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Author Topic: MU-UCLA series  (Read 1689 times)

warriorjoe

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MU-UCLA series
« on: December 10, 2020, 08:56:55 PM »
To mark Marquette's first appearance at historic Pauley Pavilion Friday night, below are excerpts from the Introduction and Park Avenue chapters of "You Can Call Me Al: The Colorful Journey of College Basketball's Original Flower Child, Al McGuire" - Centennial Edition - written by 1980 Marquette graduate Joseph Declan Moran. The excerpts look back at the only two games the teams have played in their histories: December 31, 1949, during the Bill Chandler Era, and December 18, 1964, during the Al McGuire Era, both against John Wooden. The games were played at the Milwaukee Auditorium and Milwaukee Arena, with MU losing both 68-52 and 61-52. We will see if Marquette can come away with its first win ever over the Bruins Friday night. The book is available at the Marquette Spirit Shop on campus and the website (www.jdmpress.net).  It is published by JDM Press, Arlington Heights, IL, Copyright 2020.

Twenty-Three games were scheduled again for the 1949-50 season, but the wins continued to be hard to come by as the team was short on size and speed. [Joe] Faupl was the captain and [Mel] Peterson was the leading scorer at 10.1 points per game. [Chuck] Polzin was freshman coach, assisted by Fred Rice. Their outstanding freshmen were Pete Basarich and Grant Wittberger.

After winning three of its first five (including Carroll, Ripon, and Houston), the team lost twelve straight, the longest in school history to that point, breaking the previous record of eight straight (1944-45 season).

Losses to No. 10 Minnesota, No. 16 Notre Dame, and a team that made its first-ever appearance in the Auditorium, UCLA, with second-year coach John Wooden, were scattered among the twelve. The Bruins won 68-52 that New Year's Eve, even though MU had led 32-25 at halftime. Later that season, Wooden and the Bruins would make their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Wooden would bring a team to Milwaukee just once more during his illustrious career, and that was for the 1964 Milwaukee Classic.

The team did recover to win three of its final six games, including decisions over Wayne State, Creighton, and the Michigan Aggies (later to be known as Michigan State). Seven days later against Creighton, honorary captain Faupl scored 19, Mel and Dick Peterson had 18 apiece, and [Sam] Sauceda had 13 in the 80-68 win. It was the ninety-first straight game played by Sauceda, reportedly an MU record. Unfortunately, the 6-17 record was the second worst in school history.

"One of the things that Al wanted to do was fill the Arena," said [Hank] Raymonds. In fact, a week after the first frosh-varsity game, photos were released to the local newspapers that pictured McGuire at the Arena ticket window showing how quickly tickets for the Milwaukee Classic were selling. And having high profile, nationally ranked teams come to Milwaukee certainly helped boost the gate. Athletic Director Stan Lowe said, however, that attendance figures were educated estimates at the time since there were no turnstiles in the Arena, where the Warriors had played since 1950.

Along those lines, one of McGuire's changes for the team included having the freshmen play an intercollegiate schedule instead of just scrimmages against the varsity reserves. Not only would this provide better competition for the frosh, but it wold create more interest in the games, to which admission was twenty-five cents. Season tickets that season were $28 for seventeen games. And to boost team spirit, McGuire put a hi-fi in the locker room.

Heading into the third annual Milwaukee Classic, the Warriors were 2-3. Having UCLA was a big draw, as was having two-time defending Classic champion Wisconsin and the Boston College Golden Eagles, who were coached by McGuire's old Boston Celtics' nemesis Bob Cousy. [Eddie] Hickey had booked the game with UCLA athletic director J.D. Morgan, according to Wooden, who said that while he was coach he did not control the scheduling of basketball games. "I let the AD handle it," noted Wooden.

"He did know that I wanted to play one tough game on a trip to the Midwest. It usually was a Big Ten team, Notre Dame, and a double-header in Chicago. Morgan did all the scheduling."

The Warriors played UCLA in the Classic's opening game, but it was not Wooden's first trip to Milwaukee. Wooden, who was yet to be known as the "Wizard of Westwood," played Bill Chandler's Hilltoppers in a New Year's Eve game in December of 1949, won by UCLA 68-52.

The Bruins, who had beaten Duke in the 1964 title game for the school's first NCAA crown, were led by Gail Goodrich, Keith Erickson, Kenny Washington, Fred Goss, and Mike Lynn.

Marquette was leading the Bruins 24-22, with less than twenty seconds left in the first half. "Right before halftime, Al wanted us to take a shot with six seconds left," recalled [Tom] Flynn, considered McGuire's "bread and butter man." "I took the shot with eight or nine seconds left. They got the rebound and Gail Goodrich hit a shot from beyond half court that went in at the buzzer to tie the game."

While Marquette held Goodrich to 21 points and the defending national champions to thirty points under their season average, the Bruins took charge in the second half, defeating the gritty Warriors 61-52. Flynn had 19 points in the losing  cause. The teams never played again, according to Raymonds because Marquette could not get a commitment from Morgan on return games.

In the consolation game, Marquette defeated Wisconsin 62-61, which McGuire described as a "whammy-breaker" because it ended the Badgers three-game winning streak over the Warriors. Captain Flynn was the only Marquette player selected for the All-Classic Tournament Team.


Shooter McGavin

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Re: MU-UCLA series
« Reply #1 on: December 11, 2020, 05:40:19 AM »
Thank you.  Just asked my wife to get me this for Christmas.

GooooMarquette

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Re: MU-UCLA series
« Reply #2 on: December 11, 2020, 09:42:56 AM »
Joe's books are must-reads for any MU fan!