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Where does one begin in setting the stage for the 1972 NAIA national championship showdown between the top two college division teams in the country at the old Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City, Missouri?
It all began in the fall of 1968 when a 35-year-old Blugold alumnus named Ken Anderson took over the university's men's basketball program after the 40-year tenure of the legendary Willis "Bill" Zorn concluded.
When Ken Anderson assumed leadership, the Blugolds had just suffered through seven losing seasons with a 45-99 record. He had success in the high school ranks at Auburndale, Plymouth, Superior Central and Wausau and had started a summer basketball camp in Minocqua, so he was known in coaching circles throughout the state. Immediately, he pulled in a couple All-State players and also grabbed a couple of sleepers.
James Lindsey had earned AP All-State first team recognition in helping Beloit to a Silver ball in the 1968 state tournament. He would be an instant star in the Wisconsin State University Conference (WSUC), earning All-Conference honors as both a freshman and a sophomore.
The new group also included 6-5 Tom Jackson who was a second team All-Stater at Wisconsin Rapids. Then he added some size with 6-8 Steve Johnson from Trempealeau and 6-7 Mike Ratliff from Racine Horlick, both coming in under the radar on a state level.
With that freshmen group as a nucleus, the Blugolds surprised many in the league by going 11-5 to tie for third place and finish 14-8 overall in Anderson's first season. That would be the first of 27 consecutive seasons with a winning record. Twenty-one of those 27 seasons would see 20 or more victories and 15 times the team would advance to the 32-team NAIA national tournament in Kansas City.
With the turnaround in the program, a student body that had grown from around 1,700 in 1960 to over 8,000 by the end of the decade became enamored with winning and jumped on the bandwagon of Blugold success. So did the community.
Going to watch the Blugolds on game day became a major social outlet on cold Wisconsin winter nights. Varsity games began at 8 p.m. and Coach Anderson supported his varsity program with a competitive JV schedule. Students would begin standing in line to attend games by 4 p.m. in the afternoon and by the time the JV game was at halftime, the stands were normally full. To counter the student crunch and avoid the need to get in line so early and to be guaranteed a seat, faculty and city people started gobbling up season tickets. At its peak, the Blugolds were selling 800 season tickets. From 1969 through 1972, most every game was standing room only.
While the WSUC was very competitive, Anderson made sure his squad was ready for the conference wars by scheduling some high-level non-conference competition. The WSUC was and still is a non-scholarship conference. The NAIA allowed its members to provide athletic scholarships, so the WSUC schools were among the few competing without aid for their players against scholarship teams. In the 1970s and 1980s, the NAIA was a large organization of some 500 members and it included a good number of schools that now are considered non-Power 5 Division I schools. Anderson added teams like Northern Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kentucky State, North Dakota, St. Cloud, Duluth, Southwest Texas and Texas A&I to the non-conference schedule.
He started a Holiday Classic in 1969 and solicited teams from across the country. During his 27-year Blugold career, Anderson brought in teams from 25 states outside of Wisconsin. It included the likes of Birmingham-Southern, Henderson State, Northern Colorado, Armstrong State, Hawaii-Hilo, Western Illinois, Valparaiso, Northern Michigan, Mankato State, St. Cloud, Missouri Western, Nebraska-Omaha, Buffalo State, North Dakota State, Cheyney State, LeMoyne-Owen, Dallas Baptist and Hampton Institute. The tournament normally was played the week between Christmas and New Year's and became a sellout. There was usually a tournament luncheon preceding the first game and each of the visiting coaches had a chance to describe their teams and often-times stated their gratitude and desire to be part of such a highly-recognized and well-run tournament. For some teams, it might be the only time the players saw snow in the winter or experienced sub-freezing temperatures.
With recruiting and top-notch competition a prerequisite for Anderson from the start, it did not take long to elevate the Blugolds to national prominence.
When his first group of recruits became sophomores, he added some additional talent with 6-8 freshman Tom Peck. Seeing the early success, it was not hard to get players to transfer. Frank Schade had played for Anderson in Wausau and tried his luck initially at Texas Western (now Texas-El Paso), which had surprised the basketball world by winning the NCAA Division I tournament in 1966. He had been the runner-up to James Lindsey as the 1968 UPI Player of the Year in Wisconsin but returned to Wisconsin in 1969 to rejoin his high school coach in Eau Claire. Other transfers that helped the program for a year or two included Pat Canfield from Glidden, Jeff Garske from Glenwood City and Ken Roeder and Larry Edwards from Wausau. Both Garske and Roeder had been on All-State teams.
With the sophomore starters of James Lindsey and Frank Schade at guard, Tom Jackson and Steve Johnson at forward and a growing Michael Ratliff at center, the Blugolds sailed through the 1969-70 regular season with just one loss, a conference setback at Stout, and reached the postseason for the first time since 1956.
After disposing of Dominican and Stout in the NAIA District 14 playoffs, the Blugolds opened NAIA national tournament play by beating Eastern Montana. (There were 32 NAIA districts in the country with each one sending a champion to the national tournament. District 14 included teams from the state of Wisconsin. The tournament was initially played at Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City but was moved to Kemper Arena after that facility was built.) They were eliminated in the second round in a 73-65 decision to Kentucky State which went on to win the NAIA championship.
The Blugolds regrouped for the 1970-71 season with the same starting five. After winning their first 10 games that year, the Blugolds were matched up against the defending national champions in the finals of the Eau Claire Holiday Classic. Led by 7-1 Elmore Smith and 6-8 Travis Grant, the Thorobreds escaped with a 71-67 win. The Blugolds rebounded by winning their next 17 games which put them in the quarter-finals of the NAIA tournament against Eastern Michigan. During the regular season, the Blugolds had gone to Ypsilanti, Michigan where they ended the Hurons' long home-court win streak with a 90-77 triumph. But in the national tournament, the Hurons got their revenge, knocking the Blugolds out with an 87-80 victory.
Coach Anderson would have one more opportunity with the same starting five in 1971-72. The Blugolds would also add Rich Reitzner, a first team All-Stater who had led Dick Emanuel's (Blugold alum) Appleton West squad to a state championship in 1970 with an unbeaten 26-0 record. Coach Anderson would also pick up 6-5 transfer Duke Nash. Plus he still had Tom Peck who would be named to the 10-player All-Conference team as a reserve!
Those eight players would be dubbed the Awesome Eightsome as they mowed down their opponents like a knife slicing through butter. With Lindsey, Schade and Reitzner sniping from the outside, Ratliff, Peck and Jackson patrolling the boards and Johnson and Nash clamping down on the opponents's top offensive threats, the Blugolds rolled. After hitting the century mark six times in 1970-71, the 1971-72 team started the season by reaching a school-record 119 in their season opener against Central State of Ohio. The Blugolds would hit the 119 mark a month later against UW-La Crosse. They would top the century mark three more times during the season and average 87.5 points per game in their 31 outings.
In a non-conference clash before Christmas, the Blugolds edged George Gervin (The Iceman)-led Eastern Michigan, 79-76. That made the Blugolds 8-0 at the Christmas break, heading into their annual Holiday Classic.
Anticipating what could be a banner year, Sports Illustrated had featured the Blugolds as one of the top college division teams in the country. In its November basketball edition, SI ran a full-page story about the Blugolds, including a full-page color picture of Mike Ratliff standing on the university footbridge, which at that time was only a year old.
With their opening win streak, the Blugolds were now ranked No. 2 in one poll and No. 3 in another heading into the Holiday Classic. The No. 1 pick was none other than two-time defending national champion Kentucky State. And coincidence of coincidences, the Thorobreds were scheduled to participate in the Eau Claire Holiday Classic. Coach Anderson matched Kentucky State against Drury, Missouri in the first round while the Blugolds were set to battle Wiley, Texas.
Anticipating the showdown, neither team played particularly well the opening night. In fact, Kentucky State sneaked past Drury, 68-66, despite the fact that Travis Grant, who came into the tournament averaging 55 points a game, was ejected late in the first half for throwing an elbow. The Blugolds followed that game with a 7-point win over Wiley.
That set up the top two college division teams in the country in the title showdown. Sports Illustrated sent one of its top reporters, Curry Kirkpatrick, to cover the game.
His story, which included a picture of Frank Schade dribbling the ball upcourt and covered more than one full page, started this way:
"Everything wonderful in the dandy and daffy world of small-college basketball came to an abrupt, intense climax out in the snows of Wisconsin the other day simply because that team from the faraway place with the strange-sounding name finally did it.
"After two long years of waiting—and losing the big one—the Blugolds of Eau Claire reached the top. When their time came, it was sudden and complete; it took them only one minute and nine seconds to reach past their old nemesis, Kentucky State, and grab the No. 1 ring of the NAIA. The rest of the contest was just for the record, as Guard Frank Schade zipped the Blugolds to a decisive 101-81 victory over the Thorobreds in the Eau Claire Holiday Classic.
"Besides offering the two best teams in small-college basketball—if there is such a thing as small-college basketball—this Holiday Classic is one of a kind. The home team plays the first game, not the last. The cheerleaders practically outnumber the players while bringing off tricky deals with an old parachute. And the three visiting teams ride together to games in the same bus, producing such conversational gambits as:
"Player 1: "Sure is quiet here."
"Player 2: "Sometimes be that way."
The Eau Claire Leader-Telegram banner headline the next day read: "Blugolds Shatter Thorobreds, 101-81, Claim No. 1 Spot".
Ron Buckli covered the game for the L-T and started his story this way:
"There no longer can be any doubt about the question as to who is the nation's top college division basketball power.
"That issue was decided in no uncertain terms Thursday night before a packed house of 3,500 witnesses in the delirious University Arena.
"UW-Eau Claire's Blugolds, after making threatening gestures for two years, final burst through with a decisive 101-81 smashing of Kentucky State's Thorobreds.
"The victory is expected to vault Coach Ken Anderson's Blitzkreig Blugolds to the No 1 position in most national polls concerning college teams."
And indeed it did! The Blugolds took over the No. 1 position in the next polls.
The Blugolds would have only three close games the rest of the regular season. They stubbed their toe in a blizzard at Grand Forks, North Dakota, losing 73-70, to the Fighting Sioux. They had to go two overtimes to beat Whitewater, 97-89, on the road. Then Frank Schade would need to hit a 35-foot (some say 40 foot) shot at the buzzer to beat conference rival Stout, 65-64, in University Arena. That shot would be remembered with a star on the floor in the spot where he launched his game-winner which also allowed the Blugolds to extend their record conference win streak to 41 games. The Blugolds would finish the conference schedule unbeaten in 16 games for the second year in a row. They would extend their conference win streak to 49 games before losing in the eighth game the following season. That record still stands in 2022.
The Blugolds' goal all season had been to get back to Kansas City for another shot at a national championship. But first, they would need to win the District 14 title. The Blugolds were matched against Lakeland College in the opener while conference runner-up Whitewater would take on UW-Green Bay. Neither team had any trouble in its semi-final match with Whitewater drubbing Green Bay, 87-67, and the Blugolds clobbering Lakeland, 91-66.
The Blugolds had beaten Whitewater twice during the regular season but only by an 85-79 margin in Eau Claire and the game at Whitewater had gone two overtimes. The Warhawks proved to be a formidable opponent with a lineup that featured twins Larry and Garry Grimes, Bob Stone and Hugh Gnatzig. The Blugolds led from start to finish but needed four free throws from Frank Schade in the final minute to thwart the Warhawks' comeback effort. Ron Buckli covered the game for the Leader-Telegram and wrote "Defense, rebound domination and cool play under extreme pressure were the key factors in the victory." The Blugolds held a 56-35 edge in rebounds. The physical play resulted in 34 free throw attempts for the Blugolds but only 20 conversions while Whitewater was 15 of 23 from the charity stripe. The Blugolds led 62-50 with 4:32 remaining when Whitewater rallied only to be stopped by Schade's sharpshooting from the foul line. He finished with a game-high 20 points.
Prior to the start of the 32-team national tournament where the Blugolds drew the top seed, Leader-Telegram sports writer Ron Buckli penned this column titled "The Hour Has Struck for the Blugolds". It included these statements:
"Never again will Coach Ken Anderson's current collection of basketball talent get such a chance."
"It will take a super effort, no question of that. The tournament includes the cream of the nation's college-division crop."
"But the Blguolds, a mature, veteran team, seem to have what it would take."
"They have waded through a season of tension to 25 wins in 26 games."
"And in the doing, they have captured the fancy of a basketball-mad country like no other college division team."
"For the most part, it has been this collection of state athletes that has produced the amazing record of 90 victories in 103 games over these past four years."
"There is little doubt that this is the greatest team in Blugold history. There may never be another to match it."
The Blugolds drew Bishop College of Texas in the opener and had little trouble disposing of the Tigers with an overwhelming 96-65 victory.
A capacity crowd of 10,500 watched the tourney's top seed struggle but emerge with a hard-fought 59-53 triumph over Belhaven, Mississippi in the second round. The Clansmen were led by 6-11 Charlie Tharp who scored 32 points. The Blugolds countered with 20 points and 14 rebounds from 6-10 All-American center Mike Ratliff and 18 points from Frank Schade. Belhaven played a deliberate style game and only launched 31 shots in the 40 minutes, making 21 baskets. Coach Anderson changed his strategy midway through the first half when the Blugolds trailed by eight. He inserted Tom Peck and Duke Nash and put full-court pressure on the Clansman and the Blugolds were able to go up by a 33-27 score at halftime.
In their quarterfinal matchup against Augustana of Illinois, the Blugolds found themselves down by four at halftime. They again had trouble with a tall opponent as the Auggies featured 6-11 John Laing and 6-10 Bruce Hamming who helped their team to its early lead and control of the boards to the tune of 40-35. Frank Schade again led the way with 23 points while Tom Peck came off the bench to total 21.
With the win, the Blugolds joined Gardner-Webb, North Carolina; Stephen F. Austin, Texas; and Kentucky State to reach the semifinals. Those four teams were the top four seeds in the tourney.
In Gardner-Webb, the Blugolds were facing the top-scoring team in the nation. The Bulldogs, led by their 6-5 All-American George Adams, were averaging 107 points per game but managed just 68 against a Blugold team that scored 83. The game was not as close as the final score indicated with the Blugolds taking a 47-28 lead at intermission. Mike Ratliff, who had not played well the previous two games, was the catalyst with 24 points and 21 rebounds.
Anderson credited the win to the Blugolds' great rebounding (48-26) and defense (G-W hit just 28 of 64 shots from the field). In addition to Ratliff's 24, Frank Schade chipped in with 21, Tom Peck added 13 off the bench and James Lindsey totaled 12.
That set up a rematch with Kentucky State, which struggled to an 87-83 win over Stephen F. Austin. K-State's coach Lucius Mitchell said his Thorobreds were looking forward to what some writers were calling a "Dream Match." Mitchell said "This is all my kids have been talking about all year. They're real anxious and I am too. We've been waiting for this all year, hoped we'd both get to this stage."
A record crowd of 10,801 would get to see the "Dream Match." But the Blugolds could not match the shooting they displayed in their earlier 101-81 triumph over the Thorobreds, hitting just 25 of 80 (31.2%) from the field. They were able to stay in the game with a 61-42 edge on the boards and the fact that K-State did not shoot much better, making 25 of 66 (37.8%). The Thorobreds also got to the charity stripe 32 times, making 21 while the Blugolds were 12 of 22. K-State's Travis Grant scored 39 points to break the all-time tournament scoring record but needed 41 shots to get his points. He made just 14 field goals (34.1%) but added 11 of 14 from the free throw line.
Frank Schade was again the Blugolds top scorer with 20 while Mike Ratliff added 17 with 23 rebounds.
The Blugolds led 33-29 at the intermission. The Thorobreds took the lead for good when Grant scored 10 straight points to put his team up 55-52 with 8:19 to play. With no shot clock, the Thorobreds played control ball the rest of the way to secure their third straight national championship and leave the Blugold faithful in disbelief. K-State's Mitchell was not modest when he said "This is the greatest victory in the world."
Ron Buckli's account of the game in the L-T started like this:
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For more than one half here Saturday night, UW-Eau Claire's Blugolds were champions of all NAIA basketball.
"And then Kentucky State's Wildcats (sic), smarting from a Holiday Tournament loss at Eau Claire last December, pulled a black curtain on the greatest chapter in Blugold basketball history.
"Unable to sustain their early charge, the nation's No. 1 ranked college division team faded down the stretch and fell in the championship game of the six-day, 32-team national tournament, 71-62, as a capacity house of 10,500 watched in the spacious Municipal Auditorium.
"The loss, only the second in 31 games for Coach Ken Anderson's powerhouse, brought to a sad end the four-year rampage of the five starting Blugold seniors who had set the NAIA tournament as their final goal.
"Even in defeat, however, the Blugolds went down as champions and the loss, by no means, could silence the fanatical, thundering backing of the Eau Claire crowd that rocked this mid-western town for six days."
A front-page story in the L-T that day, written by Steve Anderson, described the welcome home by some 1200 fans in the University Arena that Sunday afternoon.
He reported:
"At about one o'clock, a group of students … began chanting, "Bring out the Blugolds," just as they had done before each game this season. That particular cheer lasted for about two minutes, as nearly all joined in.
"Then came the cheer that was a favorite here. "10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…" then silence. Then everyone raising his index finger up high to indicate that the Blugolds, in their minds, are No. 1.
The welcome home continued with a standing ovation and the crowd chanting "Blugolds, Blugolds."
Anderson continued his report:
"Flash bulbs went off everywhere, but as the team slowly walked to mid-court, it showed no emotion. The Blugolds looked extremely tired and disappointed. No one could blame them."
Coach Anderson took the microphone and among his comments were these:
"There must be at least 4,000 people between here and Kansas City.
"Of course, we're disappointed in not coming back as No. 1. We're tired but still proud."
The team was ready to exit the arena when Director of Athletics Jim Rice pushed them back and many youngsters brought newspapers and programs for the team to sign.
After the team finally left, there was one particularly small group of fans that stayed in the bleachers long after most had departed, Anderson reported.
"One of the students in the group was holding a large, neatly-printed sign that read: Blugolds. You'll Always Be Number One with Us."
Anderson ended his story with the single word: "Amen."
This story was written by Sports Information Director emeritus Tim Petermann who traveled with this team and saw every game played between 1968 and 1972.
