A Lesson in Patten Gym

Many will associate Northwestern University with academics since it's a private research university, has one of the largest university endowments in the nation, and is placed high in the national and world university rankings.

Others may associate it with athletics since twelve of Northwestern's nineteen varsity programs had NCAA or bowl postseason appearances. Additionally, Northwestern is a charter member of the Big Ten Conference, which is the oldest Division I college athletic conference in the United States. 

Some think of both since Northwestern plays in a conference known for its academics and athletics. Prior to the addition of Nebraska in 2011, the Big Ten was the only Division I conference to have all its members in the Association of American Universities, which is an organization of leading research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education.

Prior to 2002, I didn't know much at all about Northwestern University but my first visit to the Evanston, Ill campus would be an educational one.  When I now see or hear the university's name in the media, I too think of both academics and athletics, but for a different reason.

Northwestern University Seal

Northwestern University Athletics Logo

While attending graduate school in 2002, our sport management club met with various sports professionals in the Chicago area to talk about their organizations and learn how they apply business principles to the sport industry. The conversations that day were a great balance between sports and academics.

Following our meeting with Northwestern's Athletic Director, our sport management club was escorted throughout the many Evanston campus athletic facilities, including Welsh-Ryan Arena, Ryan Field, and the Henry Crown Sports Pavilion / Norris Aquatic Center.  All were very impressive in their own right but it was at our last stop that the Assistant Facilities Director made a nonchalant remark that caught my wondering attention.

As we walked across an ordinary basketball court in a dark facility on our way to the basement, I vividly remember him turning towards a few of us in front of the class and quietly remarked, “you know the first NCAA Men's Division I Basketball tournament championship game was held here in Patten Gym." My ears perked up.

I would learn the week following our club trip that the first NCAA Men's Division I Basketball tournament championship game was indeed held in Patten Gym in 1939 on the campus of Northwestern University, but in the original Patten Gym, not its successor that I walked through on our tour.  Nevertheless, history had taken place on Northwestern's campus and it was a basketball fact that I had not seen or heard before. 



Original Patten Gym (University Archives)

As both the original and new gymnasiums are cemented into the rich history of the Northwestern University campus, so would the history be cemented in my brain and retained for future use.  Eight years later as we prepared to travel across Illinois to play in some of the state's historic gymnasiums, the new Patten Gym was included but I would have to educate myself of its past first.
 

James A. Patten

According to the University Archives, the original Patten Gym was designed by George Washington Maher and opened in 1910. The gym was named for James A. Patten, a former Evanston mayor, philanthropist, commodities broker, and Northwestern University board of trustees president. It's unique design is said to have derived from armories and massive train sheds. Patten was the largest such building in the Chicago area and many argue that it had the finest athletics facilities in the country.  In 1921, bleachers and a removable basketball floor were installed at ground level on top of the dirt floor and would seat 4,000+ spectators. The arena included a track, a baseball practice field and a swimming pool but its most popular tenant would the Wildcats basketball team;  therefore playing host to their home games.

Original Patten Gym with dirt floor (University Archives) 

Original Patten Gym - site of the 1939 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament  (University Archives)

University Archives also indicate that in the building’s early years its entryway was decorated with pure gold plating.  Although intriguing, what I found even more interesting was that in 1917, James Patten commissioned the popular American sculptor, Hermon MacNeil, to design statues appropriate to an atmosphere of athletic aspiration, which would be placed in front of Patten Gym for all to see while entering. MacNeil is known for designing the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (1909–12) in Washington Park, Albany, New York, the Standing Liberty quarter (1916), and later for sculpting Justice, the Guardian of Liberty on the east pediment of the United States Supreme Court building (1935). 

For Patten, MacNeil would sculpt two 9-foot tall bronze Greco-Roman figures of athlete accomplishment and scholarly wisdom. A male athlete in victory, entitled Physical Development and a female figure in academic pursuit, referred to as Intellectual Development. The statues have been known to generations of students by the nicknames of “Pat” and “Jim".



Physical Development



Intellectual Development

After nearly 30 years of use, Patten Gym was demolished in 1940 to make room for Northwestern's new Technological Institute which would house the School of Engineering. Prior to demolition, the original arena would make history in 1939 and host the first NCAA Men's Division I Basketball tournament championship game. The tournament included eight schools playing in a single-elimination format to determine the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball tournament championship.  It wouldn't be until the 1951–52 season when the tournament would be extended to 16 teams and it wouldn't be until 1975 that more than one team from the same conference could play in the NCAA tournament.

The 1939 Tournament began on March 17, 1939, and ended with the championship game on March 27 in Patten Gym. Thirty-minutes prior to the tip off of the championship game, an exhibition game was played, under the original rules of basketball, in front of the crowd of 5,500. In the audience as an honored guest, Dr. James Naismith. 

The championship game would be the last basketball contest played in the original Patten Gym. Although Ohio State kept the game close at halftime with a score of 21-16, Oregon would finally pull away and beat Ohio State, 46-33.

Oregon vs. Ohio State in 1939

As Patten Gym was being demolished, a new gymnasium was being constructed.  It would also be named for James Patten.  The new Patten Gym was rebuilt at 2407 Sheridan Road, just a few blocks north of the original Patten Gym though it would be notably smaller. The new gym's exterior is of lannon stone, which was used on many other University buildings, and the architectural style echoed some of the Gothic details of the other buildings on campus, such as Deering Library, Scott Hall, and of the proposed Technological Institute which would be constructed where the original Patten Gym stood.
  


Basketball court in new Patten Gym (University Archives)

Although varsity athletes worked out in the new Patten Gym and their coaches had offices there, the facility afforded little room for spectators. The basketball courts measured a full 18 feet short of regulation size.  As a result, the Northwestern Wildcats played its home games at Evanston Township High School for a twelve-year period until McGaw Memorial Hall (now known as Welsh-Ryan Arena) opened in 1952.

According to the University Archives, "the new gymnasium was intended to meet the needs of the growing program of intramural sports at Northwestern, as well as to hold physical education classes". 

Today, Patten Gymnasium continues to serve as the primary location for the intramural sports program, and sport club programs, such as women's fencing, lacrosse, field hockey, and men's and women's soccer. In addition, it's seventy-five feet long by six lanes wide swimming pool area was renovated in 1998 and became the Gleacher Golf Center, which is arguably the finest indoor learning center in collegiate golf. 

New Patten Gym - built in 1940

As our family walked into the ivy-lined Patten Gym in October 2010, we were appreciative that the staff was congenial and accommodating.  Although students and faculty need identification to enter, they didn't think twice about letting us in to look around and play our game of 2-on-2. The student managing the front desk was not aware that another Patten Gym came before this one, nor that it had basketball significance. I wasn't surprised.

Although the gym lights were turned off on my first tour years earlier, the gym was glowing this time around. I now could see that a regulation game could not be played here, let alone the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball tournament. Nevertheless, we played our game at the new gym to pay homage to the history that had taken place at the original.

Patten Gym basketball court in 2010

Warming-up for our traditional 2-on-2 game



Shooting to see who gets the ball first

The original gymnasium may no longer stand, but there are still a few reminders of it on campus.  While traveling on Sheridan Road, look over at the Technological Institute which houses the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.  The original Patten Gym once set on this parcel of land prior to 1940.  Or you can do what we did and visit the new Patten Gym, which is only a few blocks north of the original site on Sheridan Road.  The inside may look nothing like the original, but when you approach the front doors you are reminded of the past.

That is because the front doors and the two MacNeil statues were retained from the original gym and relocated to the new gym facing Sheridan Road.  They were dedicated during Homecoming on Nov 2, 1940.  It is these hidden gems, representing both athletic achievement and intellectual development, that come to mind when I see or hear of Northwestern University in the media.


New Patten Gym in its early years

According to the Hermon A. MacNeil website, the male statue is named Physical Development and is of, "two stylized men playing football, one standing, one fallen. The standing figure's proper right leg is forward, his muscles well-defined. A cape is draped behind him and over his proper right arm. At his waist he wears only a sash. In his proper left arm he holds a ball with a bird on top. The fallen male has his head at the feet of the other man, and his body and legs extend upward behind him. His proper left hand braces his fall, and he wears a helmet and shirt. Around the back of the piece are sculpted vines and foliage."  An inscription on the statue is from Alfred Tennyson's Ulysses. It reads:

"To strive to seek, to find and not to yield."

Alfred Tennyson

The female statue is named Intellectual Development (aka The Scholar). It is a standing female with torch with eagle atop. A boy is seated at her feet holding lyre with turtle shell. The inscription on the back reads:

"And after all - is not that enough to have lived for-
To have found out one true thing and therefore
one imperishable thing in one's life"
- Charles Kingsley

According to the Hermon A. MacNeil website, the quote refers to Eratosthenes excellent attempt to calculate the circumference of the earth from the shadows of the sun in two different locations, on the solstice.

MacNeil's statues out front of Patten Gym 

After finishing our game of 2-on-2, we walked out the original wooden front doors and down the steps towards Sheridan Road. We passed between the famous MacNeil statues representing physical and intellectual development and couldn't help but think how important their images and message are in a setting such as Northwestern University.

It doesn't surprise me that MacNeil chose these themes for his sculptures. These hidden gems are symbolic of the importance of being a well-rounded individual. Studies have been conducted over the years that reveal that sports participation in school does in fact show promising results for improving students’ academics. The thought is that students who participate in sports, have a competitive disposition which also motivates them to do well in their studies.

Where once the statues were a beacon to student-athletes walking into the original Patten Gym of the importance of having both a sound body and mind, the same two statues now remind all students participating in intramural, club sports, and physical education classes of the importance of physical and intellectual development.

I leave you with this final history lesson since we are on the subject of athletics and academics.  Northwestern University hosted the first NCAA Men's Division I Basketball tournament in 1939, nearly 75 years later there is only one "BCS" conference team to never make the NCAA Division I tournament...

...the Northwestern University Wildcats.
 



Written for Success

It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen. - John Wooden

In 2002, Once There Were Giants: How Tiny Hebron Won the Illinois State Basketball Championship and the Hearts of Fans Forever by Scott Johnson and Julie Kistler was published in honor of the 50 years since Hebron won the single-class state championship. The book introduced a new generation of basketball fans to a team who defied all the odds through team work and dedication to become heroes in the state’s greatest high school basketball success story. Most importantly, it brought forth in great detail all of the paths leading to and away from the championship title run in 1952, including the personal stories of the basketball program, coaches, and players that years later would make all the difference.  

As we know in sports, it's the little things that make big things possible.

In March 2012 and ten years after the release of the book, hundreds gathered at Alden-Hebron High School to celebrate the 60th anniversary reunion of the state championship. Although the players did not know what they had accomplished at the time of their victory, they undoubtedly would come to realize how special their achievement and team were to the sport and their community. From the thousands that greeted them along the caravan route back to McHenry County after their monumental win, to the thousands that they have met over the last sixty years, their defeat of powerhouse Quincy (enrollment 1,035 in 3 grades) to become the first district school and the smallest school (98 enrollment) to win the single-class title is one for the ages and will never be duplicated again.  Even the largest of accomplishments can happen to the smallest of schools.

The players were introduced to the crowd in Alden-Hebron's Tigard Gymnasium and shortly thereafter, they shared personal stories about the memorable season and answered dozens of questions from those in attendance.  It was amazing the amount of minute detail the players still remember today when telling each story, including the score during a specific possession or what a coach said in the locker room.

As quick as the players answered each question, they were just as quick to give recognition and praise to their coach, Russ Ahearn, who developed an instilled in his players the value of sacrificing personal glory for the common goal.  Although gone, his dedication, bond, and passion will never be forgotten by his players.



60th anniversary reunion  - March 2012

From left to right: Bill Schulz, Paul Judson, & Phil Judson

Coach Ahearn may have been a man of short stature (he stood 5’6’’), but he rose above most coaches due to his work ethic, preparation, communication, and philosophy. Many times during the reunion celebration the Hebron players spoke proudly of Ahearn’s knowledge of the game and pointed out how he was ahead of his time, especially in the psychological aspect of the game, and how he concentrated on the small things. 

Coach Russ Ahearn

Phil Judson talked to the fact that Ahearn knew that they needed a good schedule in the 1950-51 and 1951-52 seasons. This meant no more games against smaller schools and blow-out victories. Since Ahearn was also the Athletic Director, he scheduled his team to play larger schools and play on the road in larger gymnasiums in preparation for the state playoffs and it's electric atmosphere. Ahearn needed to get his players to believe in themselves by building self-esteem rather than undermining it. Therefore, tiny Hebron played the likes of Joliet Township, Riverside Brookfield, Lake Forest, Marengo and Harvard. Road games consisted of Oak Park, Waukegan, Barrington and Belvidere that had much larger enrollment. Ahearn also took his Giants to the Kankakee Holiday Tournament where they beat South Shore of Chicago, Kankakee, and Danville.  

Player jerseys and warm-up top for the 1951-52 Season

1952 State Championship trophy and pictures

Paul Judson reminisced about coach Ahearn walking into the locker room before the start of the 1952 District Tournament in Richmond.  Ahearn briefly spoke to the team and before he left, he wrote the number 11 on the board, circled it and then instructed the team to, "win the next 11 games and you win the state title.” After he stated those memorable words, he walked out of the room. Sometimes the smallest amount of words of inspiration can leave the biggest impression.

It is also known that coach Ahearn had strict discipline with his team throughout the season. Players were handed a list with fourteen points on how to conduct themselves at all times.  In his Instructions To The Team, Ahearn informed each player that they do not have to go out for basketball, but if they decide to, he expected them to follow his instruction in order to have as good as team as possible. 

His instructions included everything from getting at least nine hours of sleep, being a gentleman, not tolerating tobacco or alcohol to being on time to practice, hustle at all times, treat opponents and officials courteously, but play to win.  Instruction #14 summed it up - if you don’t follow these thirteen points at anytime during the season, please turn in your suit. Let somebody else have it and root for the team – we’ll think more of you.

Great coaches continually challenge their athletes to do better and push their limits. One way great coaches inspire their athletes to believe in themselves is by continually putting them in situations which challenge their limiting beliefs. Ahearn pushed his team outside of their comfort zone, physically, mentally, and emotionally, and then helped them discover that they can do better than they first believed they could.

This holds no truer than Ahearn's development of Bill Schulz.

Alden-Hebron High School

Alden and Hebron schools consolidated in 1948, the same year that Russ Ahearn was introduced as the school’s new basketball coach and principal. When he rounded a corner on the first day of school, he bumped into a lanky fourteen year old eighth grader from Alden named Bill Schulz.  Seeing this new kid's height as an opportunity, Ahearn asked Bill to take gym class since he had never played basketball before. Shortly afterwards, Ahearn asked Bill to join the basketball team, but only after getting permission from his father, since he had farm chores to attend to.  Ahearn would work with Bill in gym class and during practice, honing his skills to make him a basketball player. Working on the small things to get better was a challenge that both coach and player were up for and would later pay off.

Within 5 years, Hebron would defeat Quincy 64-59 in overtime to win the coveted 1952 state championship. The 6-11 junior Bill Schulz would lead the team in scoring with 24 points. 

Retired jerseys from 1952 starters & Howie Judson

Without the book, Once There Were Giants, many basketball fans may never had known the Hebron story, especially the challenges the team and coaching staff overcame to reach the tournament's pinnacle. Many of coach Russ Ahearn’s personal stories and notes that appear across the pages may still be stored away, never to be found by his daughter for years to come. Many may not have known that during the 1949-50 and 1951-52 seasons, the Green Giants won eighty-five games, while losing only eight.  Many may not have known that Hebron would be ranked at the top of the Associated Press poll the majority of the season, but they were still seen as underdogs in the finals.  Additionally, many may not have known that in 1951-52, the Hebron varsity squad had only six players on its roster and all five starters would get Division I scholarships to play basketball, making their story even more special.

Without the undertaking of the book, many of the player's personal stories may never have been put to paper and made public, including the mention of a note of recommendations given to Bill Schulz by coach Russ Ahearn. A note, although frayed, that he still carries in his wallet today. 

It was this hidden gem that I spoke to Bill about in the days following the 60 year reunion celebration.  To Bill, the list of recommendation is just that, a list. But, I think most basketball fans and basketball historians would feel quite differently.

Bill Schulz standing tall in the middle

In the spring of 1951, following Bill Schulz's sophomore season when the Green Giants finished 26-2, coach Ahearn worked on a plan to improve Bill's skillset as a big man.

Bill recalled coach approaching him in the hallway in the spring of 1951 and asked if they could talk about next year.  During the conversation, coach Ahearn gave Bill a list torn from one his spiral notebooks and asked him to review it, which Bill didn’t think twice about doing. 

Contained on the sheet titled, Recommendations for Bill Schulz, was a list of twenty-two recommendations to follow, which stressed drills, proper conditioning, and diet. Ahearn led with the important remark, "the very minimum if he wants to become a polished ball player by Nov. 1951."

Below is the full list of recommendations:

Recommendations for Bill Schulz 

The very minimum if he wants to become a polished ball player by Nov. 1951

1.  Jump Rope --5 minutes per day -- jump on toes.

2.  50 pushups --  done on fingers -- 10 at a time.

3.  100 jumping jacks -- 20 at a time --for coordination.

4.  Drag dribble -- 5 minutes for footwork.

5.  Ball handling -- ball around body between legs.

6.  Rebound for 5 minutes with rim covered.

7.  Shoot like a forward from side & in front.  2 handed high (kiss style).

8.  Right and left pivot shots -- 5 minutes

9.  Get down and take starts like a sprinter, say to yourself on your mark, get set, go, & see how fast you can get away -- Run at top speed for about 50 yards -- 10 times a day -- 3 or 4 sprints at a time.

10. Hang around our regulars from last year -- Paul Judson, Phil Judson, & Don Wilbrandt, Bill Thayer &

       Ken Spooner -- Learn to think the way they do -- adopt their splendid habits.

11. Continue to be a splendid gentleman & win the sportsmanship award when you are a senior or junior.

12. Do not imitate any players of the past -- They are individuals -- so are you -- Be yourself & help your

       brothers to learn the game.

13. Shoot an unlimited time every day -- Be a scorer.

14. Squeeze a ball in either hand.

15. Matching exercise with another center -- 5 minutes

16. Come up to the gymnasium and day this summer & shoot in the gym or any evening from 6:30 on.

17. Eat good solid foods.

18. Convince your brother that he'll be a good player when he is a junior & senior.

19. Start drive/step with either foot -- take big step back & shoot.

20. Observe all training rules.

21. Get a lot of sleep.

22. Set your scoring aim at a 20 point average next year.

                                                      Mr. Ahearn -- Coach


Page 1 - Recommendations of Bill Schulz

The list of recommendations had a big effect on Bill in the early years; therefore, he made an effort to follow through with each item because he wanted to improve as a player and teammate. Due to his daily chores on the farm, adhering to all recommendations would be challenging.

The list also speaks volumes as to what type of teacher and coach Ahearn was because it was carefully thought out. The front page was written in blue or black pen but portions of the back page were written in both pencil and red ink;  therefore, Ahearn must have gathered his thoughts over a period of time about what recommendations would be most important to Bill's improvement and development as a player. 

Page 2 - Notes in different color

Upon receiving the note of recommendations, Bill first put it in his locker but later folded it and put it in his wallet.  Bill knows that he was carrying it in the Fall of 1951, because he pulled the list from his wallet and recorded the note "Ford is left handed" while scouting the McHenry center early in 1951-52 season. Having the piece of paper in his wallet also made it convenient to capture an important thought.

The list had an effect on Bill during the 1951-52 season and several years following but until 2002, the list was somewhat forgotten.  Bill said, “it was there because it was there”.  He is not superstitious, it’s just that the list had been there for so many years, why remove it? The list was briefly mentioned in the Once There Were Giants book, which has resulted in fans asking to see it from time-to-time.  As a result, portions of the list have become illegible but not to worry, Bill made copies in 2002 so the information would never be lost. 

If not asked to show it, he removes it from his wallet every March.  He carefully unfolds the paper made up of eight tiny squares from the creases, reads the list, relives the successes since receiving it, and then carefully folds it and puts it back in his wallet.

I asked if he had plans to donate it to one of the basketball Hall of Fame museums in Illinois since it is a part of the Hebron story, but Bill honestly responded,  “I have never thought about it.”
 

Bill being asked if he still had the note in his wallet

Bill talking about the note of recommendations

I personally feel that the list is representative of the Hebron story.  It's about working on the little things to excel.  It's about being a team on and off the court. It's about taking care of body and mind to put yourself in the best position to win. But most important, it's about seeing potential in not only one player, but an entire team.

The list may have been folded and forgotten for many years but the coach's words and his pupil’s preparation and determination to win will never be forgotten.  The list symbolizes the “little things” that coaches should instruct and players should take to heart. 

Work on the little things, and big things are sure to come. 
 
That's an important note that all basketball players should carry with them.

 

1952 State Champs

Planting the Seed

Throughout the history of Illinois high school basketball, there are a number of teams that have captured the attention of basketball fans throughout the state. Stories or accounts of these teams have been passed down to the younger generation of basketball players by parents and grandparents. Many of these teams are still celebrated today, including the Appleknockers of Cobden. 

The 1963-64 Appleknockers were the smallest school (enrollment 147) to reach the single-class Illinois State High School Basketball Tournament Finals since Hebron qualified in 1952. Smaller schools traditionally had a longer road to the finals due to the additional district tournament, so teams like Hebron and Cobden had to win eleven games to be crowned champions compared to the larger schools having to win only nine. 


1963-64 Cobden Appleknockers

Although Cobden's school enrollment was small, their starting line-up was not, which included heights of 6'6'', 6'5'', 6'5'', 6'5'', and 6'1''.  Many of the largest schools didn't have a team with that much height, nevertheless, a starting line-up. The school's unusual mascot also aided in their mystique and popularity as they advanced through the 1964 postseason. 


Cobden was a community of 900 located about 13 miles south of Carbondale in southern Illinois.  A blue-collar town where farming and coal mining were a means to provide a living. Cobden was known for its apple and peach orchards that surround the town, where many of the young school boys worked after school.  It is said that when an orchard's crop of apples got too big for the trees to handle, the orchard would send workers with long sticks or poles to knock the apples out of the trees. They became known as "Appleknockers".

"Appleknockers" mascot

It wasn't until the 1940s when Cobden began using the unique "Appleknockers" team name. The story goes that it came from a response when the small town won a sectional tournament. Someone was quoted as saying, 'Whoever heard of a bunch of Appleknockers winning such a thing?'.  Years later when the Appleknockers were beating much larger schools on their way to the 1964 IHSA state finals, the name would become no laughing matter.

The Appleknockers success was not a surprise to those in southern Illinois. Coach Dick Ruggles had been hired at Cobden in June of 1962, specifically to coach the young group of underclassman boys that had high expectations. During the1962-63 season, the Appleknockers compiled an impressive 27-2 record, winning the conference but losing in sectionals. They had been ranked the No. 1 team in their area but had not received much respect in the basketball media circles in the north region of the state. With the core of their team returning, many in southern Illinois believed that Cobden could be playing in Champaign the following season. They were right.

The Appleknockers would end the 1963-64 regular season with a 22-2 record.  They also earned some recognition being ranked No. 16 by the Associated Press prep poll towards the end of the season. Cobden battled its way through district, regional, and sectional play, beating the likes of Douglass, Cairo Sumner, Carmi, and Harrisburg. The further they went into each tournament, the more media attention they received and the more fans joined the Cobden bandwagon. As teams started to bow out of the single elimination tournament, they too would follow the small team from southern Illinois.

Many from Cobden believed that their Appleknockers were good enough to compete for a state title, even though they would be going up against schools ten to forty times their size. After a three-overtime victory in the supersectional game against one of the state's best in Pinckneyville, the Appleknockers' expectations were met and they were on their way to Champaign. 

The Elite Eight field would be made up of teams that were traditionally strong, including Centralia, Rock Island Alleman, Pekin, Stephen Decatur, and Galesburg. Of the final eight teams remaining, Cobden would be ranked seventh, with little odds of winning but as everyone knows, anyone can be beat. Cobden didn't disappoint.  After beating Galesburg 60-57 in the quarterfinals and Stephen Decatur 44-38 in the semi-finals, Cobden would play Pekin for the coveted single-class state championship. 

1963-64 Pekin Chinks

The 1963-64 Pekin Chinks, from central Illinois, were 21-3 and ranked eighth in state after losing to Moline in their last regular season game. After the Sweet Sixteen field was set, the Associated Press would rank the remaining teams. Pekin would be ranked No. 5.  Once Centralia, ranked No. 1,  was upset in the quarterfinals, it was not a surprise to see Pekin in the finals. Although Pekin was a community of 32,000 with a school enrollment of 1,000 plus students, they would be going up against a much taller Cobden team. Pekin too had an unique team name.  The boys athletic teams were known as the Pekin Chinks from the 1930s until 1980 when the school administration changed the nickname to the Dragons.
 

Jump ball during 1964 state title game

One of the great stories of the game occurred before the teams took the court. Pekin's coach Dawson "Dawdy" Hawkins knew that Cobden was the fan favorite because they were the Cinderella team.  Being the smallest school to qualify for the state finals since Hebron, the crowd would be pro-Cobden; therefore would garner the majority of the cheers.  Knowing that the loud cheers for Cobden could affect his Pekin team and make them out to be the underdog, Hawkins purposely had his team wait in the tunnel until Cobden ran on the floor and then sent his team to take the court for warm-ups at the same time. The teams were greeted with a roar from the crowd of more than 16,000 fans.

Pekin's Dave Golden who would later play for Duke

Once the ball was tipped, the game would be as good as it was billed. Although Pekin would take a commanding lead throughout the first half, Cobden would close the gap quickly at the beginning of the second half making it a competitive game until the final buzzer. 

Pekin and Cobden players rebounding

As the final seconds run off the clock at the end of each championship game, one team will immediately become celebrated while another team will hang their heads in defeat, knowing their chance slipped away. The champion will be remembered for either their dominance throughout the tournament or for their adversity to overcome all odds to win it all. Thousands of images will have captured the victors as they lift the championship hardware over their heads, cementing that moment in time forever. Front page headlines will read "State Champs" as the news circulates around the state.

Each year, one team will be remembered. Championship teams are remembered.

All other teams become a footnote.

I clearly remember my father talking of tiny Cobden and their unusual mascot, but most notably their run in the 1964 state tournament to battle a much larger Pekin for the title. For many years, I assumed that Cobden did the unthinkable and won the tournament. Why else would he be talking about them?

The headlines around Illinois following the 1964 title game would contain Pekin's name, not Cobden. Pekin would beat Cobden 50-45.  But over the years, a rare occurrence would take shape.

In the Epilogue of The Amazing Appleknockers: Illinois' Cinderella Basketball Team of 1964, authors Teri Campbell & Anne Ryman write, "the years passed, a curious phenomenon occurred. Many people in Illinois and elsewhere think the Appleknockers won the state championship in 1964.  The reason for this revisionist history is unclear, but members of the team and residents of Cobden often run into people who refer to the Appleknockers as the 'tiny team who won the state tournament.'" 

If you were to drive through Cobden, you will see a commemorative sign proudly recognizing the team and proclaiming, "Home of The Amazing Appleknockers". Occasionally while reading blogs or online prep basketball articles, the Appleknockers and their Cinderella season will be mentioned.  If you peruse the book store shelves in Illinois, you will find a book published in 2011 about Cobden and the Appleknockers detailing the challenges and adversity that the team overcame in the years and months leading up to Champaign. With a lot of fanfare around the small-town team the past forty-eight years, it's understandable why some think they are the champions.

They are remembered.

Commemorative sign in Cobden

Book about the Appleknockers published in 2011

On the other hand, if you were to drive through Pekin, you won't see any mention of a basketball state title.  The only place where I’ve seen the accomplishment commemorated is in the Pekin Community High School trophy case outside Hawkins Gym and the championship banners hanging from the rafters.  A year ago, I inquired about this with my in-laws who are 1965 and 1967 Pekin graduates, at the time when Pekin had its greatest basketball success.  It was during our discussion that my father-in-law mentioned that the 1964 state championship is commemorated outside the school. I immediately asked, "where"?

1964 State Championship display at PCHS

He began to tell me that in the days following the state championship game, thousands from the Pekin community met at the East Campus gymnasium to celebrate the victory with the team and coaching staff.  The team members were introduced, speeches delivered, and the trophy was displayed for all to see. 



Pekin community celebrating a state championship

My father-in-law then recalled an event that either took place following the celebration or the next day at school.  He remembered students, teachers, and administrators walked out the school's front entrance doors and across the vehicle turn-around located at the top of the hill. At that moment, a ceremony took place.

An apple tree was planted.

The apple tree was to commemorate the hard fought victory over the Appleknockers to win the coveted state title.

I asked if the apple tree still stands and my father-in-law thought it did.  Months later we attended an event at Mineral Springs Park which is near Pekin Community High School.  Afterwards I asked him if he could show me where the apple tree was planted since my curiosity had got the best of me. We drove the short distance to the turn-around on the hill, but to our surprise the tree was no longer there.

Commemorative apple tree once stood in the foreground - outside the school's turnaround

Dirt patch may have been where tree once stood

This hidden gem intrigued me so I asked a few friends, who were Pekin alumni, if they knew about the commemorative tree on the school's campus.

Not one person knew.

I finally asked Pekin's current athletic director but he had never heard the story. I mentioned that a friend's uncle thought it had been moved in later years but he was not sure of it's new location.  A few days later I received an email from the athletic director saying that he too was curious so he had looked for the tree, but could not find it.  He then asked a player from the 1964 team if the tree did exist. The player verified that an apple tree was planted in the days following the championship game but he thought it had been cut down about four or five years ago.  Pekin's athletic director then asked the East campus grounds keeper, who responded with bad news.  The apple tree had been cut down after a storm had split the tree about fifteen years ago. 

I would later find the below picture of coach Hawkins in the 1964 Pekin yearbook with the caption, "Mr. Hawkins beams proudly as he displays The Apple Tree, planted to commemorate the Chinks' Victory over the Cobden Appleknockers to capture the State Basketball title."

Coach Hawkins and the apple tree

The planting of the apple tree on the Pekin Community High School campus was symbolic to what was to come to Pekin basketball in the 1960s. The 1964 Pekin Chinks planted the seed for the next three years of basketball success in Pekin.

"He who plants a tree, plants a hope"

Many consider Pekin to have the teams of the 1960s. With the leadership of coach Dawdy Hawkins, the Pekin Chinks began their notable run in 1963-64 with a state title.  The remaining underclassman built upon the experience. The 1964-65 and 1965-66 teams lost in the supersectional, but the 1967 would again bring a state championship back to Pekin.  During those four years, Hawkins and his Pekin Chinks would compile a 115-11 record (.91 winning percentage). It is also during this time that Pekin would begin hosting a Holiday basketball tournament that featured some of the best teams throughout the state. The tournament still exists today.


Pekin's State Championship banners proudly displayed in Hawkins Gym

"Dawdy" Hawkins Gym during the Pekin Insurance Holiday Tournament

The Cobden Appleknockers also planted a seed, as Hebron did before them, for all the small schools who dreamt of competing in the single-class state tournament. For many of the small, "district" schools, winning a district tournament equates to a successful season.  But as district teams advance through the sectional tournament and the media begins to cover these teams across the state, a seed is planted inside all small-town basketball players, giving them hope that they too can do the unimaginable.

Unfortunately, as the commemorative apple tree would eventually fall in Pekin, so would single-class basketball in Illinois. From 1908-1971, a single tournament was contested by nearly all high schools in Illinois. In 1972, only eight years after Cobden's tournament run, the IHSA would create a two-class system based on school size, each producing a separate champion. In 2008, the tournament would be divided again.  This time into four separate divisions, each crowning a state champion. The governing body uprooted every team's dream of beating the best to be the best. The class system created opportunity for the smaller schools to compete but the dream of being the true state championship came to an end. Many argue today that the tournament is watered down and a championship is worth less. Is a runner-up finish in a single-class tournament more memorable than winning the 1A state title?

As for the 1964 runner-up Cobden team, I can only imagine the popularity and notoriety they have received over the last forty-eight years.  As we near the fifty-year anniversary of their memorable season, I only expect the Appleknockers to be commemorated even more.  I doubt any other state runner-up team is as celebrated.

Of the 735 high schools, large or small, that entered the single-class state basketball tournament series in 1964, Cobden made it to the state's final game.

Cobden is much more than a footnote. They're champions in my book.