1961–62 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team

1961–62 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball
1962 NCAA Tournament, Sweet Sixteen
Conference Independent
1961–62 record 21–5
Head coach Red McManus
Home arena Omaha Civic Auditorium

The 1961–62 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team represented Creighton University during the 1961–62 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bluejays, led by third year head coach John J. 'Red' McManus, played their home games at the Omaha Civic Auditorium. They finished the season 21-5. The Creighton Bluejays earned a bid into the 1962 NCAA Tournament where they defeated Memphis State in the Midwest Region Quarterfinals round before falling in the Midwest Region Semifinals to the #2 ranked, and eventual 1962 National Champion, Cincinnati Bearcats. The Bluejays defeated Texas Tech in the Midwest Region Third Place game.[1]

Before the season started, Red appeared before the Quarterback Club in Omaha and with his first words stated that Creighton was going to a post season tournament. A majority of the people felt that McManus had a fatal case of over-optimism. The previous year's 8-17 record was far from good. McManus worked tirelessly to turn Creighton into a basketball power. He utilized sharp recruiting and tough coaching to put the Bluejays back on the road to fame. The hard work paid off. Sophomore Paul Silas would blossom into a force in the middle, leading the nation in rebounding for the 1961-62 and 1962-63 seasons.[2]

Roster

Number Name Position Height Weight Year Hometown
21 Herb Millard Senior
22 Santos Jimenez
23 Pete McManamon
24 Chuck Officer Guard 6-2 175 Junior Moline, Illinois
25 Harry Forehand
31 John Callaghan
32 Tom Dowling
33 Larry Wagner
35 Paul Silas Center 6-7 220 Sophomore Oakland, California
41 Carl Silvestrini
42 Jim Swassing
43 Bob Eickholt
45 Jim Bakos Sophomore East Chicago, Indiana
52 Mike Lynch

[3]

Schedule

Date Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (Attendance)
Regular Season
12/01/1961 Colorado College W 85-51  1–0 Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
12/09/1961 Notre Dame W 73-71  2–0 Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
12/12/1961 at Illinois L 61-70  2-1 Huff Hall (-)
12/14/1961 Denver W 60-59  3–1 Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
12/16/1961 at Northwestern L 56-59  3-2 McGaw Memorial Hall (-)
12/18/1961 Gonzaga W 82-77  4–2 Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
12/19/1961 at South Dakota W 85-59  5–2 (-)
12/20/1961 UCLA W 74-72  6–2 Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
12/21/1961 Rice W 91-57  7–2 Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
12/29/1961 Princeton W 63-54  8-2 Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
1/02/1962 South Dakota W 84-58  9-2 Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
1/06/1962 Wabash W 96-62  10-2 Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
1/13/1962 at St. John's L 52-72  10–3 Alumni Hall (-)
1/15/1962 at Seton Hall L 80-86  10–4 Walsh Gymnasium (-)
1/27/1962 at Nevada W 76-69  11–4 (-)
2/03/1962 at Iowa W 68-67  12-4 Iowa Fieldhouse (-)
2/05/1962 at Marquette W 79-72 OT 13–4 (-)
2/10/1962 at Notre Dame W 74-71  14–4 Notre Dame Fieldhouse (-)
2/12/1962 at St. Ambrose W 93-63  15-4 (-)
2/16/1962 at Air Force W 61-60  16-4 (-)
2/19/1962 Centenary W 77-70  17–4 Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
2/26/1962 North Dakota State W 84-54  18–4 Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
3/03/1962 North Dakota W 90-54  19-4 Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
1962 NCAA Tournament
03/12/1962 vs. Memphis State
(Midwest Region Quarterfinals)		 W 87-83  20-4 Moody Coliseum (-)
03/16/1962 vs. #2 Cincinnati
(Midwest Region Semifinals)		 L 46-66  20-5 Ahearn Field House (-)
03/17/1962 vs. Texas Tech
(Midwest Region Third Place Game)		 W 63-61  21-5 Ahearn Field House (-)

References

  1. ↑ "Go Creighton". Creighton Athletic Department. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
  2. ↑ The Bluejay. Creighton University. 1962.
  3. ↑ "Number 24: Chuck Officer". White & Blue Review. Retrieved 9 March 2013.