1961–62 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team

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]

1961–62 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball
1962 NCAA Tournament, Sweet Sixteen
ConferenceIndependent
Record21–5
Head coach
Home arenaOmaha Civic Auditorium
Seasons

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

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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

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular Season
12/01/1961
Colorado College W 85-51  1–0
Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
Omaha, Nebraska
12/09/1961
Notre Dame W 73-71  2–0
Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
Omaha, Nebraska
12/12/1961
at Illinois L 61-70  2-1
Huff Hall (-)
Champaign, Illinois
12/14/1961
Denver W 60-59  3–1
Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
Omaha, Nebraska
12/16/1961
at Northwestern L 56-59  3-2
McGaw Memorial Hall (-)
Evanston, Illinois
12/18/1961
Gonzaga W 82-77  4–2
Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
Omaha, Nebraska
12/19/1961
at South Dakota W 85-59  5–2
 (-)
Vermillion, South Dakota
12/20/1961
UCLA W 74-72  6–2
Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
Omaha, Nebraska
12/21/1961
Rice W 91-57  7–2
Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
Omaha, Nebraska
12/29/1961
Princeton W 63-54  8-2
Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
Omaha, Nebraska
1/02/1962
South Dakota W 84-58  9-2
Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
Omaha, Nebraska
1/06/1962
Wabash W 96-62  10-2
Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
Omaha, Nebraska
1/13/1962
at St. John's L 52-72  10–3
Alumni Hall (-)
Jamaica, New York
1/15/1962
at Seton Hall L 80-86  10–4
Walsh Gymnasium (-)
South Orange, New Jersey
1/27/1962
at Nevada W 76-69  11–4
 (-)
Reno, Nevada
2/03/1962
at Iowa W 68-67  12-4
Iowa Fieldhouse (-)
Iowa City, Iowa
2/05/1962
at Marquette W 79-72 OT 13–4
 (-)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
2/10/1962
at Notre Dame W 74-71  14–4
Notre Dame Fieldhouse (-)
South Bend, Indiana
2/12/1962
at St. Ambrose W 93-63  15-4
 (-)
Davenport, Iowa
2/16/1962
at Air Force W 61-60  16-4
 (-)
Colorado Springs, Colorado
2/19/1962
Centenary W 77-70  17–4
Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
Omaha, Nebraska
2/26/1962
North Dakota State W 84-54  18–4
Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
Omaha, Nebraska
3/03/1962
North Dakota W 90-54  19-4
Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
Omaha, Nebraska
1962 NCAA Tournament
03/12/1962
vs. Memphis State
Midwest Region Quarterfinals
W 87-83  20-4
Moody Coliseum (-)
Dallas, Texas
03/16/1962
vs. No. 2 Cincinnati
Midwest Region Semifinals
L 46-66  20-5
Ahearn Field House (-)
Manhattan, Kansas
03/17/1962
vs. Texas Tech
Midwest Region Third-place game
W 63-61  21-5
Ahearn Field House (-)
Manhattan, Kansas

References

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  1. ^ "Go Creighton". Creighton Athletic Department. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  2. ^ The Bluejay. Creighton University. 1962.
  3. ^ "Number 24: Chuck Officer". White & Blue Review. Retrieved March 9, 2013.