowballs giddy over the fact there was no return.

The late Bill Ford, of the Enquirer was on the bus, and when he filed his story from NY later that afternoon, he made much adieu over the snowball fight ... writing that the XU students disdained the team's lack of recent success so much they threw snoballs at them leaving the campus.

The Cincinnati AP picked up the story, and it ran nationally, and then the NY media kept the ball (no pun intended) rolling in all eight newspapers in NY at the time.

Nothing was farther from the truth. It was a snowball fight that happened on the XU campus (and every campus in America) whenever it snowed ... there was no hidden messages, but it became Ford's story, and the media's story, and by God we will not let any facts ruin it for us.

BTW, Ford was the only newspaperman on the trip ... until after Xavier beat Bradley ... then the cheap-ass Times Star and the Post (separate papers at the time) sent wrters.

One last tidbit ... Q was the student-intern in the SID office that year, and was also a manager at one time. He got big pay ... I got $10 a month previous to hime, so he was probably getting $12 a month.

Right Q?

[xudash]

Thank you Wise, that was an outstanding piece you wrote.

This is classic: "Now, a little gem here. Chuck Osborne was the coach at Bradley, and by any standard, not a very nice man, and not respected by his fellow coaches. After losing, he stormed to the area at the press row where the NIT selection committee was sitting and yelled at the ... "now you can take your G@D damn Catholic tournament and go to hell.""

I also appreciate your insights into the importance of the NIT back then v. the NCAA Tournament. History can be hard to comprehend for those who are close minded, like UC fans that are in denial about such things.

[bourbonman]

Awesomw read. Thanks wise.

[cincydude1981]

Wiseowl, I am not sure if you remember my dad he played for X in 57 his name is Frannie Stahl. Anyway I am trying to get tickets for sunday and if you can help or lead me in the right direction I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks