Today in Sports in 1964
There was fascinating news in golf and college basketball in the newspapers on December 15, 1964
The Sports Time Traveler is taking virtual trips each day back to 1924, 1964 and 1974. I only report to you when there is something so compelling I just have to come back to 2024 and share it.
This morning is a rare day. There was not one, but three, short and absolutely fascinating stories:
Golf Magazine’s first ever All-America team of professional golfers
U.S. Open winner Ken Venturi’s complaint
The #1 and #2 college basketball teams playing head-to-head
Now I take you back to 1964 for each of these 3 short stories.
The First Ever Golf Magazine All-America Team of Professionals - December 15, 1964
Golf Magazine held a dinner last night in New York to honor the 8 golf professionals who were voted by the Golf Writers Association of America as the top golfers playing in America.
The golfers were selected based on their mastery of specific clubs.
Here is the list of All-Americans:
Driver - Jack Nicklaus
Fairway Woods - Gary Player
Long Irons - Arnold Palmer
Middle Irons - Bobby Nichols
Short Irons - Ken Venturi
Pitching Wedge - Tony Lema
Sand Wedge - Julius Boros
Putter - Billy Casper
Below is a picture of 5 of the 8 All-Americans:
It is noteworthy that one of the All-Americans is not American!
Gary Player is from South Africa.
NOTE from The Sports Time Traveler
I love this All-America team selection. I did a tiny bit of research and it appears that Golf Magazine stopped selecting this team in the mid-1980s. And the story of the team selection, which was big news in 1964, became less newsworthy each year afterwards until it was not even reported in newspapers after 1972. By the late 1980s the idea became superfluous as statistics took over as the arbiter of who was the best with each club.
Although I would argue that statistics still do not reveal who is truly the best with each club given that every hole is different, and playing under pressure in the final round of a major is very different than hitting a club in the first round of a full field event.
And now for our second story of the day.
Ken’s Complaint - December 15, 1964
In June, 1964, Ken Venturi won the U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, MD.
This was the last year the U.S. Open required players to tee it up for 36 holes on the final day.
The reason for the change was due to the fact that Ken Venturi had a near death experience on the course as he played despite doctors’ warnings that he was suffering from dehydration and was at imminent risk of suffering a heat stroke in the 100 degree weather. He played with a priest and a doctor following him on the course.
Venturi somehow managed to survive, finish the rounds, and win by 2 shots.
Now, 6 months later, Ken Venturi has been named to Golf Magazine’s first ever All-America team of professionals for his outstanding short iron play.
But Ken had a complaint that he registered at the award dinner last night in New York. He told Will Grimsley of the Associated Press, “I always thought - long before this year - that winning the U.S. Open was the major achievement in golf and that the man who grabs it should represent his country in an event like the Canada Cup.”
Venturi is referring to the international team competition held each year since 1953 that pits two-person teams from 30+ countries. This year’s team from the United States, which won the Canada Cup, consisted of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. Certainly almost anyone who follows golf here in 1964 would agree that Palmer and Nicklaus are the premier players in the world today.
NOTE - You can read about the 1964 Canada Cup in my latest article at this link: 1964 Canada Cup
But Ken has a good point. He went on to tell Grimsley, “Frankly, I was offended because I wasn’t chosen on the team this year. Bobby Nichols should have been equally upset.”
Venturi mentioned Bobby Nichols because he won the PGA Championship.
Venturi continued, “Nicklaus and Palmer were picked to represent the United States in the Canada Cup. Rightfully, the two positions should have gone to the Open and PGA champions. I thought this five years ago. I’ll think it next year when I many not win anything.”
While yesterday Ken complained about not being selected for the Canada Cup, here’s something he surely couldn’t have had any complaint. There was one more bit of golf news that came out yesterday.
Ken Venturi was named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year.
You can see the cover of the issue, featuring Ken Venturi, at this link:
1964 Sportsman of the Year - Cover of Sports Illustrated
And now for our final story of the day from 1964.
#1 & #2 college basketball teams play head-to-head in a buzzer beater - December 15, 1964
It was a normal day in college basketball yesterday where crazy things seem to always happen. Yesterday was no exception.
The day began with the announcement that Wichita was the new #1 team in the country.
Wichita (3 - 0) grabbed the top spot after #1 Michigan lost at Nebraska 74 - 73 on Saturday, December 12th.
Michigan had been in command of the game in Nebraska, leading 71 - 59 with 7:29 remaining in the game. They had been led by the talented Cazzie Russell who was the leading scorer in the game with 29.
But Nebraska stormed back and were down by just 1 point, at 73 - 72, when Cazzie Russell missed a free throw with 1:07 to play.
Nebraska rebounded the ball and went into a stall for the final shot to try and win the game.
NOTE from The Sports Time Traveler
In these days before the shot clock in college basketball, stalls were commonplace. Nebraska, an unranked team, felt their best bet to win the game was to keep the ball for the entire final minute and then take 1 shot to win it.
Now back to 1964.
Nebraska wound the clock down to a few seconds at which time their leading scorer, sophomore guard Fred Hare, took the final shot. It was a 15 footer.
He missed.
But somehow, Fred Hare, who must have been speedy like a hare, managed to grab his own rebound and he tipped the ball in at the buzzer for the shocking upset.
That buzzer beater knocked Michigan out of the top spot in the college poll today.
But Michigan would have an immediate chance to redeem themselves because last night they played against the new #1 team, Wichita in a game in Detroit.
It is rare that #1 and #2 play head-to-head during the regular season.
It is even rarer that they play head-to-head on the night in which they traded spots at the top of the rankings.
It was a true battle for #1.
The game was close the whole way. The Michigan Wolverines led by 2 at halftime, 44 - 42.
What was striking was that the game was so close given that Michigan’s star player, Cazzie Russell, had just 5 points at halftime.
But Cazzie came alive in the 2nd half with 23 points.
However, despite Russell’s torrential scoring, Wichita remained tough and the game was tied at 85 when Russell converted a free throw with 28 seconds to go.
Wichita now held the ball until there were 17 seconds remaining and called timeout.
When play resumed Wichita worked the ball to their All-American, Dave Stallworth, with 7 seconds to go.
Stallworth drove to the basket. But Cazzie Russell tipped the ball which bounced off Stallworth’s leg and went out of bounds.
Michigan now had possession. The Wolverines inbounded the ball from under their own basket with 4 seconds remaining.
The inbounds pass went to Michigan’s George Pomey. He immediately looked for Cazzie Russell and fed him the ball at mid-court.
Cazzie took 2 dribbles and leaped as he shot the ball from 30 feet out.
In the air the horn sounded to end the game.
And then the ball went through the net.
The Wolves had won it on a buzzer beater 87 - 85.
Bob Pille of the Detroit Free Press described the scene as Michigan won the game:
Another reporter from the Detroit Free Press, Joe Falls, was on the scene and reported this:
Michigan is once again the top team in college basketball.
Well that’s all for today.
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