With the basketball likes of Bradley, Northwestern, Southern Illinois, Illinois State, and the rich tradition at the University of Illinois, at least one of these universities would have a title, right? Even though DePaul and it's All-American center George Mikan won the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 1945 during the tournament's first fifteen years of existence when the winner was hailed as National Champions, they too have not claimed the coveted NCAA Tournament Championship crown.
Only one school has bragging rights over all other colleges and universities in the Land of Lincoln. Nestled near Lake Shore Drive in the northernmost neighborhood of the city of Chicago, the state's one and only NCAA Tournament Championship trophy rests not in a large state-of-the-art arena, but in a modest gymnasium.
As we now look back years later, we are humbled to have seen it. And to think that we almost missed it due to time.
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| 1962-63 Loyola Ramblers - NCAA National Champions |
“Should we park and find it?"
"Is it worth seeing?"
“Do we have enough time?”
Simple questions that we asked each other on October 17, 2010 while driving through the entwining roads on the campus of Loyola University Chicago. Unfortunately, the decision was not as simple as one might think since we were scheduled to be at a gym in Lisle within a few hours and traffic had not been so kind to us that day.
It was a choice that we debated for a few minutes but the longer we drove around, the less time we had. But looking back it was probably the best decision we made the entire three-day trip. This was the only stop that had not been coordinated with the coaching staff or administration, but it was the one that we hated to miss. Our answer was unanimous.
"We have to see it; we don't want to miss it."
Construction was taken place on campus, so after parking we had to navigate our way around barriers and equipment but finally found a sidewalk that would hopefully lead us to our destination. We knew the general area of its location on North Sheridan Road but nothing in the vicinity looked like the exterior of an arena or gymnasium. If we didn’t find it soon, time would run out and we wouldn't get our chance to see it.
We finally took the time to ask someone directions. A student pointed back behind us at a dark brick building that we had just overlooked. As we walked up to the front doors, we noticed a small black sign with the words ALUMNI GYM hidden from view behind the shrubs. Upon entering, a sign directed us up a flight of stairs leading to the second floor gym, which seemed peculiar to us since the surroundings were more like an academic hall, rather than an athletic arena.
At the top of the stairs was the men’s basketball offices and lucky for us someone was opening the glass door and walking towards us. We introduced ourselves and briefly told the men's assistant coach about our trip and asked permission to look around Alumni Gym and play some basketball. “Go right ahead” was his quick response as he was in a hurry preparing for something important.
As we turned toward the gymnasium doors, a single trophy in a small glass display case caught our eye; the state's only NCAA Tournament Championship trophy. The 1963 NCAA Championship trophy's design looked nothing like the modern award handed over to each Championship team, but the make-up of Loyola's 1963 Championship team was unique at that time as well.
"Is it worth seeing?"
“Do we have enough time?”
Simple questions that we asked each other on October 17, 2010 while driving through the entwining roads on the campus of Loyola University Chicago. Unfortunately, the decision was not as simple as one might think since we were scheduled to be at a gym in Lisle within a few hours and traffic had not been so kind to us that day.
It was a choice that we debated for a few minutes but the longer we drove around, the less time we had. But looking back it was probably the best decision we made the entire three-day trip. This was the only stop that had not been coordinated with the coaching staff or administration, but it was the one that we hated to miss. Our answer was unanimous.
"We have to see it; we don't want to miss it."
Construction was taken place on campus, so after parking we had to navigate our way around barriers and equipment but finally found a sidewalk that would hopefully lead us to our destination. We knew the general area of its location on North Sheridan Road but nothing in the vicinity looked like the exterior of an arena or gymnasium. If we didn’t find it soon, time would run out and we wouldn't get our chance to see it.
We finally took the time to ask someone directions. A student pointed back behind us at a dark brick building that we had just overlooked. As we walked up to the front doors, we noticed a small black sign with the words ALUMNI GYM hidden from view behind the shrubs. Upon entering, a sign directed us up a flight of stairs leading to the second floor gym, which seemed peculiar to us since the surroundings were more like an academic hall, rather than an athletic arena.
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| Entrance to Alumni Gym |
As we turned toward the gymnasium doors, a single trophy in a small glass display case caught our eye; the state's only NCAA Tournament Championship trophy. The 1963 NCAA Championship trophy's design looked nothing like the modern award handed over to each Championship team, but the make-up of Loyola's 1963 Championship team was unique at that time as well.
The 1962–63 Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team was led by head coach George Ireland, who taught a full-court press and a high-speed style of play. With this style of play and talented personel, the Ramblers started the season 21-0, defeating the likes of Indiana, Seattle, Marquette, and Iowa. Following loses to Bowling Green and Wichita State, the Ramblers finished the regular season 24-2.The #3 ranked Ramblers would fight their way through each round and would go on to defeat #2 Duke in the national semi-finals, staging a National Championship game against #1 Cincinnati Bearcats, who had captured the title the previous two seasons. Despite being the top offensive team in the nation, the Ramblers were labeled as underdogs against the Bearcats. Many thought that Cincinnati's slow, controlled style of play would slow Loyola's up-tempo play. The game would not disappoint fans as the Ramblers would defeat Cincinati 60-58 in overtime by a tip-in as time expired. No other college or university in Illinois has matched this feat. Loyola not only shocked the nation with its victory over Cincinnati but their season and that game would change the college basketball landscape forever.
Loyola started four black players in the NCAA Championship game. This at a time when some schools refused to play against a team with even one black player. In addition, Cincinnati started three black players, making seven of the ten starters in the 1963 NCAA Championship game black. It is also important to note that during the 1962-63 season, Loyola also became the first team in NCAA Division I history to play an all-black lineup. As important as the Championship season was to the men's basketball program, it's the cramped narrow Alumni Gym, where all home games were played, that would have a substantial impact on Loyola University. As we approached the doors to the historic gym, we were not only anxious to tour it, but our time playing on it's court would have significance due to the gym's future.
To understand the gym's future, you have to first understand it's past.
Funded by a group of 12 alumni, designed by Paul V. Hyland and built in 1923 by George W. Stiles Company of Chicago, the Alumni Gymnasium had a 2,000 capacity. According to the university’s website, it served as the home of the Loyola Ramblers Men's and Women's Volleyball programs, as well as the Loyola University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. An edition of the Loyola Quarterly from 1923 described the newly designed Alumni Gym as, "A very good gymnasium, quite the equal of anything in this part of the country. Journalists would use the terms, "cozy, personal, and intimate" when describing it. One writer said that, "even visiting players enjoyed the trip back to a time when playing hoops was such sheer fun."
College basketball wouldn't be the only basketball played inside. In 1924, Loyola began hosting the National Catholic Interscholastic Basketball Tournament in Alumni Gym. The National Catholic Interscholastic Basketball Tournament was held to determine the national basketball championship for Catholic high schools and academies in the United States since Catholic high schools were excluded from competition in the National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament held at the University of Chicago. This invitational meet featured competition between 32 teams representing various sections or states of the United States. The tournament would end in 1941 as the National Federation of High School Athletic Associations began to allow Catholic schools into state affiliates.
For Loyola Athletics, the electric atmosphere of Alumni Gym would prove inspiring and impactful throughout the years. The 1962-63 NCAA Championship team went undefeated in Alumni Gym during their title season, going 17-0 at home . The 1977-78 season would be a memorable one in Alumni Gym as the Ramblers would play spolier to a few well-known visiting players and a coach. Early in the season the Ramblers would defeat Minnesota 70-66, led by Kevin McHale. Then within days, Loyola would triumph over Indiana State and Larry Bird, 79-76 and then defeat Georgetown, 68-65 in OT, in John Thompson’s first season as the Hoyas’ head coach.
It is also worth noting that in 1985, Michael Jordan would film one of his first Nike Air Jordan commercials at Alumni Gym. The commercial would be banned because it promoted the red and black Air Jordans during a time when the NBA required players to wear predominantly white shoes.
In May 2002, hundreds of NBA officials, coaches and scouts flocked to Alumni Gym to watch the first NBA tryout of Yao Ming, the first Chinese player to come to the United States. Originally scheduled in New York, the try-out site would change to Chicago since the newly constructed Gentile Center was already booked. Alumni Gym was suggested. This is not the first time that NBA players would practice in Alumni Gym. Many pro teams would practice in the gym before playing the Bulls, including the Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar Lakers teams of the 1980s.
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| 1963 Championship banner |
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| Nike commercial |
On Feb. 19, 1996, Loyola would defeat UIC, 89-85, in the final regular-season game played at Alumni Gym. The Ramblers had called Alumni Gym home for seventy-three years. The basketball team relocated to the 5200-seat Joseph J. Gentile Center at the beginning of the 1996-97 season. The Ramblers finished their tenancy in Alumni Gym with an all-time record of 484-136 (a remarkable .781 winning percentage).
In May 2002, hundreds of NBA officials, coaches and scouts flocked to Alumni Gym to watch the first NBA tryout of Yao Ming, the first Chinese player to come to the United States. Originally scheduled in New York, the try-out site would change to Chicago since the newly constructed Gentile Center was already booked. Alumni Gym was suggested. This is not the first time that NBA players would practice in Alumni Gym. Many pro teams would practice in the gym before playing the Bulls, including the Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar Lakers teams of the 1980s.
We spent an hour in Alumni Gym where all the above and more took place. We took pictures from all angles possible and played our traditional 2-on-2 game. It was one of the two gyms during our Illinois trip that my father and I won (best of three series). As we were finishing up, men's head coach Jim Whitesell walked onto the court with his assistants, which included the young assistant coach who we had briefly spoken to earlier. We politely thanked them and gathered our belongings as they began to talk and walk through the afternoon’s practice schedule. We took one last look around, taking it all in and then walked out the doors.
We were well aware that October day that we had only one chance to visit historic Alumni Gym, which is why even though we were running out of time, we made time to go see the old facility. As the old quote goes, "You may delay, but time will not." As we ran out of time and had to leave, so had time run out on Alumni Gym.
After being home to many of Loyola's Athletic programs and many successful seasons, it would soon be demolished in the upcoming summer of 2011 to make way for a new student union on campus. A year earlier on January 21, 2010, Loyola launched the reimagine campaign, a five-phased project to build new facilities that would renew student life and improve their college experience. Ironically, thousands gathered to hear this announcement in Alumni Gym. The gym that is synonymous with Loyola University and it's basketball program, was about to become history itself.
On April 27, 2011 during the upcoming spring semester, the final intercollegiate game at Alumni Gym took place. The Loyola men's volleyball team defeated Quincy University 3-1 in the semifinals of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. In May, Loyola University Chicago students, faculty, and alumni gathered to celebrate one final farewell to Alumni Gym. Within a few months, Alumni Gym would fall to defeat.
We were well aware that October day that we had only one chance to visit historic Alumni Gym, which is why even though we were running out of time, we made time to go see the old facility. As the old quote goes, "You may delay, but time will not." As we ran out of time and had to leave, so had time run out on Alumni Gym.
After being home to many of Loyola's Athletic programs and many successful seasons, it would soon be demolished in the upcoming summer of 2011 to make way for a new student union on campus. A year earlier on January 21, 2010, Loyola launched the reimagine campaign, a five-phased project to build new facilities that would renew student life and improve their college experience. Ironically, thousands gathered to hear this announcement in Alumni Gym. The gym that is synonymous with Loyola University and it's basketball program, was about to become history itself.
On April 27, 2011 during the upcoming spring semester, the final intercollegiate game at Alumni Gym took place. The Loyola men's volleyball team defeated Quincy University 3-1 in the semifinals of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. In May, Loyola University Chicago students, faculty, and alumni gathered to celebrate one final farewell to Alumni Gym. Within a few months, Alumni Gym would fall to defeat.
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| Demolishing Alumni Gym |
"Is it worth seeing?"
“Do we have enough time?”
Trust me when I say, "You have to see it; you don’t want to miss it”.
