Friday Fotos- Great Rivals, Great Gyms, Great Quiz

There are some great gyms in Western Illinois- I have a quiz for you about these gyms. Can you pass the test at the end!!

Canton HS

Galesburg HS

Moline HS

Pekin HS

Quincy HS

Rock Island HS

UTHS HS

There are a lot of good gyms in Western Illinois, and a lot of great basketball programs. I have been looking at Galesburg basketball in the 1950’s, and will be turning the corner into the 1960’s next. For this blog post, I am looking at these 7 gyms. These were Galesburg’s rivals in the 1950’s and 1960’s. I am going to challenge you with a quiz. 

Question #1- Which are the three oldest gyms?

Question #2- Which are the 2 newest gyms?

Question #3- Which gym is named for a woman?

Question #4- Which gyms are named for former coaches?

Question #5- In 1950 (before many of these gyms), which 3 schools had the largest gyms?

Question #6- In 1960 when Rocky FH was first built, which gym held more people- Moline’s Wharton FH or Rocky FH?

Question #7- Which of these gyms holds more people today than it did when it was built. 

Question #8- Some claim Rocky FH was the “House that Don Nelson built.” How many seasons did Don Nelson play at the Rocky FH?

Question #9- Which of these gyms is the smallest in capacity today. 

Question #10- Which of these schools have won a boys basketball State Championship?

Question #11- What player played for the home team in two of these schools opening night for their gym. 

Answer #1- Moline 1928, Canton 1930, Quincy 1957

Answer #2- Pekin 1964, UTHS 1960

Answer #3- Canton- Alice Ingersoll, philanthropist

Answer #4- Pekin- Dawdie Hawkins, Galeburg- John Thiel

Answer #5- Moline’s Wharton FH (6,000-7,200), Canton’s Alice Ingersoll Gym (3,000), Galesburg’s Steele Gym (2600-2800)

Answer #6- That is a great question. If you ask Moline, they would say Moline 7,250 to 6,400. When Rock Island built their field house, the one stipulation of the Supt was it have at least one more seat than Moline. So Rocky would claim at one time they had 6,400 to Moline 6,000. In the 1950’s, several news accounts say a Galesburg game was a sell out and the attendance was 6,000. Today with remodeling all the gyms hold less than they did in 1965, so Wharton is easily the largest. 

Answer #7- Probably none of them. The only ones that might hold just as many today might be Wharton and Alice Ingersoll.

Answer #8- None.

Answer #9- Galesburg’s John Thiel Gym has gone from 3,600 to 2,350. 

Answer #10- Galesburg- 1913, Canton 1928, Quincy- 1934, 1981, Pekin 1964, 1967, Rock Island 2011, Moline 2023.

Answer #11- Bumpy Nixon started for Quincy as sophomore when Quincy opened their gym on Dec. 30, 1957. Bumpy then started for Galesburg as a senior when Galesburg opened their gym in 1959. 

Years each gym built/ Seating Capacity of gyms in 1965

Moline- 1928, 7,250

Rock Island- 1959, 6,400

UTHS- 1960, 5,280

Pekin- 1964, 4,100

Quincy- 1957, 3,900

Galesburg- 1959, 3,600

Canton- 1930, 3,000

This Sunday- “Streaks Scrapbook”- 1960 Galesburg’s New Gym.