Mansfield University and Mountaineer athletics will celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the historic 1963-64 basketball season with a series of weekly blogs.

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Conclusion and Homecoming


The sun did rise on Friday, March 13, 1964, and we were greeted with a telegram from Governor William W. Scranton which stated in part, "All Pennsylvania shares the pride and sense of accomplishment and you bring honor to your alma mater." This proved to be an accurate forecast of the feelings shared by the entire Northern Tier, a fact that we were to learn after our railroad tour to Corning, NY. As we donned the Stetsons that most of us had purchased in K.C., the magnificence of our post-season achievements began to sink in and spirits rose.

We were greeted in Corning by 2 busloads of Mansfield students and 60 cars and escorted to the state line by NY police. There escort duty was handed over to the PA contingent with hometown fire and police personnel leading the caravan. Just north of town another stop funneled us into waiting open convertibles and the Mountie celebrities were triumphantly borne into the center of Mansfield. Once again we dismounted to climb aboard a flat-bed truck surrounded by over 2,000 maniacal fans who could not stop chanting, "We love you, Mounties!!!" President Fred Bryan presided over the tribute, which included a presentation of the "Key to the City" to Coach Clark. (That key hangs in my den today!) Clark accepted on behalf of this fantastic team which had carried him and all of Mansfield to such great heights. Coach introduced the team and had difficulty in controlling his raving about the unselfish contributions each had made to the Mountaineers. When the crowd reluctantly left the celebration, the team had just time to go home and change so they could be honored at a steak dinner--complete with a huge decorated cake--that evening. What a homecoming!!!

Just how good was our opposition in 63-64 post-season play? You may remember that 1964 was an Olympic year. At that time the selection of the Olympic team was made through a tournament process, involving 8 teams, thus providing the Olympic coaches the opportunity to see some of the nation's finest in action. There were 3 NCAA teams, 2 AAU teams, 2 Armed Forces teams, and the NAIA squad, which included Lou Skurcenski, Westminster; Cecil Tuttle, Georgetown; and Lucious Jackson, Pan-American. NAIA defeated the NCAA Whites, 77-74 for 3rd place in the tournament. The Whites were coached by John Wooden and consisted primarily of his undefeated NCAA champs with Walt Hazzard and Gail Goodrich--both College Hall of Famers and NBA stars--at the guards. Don't ever think the 1964 NAIA National Tournament didn't include many of the finest players in the land--including the Mansfield Mounties!

Sometimes great team play and balanced scoring hides individual basketball brilliance. Despite the fact that all 5 starters of the 1963-64 Mansfield Mounties averaged double-figure scoring, individual accolades have been received--some after an appreciable delay. The 1963-64 Pennsylvania State College Athletic Conference All-Star team included Terry Crouthamel, 1st Team; Joe Russell, 2nd Team; and Lee Felsburg, Jim Turner, and Tom Wallon, Honorable Mention. In January, 2000, Mansfield University celebrated "100 Years of Basketball" at the institution and some other honors were forthcoming. Crouthamel, Felsburg, and Turner were chosen for the All-Century Team. The All-Era Team (1960s) included these three, along with Russell, Wallon, and Paul Manikowski. In 1983 the Mansfield University Athletic Hall of Fame was instituted and Crouthamel, Felsburg,Turner, Wallon, Russell, and Bo Brisiel have all been inducted, along with Coach Bill Clark. This team was truly composed of scholar-athletes in the finest sense of the term. Each member of the squad which represented Mansfield in such sterling fashion graduated from this institution with his Bachelor of Science in Education degree and went on to an exemplary professional career. Both Glenda and I are grateful to have been in contact with such a great group for five decades. Thank you for the contributions each of you has made to our lives!!!
Coach Bill Clark


Week 6

Kansas City at Last!

The following is the account of that historic weekend as related by head coach Bill Clark.

Fifty years ago we got home on Friday, March 6 to pandemonium: we were driven around town atop fire engines and found that President Fred Bryan had cancelled classes for the day! On Saturday we were supported by a 30-car caravan enroute to Corning's Erie station to embark for Kansas City. We attempted to ease the overnight ride in our upright chairs by renting pillows. The fast-vanishing emphasis on passenger travel was highlighted by two occurrences: (1) the continual battle between the conductor turning down the car heater and Coach Clark turning it back up as soon as the railroad man left the car and (2) the smile of satisfaction on the conductor's face as he RIPPED the pillows from under sleeping Mountie heads at daybreak. Upon our arrival we were met by Jim Hoverder and Gene Shanks of Hallmark Cards, our hosts for the entire Kansas City experience. We were ushered to our housing in the Phillips Hotel, connected by tunnel to the Memorial Auditorium in downtown KC.That evening we attended the NAIA Tip-Off Banquet in the Grand Ballroom of the Muehlebach Hotel, where former Vice-President and future President Richard M. Nixon gave the address.

The Mounties were seeded 8th among the 32 NAIA finalists, all of whom were district champions from all parts of the country. Our first game shaped up to be a barn-burner as the opponent, Miles College of Alabama, was averaging 98 points per game while Mansfield was pouring in 94 per contest. The teams met in the second game of the 31-game, 6-day tournament with 11:15 AM as tip-off time. Now, what do you feed the team for a pregame meal at 8:45 AM? Fannie's Restaurant, offering full training meals for $1.40, helped solve the problem with a scrambled eggs, toast, and fruit compromise. Now it was time to find out if we really belonged!

Those fans who loved fast-break basketball were in for a treat as these high-powered offenses exploded onto the court in the first half, rolling up a combined 93 points! Miles' style of fast break was ahead of its time as their pattern was much like that of many teams today--pulling up with long jumpers and hitting them at 50% for the first 20 minutes to lead 48-45 at the half. However, the Mounties' aggressiveness and take-it-to-the-basket style paid dividends as they erupted from a 79-73 lead with 5:36 to go with a 17-point run and a 99-79 victory. Mansfield outrebounded Miles 61-45, led by Tom Wallon's 15 and Joe Russell with 13. Scoring balance was on display as usual, led by Terry Crouthamel's 25, supported by Lee Felsburg (19), Russell (19), Wallon (15), and Jim Turner (9). Paul Manikowski (8) and Bo Brisiel (4) added strong support.

Tuesday, March 10 was our lone day without a game and we saw then how important our Hallmark Cards hosts were to a successful tournament stay. We first toured the Hallmark plant, were guests there for lunch, and were featured on the front page of the company daily newsletter. Each of our party was presented with a pair of cufflinks bearing the golden crown emblem of Hallmark Cards. Then Jim and Gene arranged an opportunity for a brief practice at a local high school, providing transportation, including a brief tour of the city as well. Excitement back in Mansfield continued to grow as we received the first batch of 11 congratulatory telegrams. Now only the 16 finest teams in the nation were left in the tournament.

Our gametime for the second round of the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City was 9:30 AM on Wed., March 11, 1964. Our opponent was Georgetown, Kentucky, led by All-American guards Cecil Tuttle and Dick Vories. The Mounties trailed at halftime in the hotly-contested game, 46-44. Despite leading by 9 points in the second half, Mansfield lost Joe Russell and Tom Wallon on fouls and were down by 5 late in the game when Jim Turner took over. Turner scored the last 6 Mountie points in regulation, including the bucket which tied the struggle at 82-82 with 8 seconds left. Overtime saw "Jungle Jim" continue his heroics as Mansfield's rotating control offense placed him one-on-one at the top circle 3 consecutive times, the first two of which he converted to driving layups. On the 3rd drive, Jim was clobbered and passed out briefly. As Coach Clark administered first aid, Turner argued to stay in the game, and swished both free throws. Jim led the 97-89 triumph with 26 points and 27 rebounds, but had plenty of help from Terry Crouthamel (21), Lee Felsburg (17),Russell (14), and Wallon (12,14 rebounds). Replacements were really important in this nail-biter as Paul Manikowski added 7 crucial points and Bo Brisiel and Bud Hulser combined for 6 rebounds.

This win, branding the Mounties as one of the eight best teams in the nation, set off an inferno of excitement back home in Mansfield. Because of playing 2 time zones away, the game ended about 10:00 AM! The late-sleepers were awakened as 4 fire engines and 60 cars, with horns and sirens at fever pitch, wound their way through campus and around town in a victory celebration. Undampened by the flooding Tioga River which produced waist-high wading behind Mansfield High School, the Pep Band set out to drive the 1200 miles to Kansas City. (They made it there along with 8 carloads of MSC students--Victory Bell and all--and borrowed a bass drum and baritone to participate.)

Now the Mounties were positioned to face the defending national champions and the #1 seed-- Pan-American College of Edinboro, TX. The Texans' leader was 6'9" Lucious Jackson, slated to become in the next year a starter on USA's Olympic Gold Medal team, a starter on the Philadelphia 76ers, and NBA Rookie of the Year with 14.8 ppg and 12.9 rpg. But Mansfield had plenty of support in addition to the aforementioned travelers, including an 18-foot telegram from students and fans and a pregame telephone call to Coach Clark from Pennsylvania Governor William W. Scranton. The team approached the national quarterfinal game with great enthusiasm, respecting their opponent, but convinced they had a real opportunity to advance with an upset win. The 7:00 PM game was played before 9,511 fans on Thursday, March 12. The first 10 minutes of the contest were nip-and-tuck, with the Mounties leading by one.

Despite the size differential--Jackson was paired with a 6'11" forward--Mansfield won the battle of the boards, 43-36. The loss of Russell on fouls and foul trouble with Turner and Wallon created problems, but the story of the game was the 61% shooting by Pan-Am. They led 44-32 at half and won 82-69. Top Mountie scorers were Felsburg (22), Wallon (20), and Crouthamel (13). So--the playing season had ended for the 1963-64 Mansfield Mountaineers, a great team of unselfish players who played their best in the biggest games, winning 5 of 6 postseason games and later to be acclaimed as The Team of the Twentieth Century for Mansfield State College (Mansfield University). But the story wasn't over--to the victors belong the spoils and we were yet to reap spoils by the dozen!!! More to come.

Week 5

This week featured one of the most memorable team accomplishments in the history of Mountaineer athletes. Redemption and vindication was finally at hand for the Mountie men's basketball program that had posted a combined record of 78-10 over the past four years including three PSAC Championships.

As great as those teams were, including a 1960-61 squad that went 20-1, Mansfield's nemesis for four of the past five years was Westminster.

Mansfield had lost to the Titans in four-straight NAIA District 30 Championship games preventing what was one of the best programs in the East from advancing to the Promised Land of the NAIA Championship in Kansas City.

This week 50 years ago, a remarkable overtime win over Gannon in the opening round led to yet another showdown with Westminster for the right to advance to Kansas City.

The following is how Coach Bill Clark remembers this remarkable week in Mountie history.

The weekend of 50 years ago on March 4 & 5, 1964, was VERY memorable. The scene was the NAIA District 30 Basketball Tournament, held at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA. The first semifinal game saw Westminster, led by Bob Oravetz with 29 points, oust Edinboro, 81-67. Then, the Mounties faced the favored Gannon Knights in a bitter struggle. Lee Felsburg led Mansfield in a 33-33 first half by hitting 7 of 10 from the floor. Late in the second half, Jim Turner scored to give the Red and Black a 62-all tie. With 1:32 left Gannon decided to hold the ball for the last shot, but the Mansfield "D" rose to the occasion, yielding only a wild corner toss at the buzzer. The Mounties took the lead in overtime as Tom Wallon converted 2 free throws and Terry Crouthamel hit a field goal. Up 66-65, Turner poured in a left-handed hook to end the Mounties' scoring. Trailing 68-67 with 28 seconds left, Gannon tried the last-shot game again, only to be stonewalled by great defense. Mansfield's scoring was led by Felsburg (17), Crouthamel (14), Wallon (13), and Bo Brisiel (11). Now, only the Westminster nemesis stood between the Mountaineers and Kansas City!

Once again Mansfield would face Westminster with a berth in the NAIA National Tournament at stake. The first half was hotly contested, with 8 ties in the first 11 minutes, but the Titans never trailed enroute to a 39-38 half-time lead, hitting 54.5% of their shots. The first 10 minutes of the second half saw an abrupt change, with the Mounties exploding with their fast break, scoring 22 points while giving up a meager 6. Paul Manikowski started the second stanza and responded with 4 consecutive field goals. Mansfield piled up a 63-33 rebounding edge as they dominated both boards and hit 55% of their second-half shots in a great display of the "will-to-win"! Three years of frustration fell away in a resounding 84-63 final. The double-figure gang for this game was composed of Crouthamel (27), Felsburg (20), Turner (13), and Manikowski (10). Westminster's leading scorer, Oravetz, was held to 2 points by Turner and Brisiel, after averaging 21 for the season. The best line of the night came when Brisiel (never known for his defensive prowess) said to Turner, "If you'd played any defense, we'd have shut him out!"

The next morning saw a triumphant race back to Mansfield--time was short. My wife, Glenda, recalls, as she waited to enter the PA Turnpike, seeing Lee Felsburg holding the NAIA District 30 Championship trophy overhead for display as he ran by a string of waiting cars. Then the rush was on for each player to get his girl friend to do the laundry so we could all board the train to KC on March 7 for a March 8 banquet and a Mon., March 9 game at 11: 15 AM! Next--Kansas City, here comes the Mounties!!!

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Week 4

This week the Number 1 song in the nation was the Beatles "I want to Hold Your Hand" although I'm not so sure that was the Number 1 song down at Ernie's Restaurant or the Mansfield Diner. Elvis Presley's Kissin' Cousins was playing at the Twain Theater and the entire student body and town seemed to be lined up to get into the New Gymnasium for the final regular season game of the year. On another historical footnote, freshman Jim Logan become the first wrestler in Mansfield history to become a PSAC champion when he captured the unlimited weight class crown.

2/24/64 Mansfield 140 Lock Haven 81

Mansfield, which had clinched the PSAC East title with a win over Cheyney the week before, wrapped up the regular season with a record-setting performance with a 140-81 win at the New Gym in Mansfield. The 140 points eclipsed the former record set two years earlier in a 122-64 win over Lycoming.

Coach Clark's intention wasn't to set a scoring record. Lock Haven had a 6-11 center and the game was heavily scouted after the Mountaineer qualified for the PSAC East-West championship game and the NAIA District 30 tournament. Mansfield pressed and, because of all the scouts, was reluctant to show a second defense. The result was shattering with all 13 Mansfield players scoring including six in double-figures. Terry Crouthamel scored a game-high 31 points and Tom Wallon 24. Bo Brisiel added 18 points with Ron Markert and Bob Wolfe scoring 13 and 12 points respectively. Lee Felsburg scored 11 points as Mansfield jumped out to a 65-40 halftime advantage and never took their foot off the pedal. There was reported concern among college administration that the high pace of the scoring would damage the new scoreboard that have been erected in the gymnasium that season. In one of those "I wish I would have acted sooner moments" I saw the remains of that old scoreboard buried in the rubble when they tore the build down but when I returned later to reclaim it the pile of rubble had already been hauled away. Mansfield finished the regular season with a 15-3 mark including a 12-2 record in PSAC East play.

2/28/64 Mansfield 98, Edinboro 90

Exactly 50 years ago today Mansfield won its third PSAC Championship in a four-year span.

Mansfield, which won the first two PSAC Championship games ever held in 1961 and 1962 before dropping a heartbreaking 74-73 decision to Slippery Rock in 1964, was back in the PSAC title game for the fourth straight year. The opponent was PSAC West Champion Edinboro and the game was played at Technical Memorial High School in Erie.

Coach Clark reports the start of the game was delayed for 45 minutes after Edinboro's Daryl Meachem shattered the backboard during warm ups. Despite Turner playing with 7 stitches in his right hand and Joe Russell hobbling on a bad ankle, the good guys prevailed in a 98-90 victory.

Both teams started a bit slowly with Mansfield holding a 37-29 advantage at halftime. The second half turned into a shootout before the Mountaineers came away with a 98-90 win and the trophy. Five players scored in double-figures. Crouthamel scored a game-high 22 pints with Felsburg scoring 17 points and Tom Wallon 14. Jungle Jim Turner added 14 points and Bo Brisiel 11 points. Joe Russell just missed double-figures with 11 points.

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Week 3

This week 50 years ago, Mansfield was closing in on its fourth straight PSAC East crown and would clinch the title in a win at Cheyney.

As the week ended, Cassius Clay beat Sonny Liston to become the Heavy Weight Champion of the World in Miami Beach.

The National College Band Director's Association named Bert Francis of Mansfield State College as its President.

In an issue thats still alive today, the North Penn School Board formed a committee to discuss the creation of a tri-jointure and determine the advisability of a merger between the North Penn, Liberty and Mansfield schools. The Southern Tioga School Board voted last week to close North Penn High School after this year and move its students to Mansfield or Liberty.

After winning both games this week, the Mountaineers would only have one more regular season contest remaining before the playoffs.


2/19/64 Mansfield 91, Cheyney 78

Cheyney had revenge in its mind for an earlier season after Mansfield had handed the Wolves a 90-82 setback in the New Gymnasium back in early January. Lee "the Rabbit" Felsburg scored 22 points for the Mountainners in that game as fans waited in line for up to an hour to cram into the packed gymnasium. A group of kids from Blossburg managed to find a way to skirt the crowd by walking in with the Cheyney team. As it still is today, Cheyney was a difficult place for opponent teams in 1964 and the matchup on Feb. 19, 1964 was no different. The Wolves and Mountaineers were locked in a battle early with Mansfield holding a slim 46-44 halftime advantage. Despite not having the services of "Jungle Jim" Turner who was out with an injury, Mansfield pulled away in the second half with Felsburg scoring 12 of his 22 points in the second half. Terry Crouthamel had 10 of his team-high 25 points after halftime with Tom Wallon adding 10 of his 16 points in the second half. The Mountaineers outscored the Wolves 45-34 to pull out a convincing 91-78 victory

2/22/64 Mansfield 64, Bloomsburg 59

In the final regular away game of the season, Mansfield got a scare at Bloomsburg. Trailing 34-32 at halftime, Tom Wallon stepped up and scored 10 of his 14 points in the second half to rally the Mountaineers to a 64-59 win. "Jungle Jim" Turner returned to action in the second half while Crouthamel scored a game-high 21 points as the Mountaineer clinched the PSAC East title.

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Week 2

It was a bit warmer in Mansfield 50 years ago this week than it has been this winter. Temperatures ran in the low 30s to high 20s during much of the week. If you ventured downtown, there was a sale at the A&P featuring ground beef at 3 pounds for $1 and six loaves of bread for $1.

The 1964 Winter Olympics wrapped up early in the week after a tragic start. Two athletes, one a downhill skier from Australia and the other a luger from Great Britain, were killed in practice runs prior to opening ceremonies at Innsbruck, Austria.
The United States finished eighth in the medal count with six total medals including a gold in speed skating. The Soviet Union dominated the medal count winning 25 total medals including 11 gold.

Cassius Clay changed his name to Mohammad Ali and become a Black Moslem and Peggy Fleming won the US Female Figure Skating Championship. Fleming had finished 6^th at the Olympics 10 days earlier. Four years later she would win Olympic gold.
The Beatles, who had appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show earlier in the week, played a concert in Carnegie Hall.

The Mountaineer men's team had a five-game winning streak snapped with an 87-79 loss at West Chester. Mansfield held a 40-39 lead at halftime behind Terry Crouthamel, who scored 17 of his 31 points in the first half. Tom Wallon added 13 points and Lee Felsburg 11. Mansfield couldn't overcome a 32-point effort by West Chester's Kratz. Jungle Jim Turner was still nursing a hand injury and saw limited playing time. It would be the last time the Mountaineers lost a game until the NAIA Quarterfinals.

The story was different when the Mountaineers returned to cozy confines and packed-house of the New Gymnasium on Saturday, Feb. 15. Coach Clark's team avenged an 80-76 loss at Shippensburg earlier in the season by racing out to a 58-29 halftime advantage before coasting home to a 116-83 win. Crouthamel topped three players scoring 20 or more points with a game-high 24 points. Felsburg added 20 with Bo Brisiel coming off the bench to score 20 points also. Joe Russell scored 13 points.

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Week 1

Mansfield was rocking in 1964.

Despite the shocking news of the assignation of President John F. Kennedy in November of 1963, there was a positive atmosphere surrounding Mansfield State College which was in the beginning stages of perhaps its greatest expansion. The student population grew from 988 in 1960 to 3,000 in 1969.

The size of campus also more than doubled over that span with Pinecrest, which opened in 1964, being the first building built on the new acreage. North Hall housed the female population of the student body with old South Hall serving as the primary male dormitory. Manser Hall wouldn't be constructed for another five years with all student meals being served family style in the dining hall of North Hall. The site where Manser now stands was the Old Gymnasium constructed in 1888. At the time of its construction, it was just the fourth building on campus and it was made entirely out of wood.

The 1963-64 team played all its home games at the New Gymnasium which was located where the employee parking lot now sits across from Straughn Hall. Opened in 1940, the New Gymnasium would be the site of some of the greatest moments in Mountaineer basketball history.

50 years ago, the 1963-64 Mansfield University men's basketball team achieved one of the most impressive milestones in Mountaineer athletic history. That season, under the direction then first-year head coach Bill Clark, the team posted a 20-4 overall record winning the PSAC East crown and capturing the program's third PSAC Conference Championship over a four year span.

More historically, the team ended five years of frustration in the NAIA District 30 Championship Tournament by winning the regional title to become the first team in school history to earn a spot as one of eight teams across the nation to advance to the NAIA National Championship Tournament in Kansas City where they would advance to the Quarter Finals.

Starting with this installment, we will be documenting the exploits and accomplishments of the final five weeks of that historic season.

Members of the 1963-64 Mountaineer basketball team - Tom Wallon, Joe Russell, Jungle Jim Turner, Terry Crouthamel, Lee Felsburg, Buddy Hulser, Paul Manikowski, Jim Kinsler, Bob Brisiel, Ron Markert, John Machulsky, Bob Wolf, John McNaney and Joe Casale. Six of those players, Felsburg, Crouthamel, Turner, Wallon, Russel and Brisiel, along with Coach Clark, are members of the Mansfield University Alumni/Athletic Hall of Fame.

This week, as the Beatles arrive in America, the Mountaineers improved to 11-2 with a Wednesday night 84-72 win over Kutztown followed by a 104-81 over Millersville. Both games were at home.

2/5/64 Mansfield 84, Kutztown 72

Mansfield jumps out to a 43-30 halftime lead and five Mountaineers score in double-figures as MU extends its win streak to four straight. Lee Felsburg scores 18 points while Tom Wallon puts in 17 markers. Joe Russell and Jim Turner add 15 points each. Terry Crouthamel chips in with 13 points. Turner would suffer a 6-inch gash in his thumb as he pinned an opponent's layup against the backboard.

2/8/64 Mansfield 104, Millersville 81

The Mountaineers reach the 100 point mark for the third time of the season in extending their winning-streak to six games. Turner's injury forces him to miss the game but Felsburg pours in 23 points and Crouthamel adds 20 in the Saturday night contest. Felsburg scores 12 points in a 14 point run by the Mountaineers as Mansfield takes a 46-37 advantage into halftime.