A TALE OF MAINE EAST
BASKETBALL CINDERELLA SEASON OF 1965 -1966
When a
fellow team member anonymously e-mailed
me out of the blue, I started thinking of the tapes,
photos and articles that I had saved over the years. I
remembered the positive times during March of 1966
as feelings of joy erupted for a short period during the
1966
Illinois State High School
Basketball Tournament
It ranks as one
of the top emotional highs of my life.As I
write about the Cinderella Team of 1965-66, it makes
me stop and think of the times, and the lessons learned, as I
was thrust into a future that never seemed to be what I
intended. These times had great impact in my life.
Why do most memories fade over time? And, why do some just
seem to linger, hanging as another reflectionwith vivid images
if it all happened just yesterday. Now over four
decades
later maybe this story can inspire some of you, if just for this
moment, to do your BEST... for this could rank as one of the all
time
joys of in your life.
T
he
next two games were against the sister Maine Schools with
outstanding records. Yet again familiarity bread an inner
confidence. We played with a lot of these players during
the summers. I new them as friends. Some I knew since 8th grade.
I knew we had the better team.
"The summer before the '66' season was spent a Hinkley
Field in Park Ridge playing under the lightr every night against
Maine South and Notre Dame players. Pete Mcguire of Notre
Dame became a familar opponent and friend as was Paul Wyman from
South. Paul and I played one on one all of the time and
that gave me confidence as you said about playing against these
teams. I knew that I could at least out jump any of these
guys. Once school started Glen Schawel and I would sneak out of
last period and play in South's gym against their players.
That did not last long once Coach Brothers found
out."
"Those Cinderella game endings were unbelievable. I also kept a
scorebook and I believe that after one game, the scorekeeper
came to me to double check what he had for his stats. I also
remember the roar being deafening. Great memories. I am amazed
that you remembered I went to all the basketball games. I always
wondered if anyone noticed, although I went because I loved the
sport."
Joann "Gambriella" Meyerhoff 2009
In
the first game, we played against Norte Dame.
Most of the players lived close since the Catholic High School
was located near Maine East. In fact, I had friends that
went to Notre Dame. They were familiar. At times, during
the summer, I played against some of them in pick up games at
the parks where the basketball players hung out. I wasn’t
afraid, I thought we were just as good.
"I got the tip in the second overtime and we stalled the
entire period until Glen took a last second shot that missed but
ran frome one side of the court to the other and got the ball to
take a spectacular turn around jump shot to win." Craig MacGregor
2009
At the end of the first regional playoff
game we beat the 20-1 Conference champs by 2 points (47-45.(
It was supposed to be our last ugly loss of the season.
He
never played for nearly half of the regular season. yet
this announcer 'Don' thought that he saw
Bob, warming up, for his final game.
Yet, Bob was not there. The memory was still in Don's mind
a year later because he couldn't forget the
1
966
Maine East Giant Killers
A year later the joy was a tale that was still alive.
The Year Before
THE LOST SEASON of
1964-65
We came from
"A losing tradition"
The
school split
2 times in 4 years, depleting many athletes from Maine East.
Many athletes from the Maine schools knew each other as we
played together, in the summers, at the parks, in Jr. High.
We gained the confidence then because all of the players from
the opposing schools became familiar. We knew the other
players’ strengths and weaknesses. They were not better.
They were just different. The new Maine schools, West and South
had entered new conferences and were able to compile outstanding
records. East was in one of the oldest and most
competitive conferences in the state,
the West
Suburban.
During
1964-65 Season
Hillary Rodman 'Clinton' was a senior at Maine South after her
first three years attending East. Steve Goodman was
hanging around the football locker rooms since he was one of the
managers.
"That
first year coach Brothers was as unsure as we were and with good
reason, only one returning letterman (Jerry Welk) and the yet
unknown great transfer player (Brian Nelson) was all he had to
count on in one of the best conferences in the state.
Losing in this conference was not the same as losing in many
other conferences. Two of the conferences top five scorers
(Welk and Nelson) could not make Maine as winner in '64-65 " Craig
MacGregor 2009
The team lost so many games that Coach
Brothers decided to bring myself and Greg Olson up from the
"frosh-soph" team to the varsity team during mid-season.
It was a long losing season. We ranked last in our
conference. Winning in the upcoming playoffs were slim. At the end of the 1964-65 season Maine
East lost to Saint Patrick's during the first regional game
of the
playoffs.Season's
Final Record
The
next season (1965-66) continued with a long string of losses and
a few token wins to keep up going. Bruce Brothers, the
infamous basketball coach of one year, was already having his
problems. A losing season brings out the parents.
“MING THE MERCILESS”, the name of Flash Gordon’s nemesis in the
futuristic series, was Bruce Brothers' nickname. It was
only used among the team members. Many times Mr. Brothers
would sit with his legs all contorted on the bench. His
hair cut was shaped with a “V” at the front of his head.
He was very thin with a 6’6” frame. He could have
been a yogi for all the ways he could twist. He looked
rather strange..
No one thought of him as....
the 6'6"
1952 all State, all
ISHA tournament team, leading Quincy High School to a
third and second place in 1951 and 1952 Illinois State
Championship Finals as Bruce Brothers lead all tournament scorers
with 91 points (22+ points per game.)
No one thought of him as...
setting school records scoring a 1,464 points during his career,
most points in a game (39), career records in field goals,
rebounds and free throws
At Quincy High School ,The years from 1949 to 1952 are
referred to as the "Bruce Brothers Era
"
"I
first became aware of high school basketball and the state
tournament when I watched Hebron/Quincy in the first televised
event in 1952. I still recall the Judson twins and Bruce
Brothers in that dramatic overtime game playing out on a small,
black-and-white screen with Jack Drees doing the play-by-play.The
best basketball players I've ever seen." byTaylor Bellon December 2, 2007 | Chicago
Sun time
And, too many awards to mention
University of Illinois Basketballs Team 1954-56
Team
MVP 1955
Honorable Mention All-America
1956
(ranked 2nd by AP on Feb.26
,1956)
University of Illinois Men's Basketball
All-Century Players
100
All-time Illinois Prep Basketball Players List
Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame
But,
most of us on the team did not respect him as a coach. He
was cold and hard. Bernie Brady, the most beloved coach
was at Maine South. He left East a few years earlier when
Maine South first opened as did many players.
Few knew of Bruce's acomplishments, and no one cared about
his past
st
of the season we followed Ming's rules and we lost most of the
time. The other teams would out play us at the end.
He always preached a controlled, slow game. We
lacked size, speed and quickness as well as the spontaneity when
we needed it. And of course, I didn't play much of the
season because of a knee injury. I dislocated my knee
while landing on the foot of opposing center 6’11” Larry
Rosenswieg. I used to play 'footsie' under the basket to
keep his large frame from leaping beyond my reach. This
time I lost. The Doctor said that I should stay out for
the season. Six weeks later still hobbling against the
Doctors orders and with pressure for the coach, I began to play.
Our season was bleak. Bruce Brother’s father just died and he
missed a few games.
Our record was
1-13
One game after another we lost. But
usually only by a few. Our coach controlled our every move,
Some times we looked robotic with programmed plays. We
seemed to over look the other teams strengths and weaknesses.
Maine hadn't won a conference home game since 1964.
The rest of the students at East called our coach “Lurch” after
the TV. character from the Adams Family.
“You Rang"
"Da da.. da da….
Click
Da
da.. da da…. Click Da da.. da da…. Da da.. da da…. Da
da.. da da… Click click"
I
remember the many wrestlers chanting this song in the showers as
their echoes filled the locker room. This was during
the times that I was rehabilitating my knee. There were
embarrassing long bus rides. There were few people at the
games. There were the coaches bad looks and constant
criticism. There were parents pressuring coaches for a
need to a least win something. Yet, I just loved to play
basketball and couldn't wait to get back. Our record at the end
of the regular season was 3 wins and 17 losses. The season was
just about to end as the state tournament began.
Yet there was a spark among the gloom and it was Coach
Zebos, always funny, taking it all with a grain of salt.
Assistant Coach Steve Zebos was very important influence on our
team, calming us down and encouraging us after losses and butt
chewings. He was always a comic relief
When someone beat you badly in practice,
"He peed on your leg"
"Listen to me, MacGregor and I will make you very average"
"There was a time when he had us all
play a whole practice game with are shoes tied together."
O
ne
time during a game time out, Steve Zebos aimed at the
scoreboard with a cap pistol that he took out of his pocket.
Then he aimed rather deliberately and took a shot., trying to
shoot down the scoreboard because we were so far behind in the
game.
"Pop Pop .". he said, " I'll shoot til that dam scoreboard
is down
Pop Pop Pop Pop"'
A twist of fate
bore
The Cinderella Basketball Team of '66
Bruce
Brothers had less influence now since we lost all year under his
rule. Before the game the players would huddle and to say
derogatory remarks about our coach that I wouldn’t want to
repeat. “==== Ming”. I remember how we all disliked him.
Our coach said we were too slow and too small to run and shoot.
I never believed him, And I know other players didn't believe
him either. Then all of a sudden the players began to have
a spark in their eyes. I remember the eyes of hunger The
responsibility to win was ours now. We had nothing to lose.
It was sudden death. The players became united and even
coach Brothers began to smile as his attitude changed. He
allowed for some spontaneity. The fear ended. I can
remember us all talking about feeding the hot handed player of
the night. We all had our game. I can also remember
listening and following the coaches directions about breaking
the press explicitly. We found the player in the zone that
night and found a way to win. We all stuck together. The
coaches, the players and the fans all became one unit of synergy
for a moment in time. We found the "Zone". The
synergistic zone resulted in winning. Our team became a
combination of controlled habits, unbridled recklessness and a
growing confidence that we were just as good. After many
years of practice with long hours of dedication since 7th
Grade, and we finally found the confidence gained from
familiarity. Added to the luck of the times, the team
became synergy, for the next 5 playoff games.
No other Maine East basketball team has ever advanced further in
the Illinois State Championship playoffs. since this time.
During
the second game of the playoffs the fans became alive with over
4000 attending. They came to watch because they believed
that we could win. I played with Ken Mueller of Maine West
in the summers and became friends. The game was close all the
way until the end. As usual, Maine East blew a 5 point
lead yet won only in the last few seconds with a free throw by
Mitch Adams. The coaches, the players and the fans
were all starting to believe that we could win. We won by
one. After the game my father sang his favorite song on a
clear day. He was happy too.
Then
we played the best of the run and shoot teams in the state with
“North Chicago” and ran and ran and ran. It was Coach
Brothers birthday. Some say it was the highest high he every
had, I know it was for me as I can still remember faking
out Johnny, out of his shorts, time after time and going
up for a shot on top of the key.
"A Total team effort with Greg playing
great defence, Bob scoring a ton, and the guards Mitch an Glen
doing a great job of press breaking." "Lots of spirit and fights
in the parking lot. Glen Thompson does a 360 in his
Mustang- loaded with ballplayers -on route 14 under the bridge
in Des Plaines".Craig
MacGregor 2009
nd
then finally it all had to come to the end. The
big 6'11" Rosenswieg beat us again. But as the coach says,
"we were even until the four quarter"
Bob, just thought of another funny thing that
happened near the end of the New Trier game. Rosensweig
was trying to dunk one on us at the end of the game and as he
drove toward the basket , I heard you yell "oh no you don't as
you grabbed and fouled him so that he could not dunk and
humiliate us."
Craig MacGregor 2009
Finally the string was broken,
and the
Cinderella team's life ended.
Yet, the joys of the moments live on
forever,in memories and emotions that rekindle from time to
time.
So cherish the moment!
It may be the one that rekindles the sparks,
of good memoriies that transend and influence a good
future for all
From 1966 to the
present day 2009
No other Maine East Basketball team has
gone as far in the
Illinois State High School Basketball
Tournament
Members of the team
Coaches:
Bruce Brothers,
Steve Zebos
Managers: Terry Baren Roy Dexter
Players: Bob Leesley, Greg "Ole" Olsen,
Craig Macgregor, Glen Schawel, Mitch Adams, Teddy
Moore, Stu Anderson, Stan Tarala, "Sky High Bill Krueger,Tom
Kruse, Steve Horn, Paul Jensen, Bob Scholle, Tom
Weeks, Phil Brown and and Joe Tiechman who was a team
member for part the season
Broadcasted by Ron
Roeberg and George Loechl on the WMTH
broadcast radio station.
Bruce Brother died at a young
age in 1986 and only lasted a few more years of coaching
Steve Zebos lives in Fla at 80 years old.
Bob
"ironwoodbob" last seen in Az and presently a devoting full time
to the Ironwoodbob Experience.
Craig and Greg
were last seen in Illlinois.
George Loechl, the voice of the Blue Demons, lives in Schaumburg, IL,
and works in technology marketing
Again
familiarity bread an inner confidence.
Tom Beck, Bill Murphy, Randy O'Hare, Jeff Reinke and Mark
Romness of Maine south were on my eighth grade team
The last game against Maine South was
something akin to Social Caste warfare. Just two years earlier,
Maine East’s student body was split with the inception of Maine
South, the progeny of Park Ridge commodity brokers and
pediatricians taking residency in their new digs a few miles
south of their former high school while the tool-and-dye maker’s
and route salesman’s kids from Niles, Morton Grove, and parts of
Glenview and unincorporated Des Plaines stay put in good-old
Maine East. The Maine South kids copped a ‘tude; the ’66
Maine East basketball team banged their heads on the concrete.
Woody Guthrie would have been proud.
George Loechl 2009
"East
team rallied at the very end with no time left., there was a
spark. At the end of the final regional game against Maine
South, East won by 1.
I became so overwhelmed with joy that I always remembered the
feelings of the times. All the years and summers of
practicing since 7th grade and now it came to a peak in a brief
time.
"I will never forget the scene-the crowd went crazy and
were jumping from the balcony to the seats on the first floor.
The M club football players were supposed to hold ropes aroung
the court to keep the students off the floor but instead as my
friend Wally Pollack later told me, lead the charge onto the
court. Bud Gatres was not happy but the students were
never happier. For me it was an unbelievable high and
vindication at the same time. The East teachers were even
in great moods on Monday"
