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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Remembering The Greatest Game
February 13, 2013 | Men's Basketball
Fifty years ago, the Bowling Green men's basketball team earned arguably the program's biggest win in school history, a 92-75 victory over Loyola of Chicago on Feb. 16, 1963. Coached by the late Harold Anderson and captained by NBA Hall of Famer Nate Thurmond, the Falcons dominated the No. 2 team in the country. With the victory, Anderson picked up the 499th win of his career. While Loyola would go on to win the National Championship with a 60-58 win over Cincinnati, the Falcons had one of their best seasons ever as well. BGSU won a MAC Championship, went 19-8 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, losing to No. 6 MIssissippi State in the opening round, 65-60.
Thurmond, who is also a BGSU Athletics Hall of Famer and Cast of Honor member, said this about the game:
“It was an unusual situation. The game had been scheduled a year or two in advance and all of a sudden, they turned out to the No. 2 team in the nation. That worked to our advantage because if they had been 20th or something like that, it wouldn't have been such a big game. But it was standing room only and I have never seen the arena like that. It was electric from the start. We had somebody at every position to handle their offensive threats. We played well and somewhere in the third quarter, I knew we could take them.”
Bob Dwors was a seldom-used sophomore on that team but would go on to average 23.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game two years later. He was inducted into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame as well. His recalled the game recently:
"There was little hope that I would see any action in this game, but because of the convincing thrashing the first team gave Loyola, when there was about three minutes left, (Coach) Andy emptied the bench and allowed Nate, Howard (Komives), Wavey (Junior) and the boys to get their due applause from the crowd. As I entered the court, they announced over the public address that Nate Thurmond and Jerry Harkness of Loyola had made the Coaches All American First Team. At that point we shook both of their hands and the excitement and applause continued for what seemed several minutes. Also don't forget Wavey Junior's breakaway dunk. That didn't happen often in those days, and I can assure you he took off from near the foul line ala Michael Jordan, long before it was fashionable."
GAME BOXSCORE
Loyola (75)
Harkness 9-16 3-6 21, Rouse 3-11 2-2 8, Hunter 9-16 6-9 24, Egan 3-13 4-6 10, Miller 5-14 2-3 12, Wood 0-0 0-0 0, Total 29-70 17-26 75
Bowling Green (92)
Junior 7-12 0-1 14, Chatman 4-12 3-3 11, Thurmond 11-18 2-3 24, Haley 3-5 2-2 8, Komives 12-19 8-8 32, Pepin 1-1 0-0 2, Reynolds 0-1 1-2 1, Baker 0-1 0-0 0, Gilbert 0-0 0-1 0, Chapman 0-0 0-0 0, Total 38-70 16-20 92
Rebounding – Loyola 45 (Rouse 15, Hunter 10, Harkness 6, Miller 6, Egan 1, Wood 1), Bowling Green 38 (Thurmond 12, Chatman 8, Junior 5, Komives 3, Haley 1, Baker 1, Gilbert 1)
Attendance – 5,734
Officials – Tom Balaban and Al Viegel
Halftime score - Bowling Green 47-35
Stories about the game are linked below.
Sentinel-Tribune Pregame Story (Feb. 15, 1963)
Toledo Blade Pregame Story (Feb. 16, 1963)
Toledo Blade Game Story (Feb. 17, 1963)
Toledo Blade Feature (Feb. 17, 1963)
Sentinel-Tribune Game Story (Feb. 18, 1963)
The Greatest Game from RamblerMania.com
Anderson Arena Memories (May 26, 2010)
While the following clips are not necessarily from the BGSU vs. Loyola game, they are from the 1962-63 season.
** Special thanks to BGSU alums Grant Cummings and Tony Gaver for doing much of the legwork in uncovering the stories featured above and to Cummings for providing us with the video. **
Thurmond, who is also a BGSU Athletics Hall of Famer and Cast of Honor member, said this about the game:
“It was an unusual situation. The game had been scheduled a year or two in advance and all of a sudden, they turned out to the No. 2 team in the nation. That worked to our advantage because if they had been 20th or something like that, it wouldn't have been such a big game. But it was standing room only and I have never seen the arena like that. It was electric from the start. We had somebody at every position to handle their offensive threats. We played well and somewhere in the third quarter, I knew we could take them.”
Bob Dwors was a seldom-used sophomore on that team but would go on to average 23.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game two years later. He was inducted into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame as well. His recalled the game recently:
"There was little hope that I would see any action in this game, but because of the convincing thrashing the first team gave Loyola, when there was about three minutes left, (Coach) Andy emptied the bench and allowed Nate, Howard (Komives), Wavey (Junior) and the boys to get their due applause from the crowd. As I entered the court, they announced over the public address that Nate Thurmond and Jerry Harkness of Loyola had made the Coaches All American First Team. At that point we shook both of their hands and the excitement and applause continued for what seemed several minutes. Also don't forget Wavey Junior's breakaway dunk. That didn't happen often in those days, and I can assure you he took off from near the foul line ala Michael Jordan, long before it was fashionable."
GAME BOXSCORE
Loyola (75)
Harkness 9-16 3-6 21, Rouse 3-11 2-2 8, Hunter 9-16 6-9 24, Egan 3-13 4-6 10, Miller 5-14 2-3 12, Wood 0-0 0-0 0, Total 29-70 17-26 75
Bowling Green (92)
Junior 7-12 0-1 14, Chatman 4-12 3-3 11, Thurmond 11-18 2-3 24, Haley 3-5 2-2 8, Komives 12-19 8-8 32, Pepin 1-1 0-0 2, Reynolds 0-1 1-2 1, Baker 0-1 0-0 0, Gilbert 0-0 0-1 0, Chapman 0-0 0-0 0, Total 38-70 16-20 92
Rebounding – Loyola 45 (Rouse 15, Hunter 10, Harkness 6, Miller 6, Egan 1, Wood 1), Bowling Green 38 (Thurmond 12, Chatman 8, Junior 5, Komives 3, Haley 1, Baker 1, Gilbert 1)
Attendance – 5,734
Officials – Tom Balaban and Al Viegel
Halftime score - Bowling Green 47-35
Stories about the game are linked below.
Sentinel-Tribune Pregame Story (Feb. 15, 1963)
Toledo Blade Pregame Story (Feb. 16, 1963)
Toledo Blade Game Story (Feb. 17, 1963)
Toledo Blade Feature (Feb. 17, 1963)
Sentinel-Tribune Game Story (Feb. 18, 1963)
The Greatest Game from RamblerMania.com
Anderson Arena Memories (May 26, 2010)
While the following clips are not necessarily from the BGSU vs. Loyola game, they are from the 1962-63 season.
** Special thanks to BGSU alums Grant Cummings and Tony Gaver for doing much of the legwork in uncovering the stories featured above and to Cummings for providing us with the video. **
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