The Glory Years Part II.

The 1962 off-season would be good and bad for the Bearcats' hopes in 1963. Frosh star Ron Krick suffered a knee injury from which he would never fully recover. He sat out 1963 as a redshirt. Paul Hogue graduated from UC and left for the NBA, although not to the Royals (who chose Jerry Lucas instead). But 4 starters returned with plenty of firepower for the Bearcats to have another powerhouse in 1963.

Recruiting was bittersweet. Cincinnati signed Parade HS All-American John Serbin of Hammond IN and thought it landed Parade All-American Cazzie Russell, too. But after attending classes at UC for a short while, Russell left Cincinnati for Michigan. That practice was commonplace in those days. Ron Bonham attended Purdue for a few days before switching to UC in 1960. Serbin showed great promise as a Bearkitten, leading his team to victory over the Kentucky frosh team (led by Larry Conley) but then got into trouble off the court. He was dismissed from Cincinnati for an assault incident in the dorm.

The 1963 season opened with 19 straight wins (37 straight wins over two seasons) before losing on the road to Wichita State by one point in a hotly contested overtime game. Then two games later, UC nearly lost at home to Tulsa. The Bearcats never lost at home and almost never lost to Tulsa. UC rallied from a double digit first half deficit to win that game.

The Bearcats won their NCAA Regional games comfortably but not overwhelmingly. UC then clobbered Final Four opponent Oregon State to face upstart Loyola of Illinois in the final game. Loyola was the #1 offensive team in the nation. UC was the #1 defensive team. Cincinnati (3) and Loyola (4) started seven black players. That was a first for an NCAA tournament final game. UC had started four blacks in 1962 and 3 in 1961. Texas Western (more on them later) became the first NCAA champion to start five black players in 1966.

Cincinnati dominated Loyola with its powerful defense for much of the game, leading 45-30 about midway through the second half. A third straight NCAA crown appeared likely. Then the Bearcats encountered foul trouble and went into a stall. Loyola caught its second wind and crept back into the game. UC clung to a narrow lead late in the game when guard Larry Shingleton was fouled. He made the first free throw but missed the bonus. Loyola rebounded and tied the game on a jumper by All-American Jerry Harkness.

The overtime was a struggle but Loyola eked out the victory, 60-58, on a last second rebound shot by Vic Rouse. It was, without a doubt, a game that UC should have won. The Bearcats had been to five straight Final Fours (a record at the time) and compiled a 136-13 record (over 90%) in those five glorious seasons. Bonham, Thacker, and Yates earned All-American honors in 1963. And Ed Jucker still holds the all-time best W-L % in NCAA tournament play at 11-1 (92%).

(See here for a statistical review of the 1963 Bearcats)

Cincinnati recruiting was a struggle in 1963. No Parade All-Americans were signed but Rolfes did transfer from UK. Bearcat recruits included Muncie IN star Mike Rolf, Dayton OH stalwart Ken "Cab" Calloway, and local star Roland West. All good players but no great ones.

The 1964 Bearcats returned plenty of talent. All-American Ron Bonham and future Olympian George Wilson headed the cast. But Thacker, Yates, and Shingleton completed their eligibility in 1963. Thacker was drafted by the Cincinnati Royals. With Serbin gone and Russell suiting up for Michigan instead, the UC frosh team provided little help. Talented Charles Houston (brother of Wade and uncle to NBA star Allan Houston) also suffered a knee injury that would keep him out of action. However, Ron Krick returned from his shoulder injury and finally suited up for the Bearcats. He figured to form a powerful frontline with Bonham and Wilson for 3 Parade All-Americans in the lineup.

The 64 season started off with a big surprise early. Cincinnati lost to Kansas at home. Yours truly had been a Bearcat fan since 1958 but had never seen (or couldn't remember) UC ever losing at home! Cincinnati rallied to beat 1964 Final Four team Kansas State and were still purring along at 9-3 when the Cats' paws fell off. UC lost five straight games, including another loss at home. The Cats rallied to win seven of their last eight games but finished 17-9. In those days, 17-9 records meant you stayed home. No NCAA tournament, not even an NIT invitation.

Bonham made the All-American teams again and both he and George Wilson were high NBA draft picks. Wilson went to the Royals and won an Olympic Gold Medal in 1964.

Recruiting was another struggle in 1964. No Parade All-Americans for the second year in a row. Cincinnati signed forward John Howard of Columbus and guard Dean Foster of Elkhart IN that spring. Both would prove to be very solid Bearcat players despite limited accolades from their high school days.

The 1965 Bearcats had plenty of question marks. Krick returned and UK transfer Rolfes was eligible but they didn't make up for the loss of Bonham and Wilson. The frosh team sent Rolf, West, and Calloway up to the varsity. Senior veterans Gene Smith, Ken Cunningham, and Fritz Meyer were back but none had ever played a key role for the Bearcats before. Sharpshooter Jerry Cousins joined the varsity as a guard. All were good players. None was a great player. The 1965 season could go either way. And it did.

It started off well. Cincinnati won nine of its first 11 games over teams like Louisville, Kansas, Princeton (1965 Final Four team), and other strong opponents. But every game except one was at home. There were two home losses but nothing like the third home loss (104-80) to Bradley. UC never lost by 24 at home, or even on the road. That loss sent UC tumbling to eight losses in its next 10 games and 11-12 headed into its final 3 games that season. UC faced the possibility of a losing season. But the Bearcats won all 3 contests, including a sweet 30 point win over Xavier, to finish 14-12.

The pressure on Ed Jucker was enormous. He resigned as UC coach and later coached the Cincinnati Royals of the NBA. His assistant Tay Baker was promoted to head coach, just as Jucker and Smith had been before him. UC added Lee Rose as frosh coach and ace recruiter when Ray Dieringer was promoted to varsity assistant. Dieringer took the same path to that job as Jucker and Baker had taken. Coaching searches in those days involved the AD walking down the hall. It had worked for UC in the case of Smith and Jucker.

But Rose was brought in from Transylvania College in Kentucky. UC recruiting had tumbled badly in 1962, 63, and 64. College basketball recruiting changed dramatically in the mid 1960's. UC needed a strong class and Rose delivered one for the Bearcats.

Ricky Roberson was a powerful 6-9 low post scorer from Memphis. Local star Dick Haucke was a Parade All-American and 30 point scorer at LaSalle High School. Guards Gordon Smith from suburban Washington DC (Maryland) and Raleigh Wynn from Knoxville added firepower from the wings. Local guard Jim Nageleisen from Covington Catholic rounded out a well balanced bunch. The varsity would have to wait a year but the talent level was being replenished at Cincinnati.

The 1966 Bearcats would have a new coach (Baker) and several new faces. The glory days of a few years before were (long) gone. How would the Bearcats do?

Stay tuned for more of The Glory Years - UC Bearcat Basketball In The 1960's.

Tom Gray (aka: Windycat)
Bearcat fan since 1958