The John Thiel era of the late 1950’s thru the early 1970’s was an exciting time in Galesburg. Boys basketball took over the community. Galesburg had just built a new high school, and a new gym. Everyone in town wanted season tickets to see their beloved Streaks play, and every boy in town wanted to play for John Thiel.
Barry Swanson grew up in the Thiel era. He was inspired by the teams of the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. He was able to live out the dream of playing for the Streaks in 1964, 1965, and 1966. It meant playing in front of a packed houses every night.
My first experience with Barry was when he returned to coach the “Ponies” (Soph Streaks) for the 1974-5 season. I was just out of college, and was his assistant on the 1975 team. I had fun living out my dream of being a coach, and realized how much I had to learn. It was fun and exciting, in part as our team went 22-0. Eventually I moved over and coached girls basketball, and Barry went onto become the Streaks varsity boys coach.
Barry Swanson has a unique perspective on Galesburg boys basketball. He grew up watching the Thiel teams of Bumpy Nixon, played for the Streaks in the 1960’s glory days, and then coached Galesburg. I appreciate he was willing to share some of his memories of these times. I am posting his responses into two different posts. The first post I ask him about growing up in Galesburg, playing in the 1960’s, Dale Kelley, John Thiel, the 1976 team, and teams of the 1980’s. Later I will post with the focus on the Galesburg, Pekin, and Quincy rivalries of the ‘60’s, and the 1966 season. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.
As a youngster growing up in Galesburg, what got you excited about playing basketball? What were the first Galesburg games you remember attending? Were there any teams or players who really inspired you?
Like many Galesburg little boys in the 50's and 60's, I was more interested in playing cowboys and Indians or fighting the battles of D-Day and Iwo Jima. I wasn't much interested in sports. I didn't even make a Little League baseball team until I was a twelve-year-old.
Point is, I had very little confidence as an athlete. I do recall watching the Illinois State Basketball tourney on the television with my parents for the first time. It was March of 1959. The Galesburg Silver Streaks were playing on a Friday night against the team from Herrin who was ranked #1 in the state. I was so into that game. Bumpy Nixon was our star. A pair of fantastic guards, Otis "Otie" Cowan and Jimmie Carr, and rugged, skilled forwards, Dave Cox, and Dick Nichols rounded out the starting five. Ralph Cannon (named the best 6th man in the state) came off the bench. After we won the game, I knew for sure we were going to be State Champs.
The next day I went to the Grove Theater with my best friend, Pete Nyman to see our usual Saturday afternoon triple feature. Instead of watching the movies, we went to the concession stand where a small, portable TV with "rabbit ears" was broadcasting the Galesburg vs. West Aurora game. Bill Small (I believe he later played for the U of I) had a great game for West and we lost. I was devastated, but right then and there, I knew I wanted to be a Streak, even more than being the next Audie Murphy (a Medal of Honor winner in WWII).
Sometime during the next week, I wandered down to a neighborhood court where some of my classmates were playing basketball. They invited me to play. I'm not sure if I had ever even picked up a basketball before then. I was terrible! A couple of the guys laughed at me because I was tall and awkward. I went home and asked my Dad if he would buy me a ball. He did and I began practicing the next day by throwing the ball up on the garage where I imagined a basket might be placed.
We moved that summer and I returned to the elementary school where I had begun in first grade, Silas Willard. Our neighbors had a lighted court and I practiced there continuously, rain, snow or shine. I also began playing in a program that Mr. Truman Stellah(?), an elementary PE teacher ran. He had us dribbling through chairs, passing, shooting and actually playing some full court. We played games on Saturday mornings at Steele gym and the two auxiliary gyms in the old high school downtown.
The new high school had been opened and, as a consequence, my Dad was able to purchase two season tickets to the boys' basketball games. Our seats were in row T, south balcony (the last row). We would stuff our coats on the window sills to keep out the winter chill. I only got to go to games when Mom let me take her ticket. Before the Regional Tournament, Bumpy Nixon was declared ineligible because he had turned 19 (an IHSA rule at the time). We got through the regional and sectional and then played DeKalb in the super-sectional at Rock Island's brand-new fieldhouse. My Uncle R.D. got tickets for the game. My Dad had to work, so my Mom and I got to go to the game. The gym was immense! Lincoln Nixon, Bumpy's brother, made two free throws to send the game into overtime. We won the game and were, once again, headed to State. That night the roads home to Galesburg were ice-packed and many of the fans spent the night in farmhouses. My uncle ignored the advice given over the PA on which road to take. He "took the one less traveled by", which made all the difference—lol. We made it home, and by now I was really hooked.
My friends and I watched in disbelief on a Friday afternoon, when the Streaks were defeated in the quarterfinal game by West Frankfurt. They wore black T-shirt type jerseys and black high tops. Not cool uniforms like our Silver Streaks. We lost by one point and our hopes for a state championship were once again dashed.
Somewhere around that time, my Uncle Jim, took me to a Bradley game. There, I watched Mike Owens and Chet Walker play. They were also on TV when they played in the NIT. I loved how Mike hustled and how hard-nosed he was guarding the great Oscar Robertson. Although I never saw Mike actually play in high school, he soon became my favorite player. Who knew that someday I would get to coach beside him? I also loved going to those games in the early 60's with my Dad and watching players Ralph Cannon, Ed Havens, Jeff Sandburg, Gary Bruington, Gary Tucker, Roger Johnson, Rick Callahan, Frank Dexter and Mike Davis to name just a few.
By seventh grade, I joined a YMCA league and was also chosen to play on a traveling All-Star team. We were the only team to go into the Peoria and beat their All-Star team. We played in a cracker box gym and the baskets were not regulation (maybe 9 feet). I felt like a giant.
In the spring of 7th grade, Coach Swise, the Churchill 9th grade coach, came into my English class and asked the teacher if he could talk to me. He took me out into the hall and told me to report to the gym after school. He wanted me to start practicing with the 8th grade team. I got my first taste of "real" competition against the older guys that day. They took no mercy on me, but I learned a lot.
The next year I was on a horrible 8th grade team at Churchill Junior High. Mr. Edwards, the football coach, was our coach. I think we won 5 games, and, by that time, I had figured out I hated to lose. When 9th grade rolled around, a new coach was named to coach our team, Mr. Bob Morgan. He was young, had a cool crew-cut, and gorgeous wife. It was clear to us from the start, he knew the game (even though his 'go to' shot was a two-handed set shot). We played all the time. He even got into trouble some for opening the gym on Sundays. Our team was successful by most standards. We lost a road game to Canton and three times to Lombard. The Zephyrs had a big, strong fella named Gary Autmon (sp?) and a quick guard named Dale Hollowell. Dale made a winning basket in one of those three games we lost to our cross-town rival. Those loses were devastating, but we learned a lot from Coach Bob. He made certain we understood the Galesburg system handed down from Coach John Thiel. The same man who asked me to be a member of the 1963-64 Varsity boys' basketball team.
Rick Callahan was a senior on that team and became like a mentor/big brother to me. We went to the same church and were members of a Fellowship Youth Group on Sunday nights. He was the Homecoming King and star of the 1963-64 team (more on that later). He took me under his wing and told me to make basketball work for me, not vice-versa. He remained a good friend throughout the years and we corresponded during my coaching years. He was Eric Johnson's uncle. He lived in Colorado where he was an attorney, a youth coach, and Chauncy Billups's mentor. Rick was an inspiration to me until the day he prematurely passed away. There remains a Rick Callahan Foundation in Denver that continues to help young people. We lost him too soon.
In the 1960's Thiel Gym had an electric atmosphere. What are the little things that added up to making a Streaks game in Thiel Gym a special place?
It's hard for me to believe that our warm-up routine was actually intimidating to opponents, but, apparently, that was the case. We came out and did a passing drill that was like a star drill and then split into two lay-up lines with a player stationed at the FT line. We passed to him and then cut off of him. It was called the 50-50 drill. The guy in the middle (a coveted position) would wrap the ball around his waist a few times, or between his legs (a pre-cursor to the ball handling drills we would later adopt). Then the man with the ball would hit one of the cutters with the ball for the lay-up. Guys who really got good at this (Davey Lundstrom and Roland McDougal were two of the best I ever saw) could drop the ball behind them and kick it to the cutter with the back of his foot. This was all done while the band played Sweet Georgia Brown, a nod to the Harlem Globetrotters who had perfected the fancy dribbling and behind-the-back passing that became their trademark.
I suppose what was most intimidating to opponents was that the gym was packed for nearly every game. Back then, it was a social occasion. Folks dressed up in their "Sunday Go To Meeting" clothes and were led in cheers by the finest cheerleaders in the state. Needless to say, the fans were rather biased and not afraid to let officials know if they missed a call that went against the home team.
We also had the "coolest" uniforms. A big silver streak emblazoned on the jersey, black target socks with white and gold stripes, and our names were embroidered on the back of the jersey.
Finally, the Pep Band was the best. They could get the place rockin' with The William Tell Overture and "Hi-Ho Silver Away". Some of those traditions remain along with the colorful Gadets and their Pom-poms. A great atmosphere to sprint out into.
As a little kid, it was "electrifying". When people rose for the William Tell Overture, I would actually get goosebumps and then yell out "Hi-Ho Silver Away" at the top of my lungs.
It seems to me that when folks talk about the all-time great players in Galesburg history, the three names always mentioned are Joey Range, Dale Kelley, and Bumpy Nixon. I am not going to ask your thoughts, rather ask you about your teammate, Dale Kelley. Physically and mentally what made Dale such a great player? If you had the three-point arc, his numbers would have been off the charts.
First of all, I appreciate you not asking me to rate those three GREAT players. Each one was unique. I played side by side with Dale, who to this day remains one of my best friends. We talk or text on a frequent basis. I am so proud of Joey, who I coached for two years. He has become a prominent citizen in Galesburg working with the youth and supporting the Streaks. He is a wonderful family man. I never knew Bumpy and only saw him play on film, but he was a physical specimen for his time (maybe even for today). He could score, rebound, defend and handle the ball. That 1958-59 team would have won the championship if Bill Small hadn't had a career game. If Bumpy had been eligible the next year (the IHSA came up with the rule just to keep him from participating) we would probably have gone back to back. Speculation, of course and biased at that. Those three were different types of players. Dale was a pure shooter and scorer, Joey a slasher, like Jordan and Bumpy was a powerful inside presence.
I think Byron Thierry should be in that conversation. He was a pure guard that could pass, score and defend, and Eric Johnson was a scoring machine. What a starting five that would be! We have been blessed with great players through the years that's for sure, but Dale was special. At 5'10" he jumped over people. Not sure what his vertical was, but if you look at the pictures, I would guess it might be 40+ inches. He was a deadly free throw shooter and great finisher at the basket. As the high postman in our offense (what Coach Thiel called the "pro" offense, a 2-1-2) one of my jobs was to set screens for Dale and Mac at the top of the key. If Dale missed (which wasn't often) he would track down the rebound and put it back in. He had an uncanny knack for doing that.
Some might say Dale was not our best player when we were sophomores. I certainly scored more points, and Bob was a far better defender and rebounder than either of us. But Dale's development between our sophomore and junior year was all about dedication and grit. He told me he shot 1000 shots a day at a little court close to his house (later named Dale Kelley court). His Mom (Catherine) and Dad (Wallace Kelley) were demanding. Dale was expected to do well in whatever he tried, including school work. Mr. Kelley adopted Dale before we were sophomores and hence, the name change. Although physically gifted, Dale's mental toughness was unlike anyone else's I have ever personally seen on the court. He was a lot like Jordan (who was 3 years old at the time). Bob was next in terms of mental toughness. Dale hated to lose at anything—a hard-nosed competitor. He was then and still is a devout Christian. He also told me just recently, he never felt discriminated against while living in Galesburg. Having Mac at his side made us nearly unstoppable. Dale was a scorer and was a good ball handler, but Mac was exceptional. He got the ball to all of us. Coach Thiel once said he wished we had 5 balls-ha! Our team scored over 100 points on a few occasions and that was without the 3-point arc. Hard telling how many Dale would have scored with that because most of his jumpers were beyond the top of the key. The best thing I can say about Dale is this. He is truly like a brother to me, one of the finest men I have ever known.
When we coached together, I always enjoyed your conversations about playing for John Thiel. I realize it was not just one thing, or even a couple things that made Thiel successful. But could you share some anecdotes that you feel capture what made Thiel unique and successful?
He was highly intelligent and a hard worker. Having played a season with the St. Louis Hawks (he was Bob Petit's roommate), Coach had our respect. He also had a great sense of humor and could be a bit sarcastic at times. He let us play. We weren't hog-tied with plays. It wasn't necessarily "playground" basketball, but we loved to fast-break (he called it the "control break"). He taught us the fundamentals and expected us to execute. He was a competitor—in everything he did. Some of his one-one battles with Dale, me, Zack, and others are legendary. He loved taking us over to a side basket and kicking our butts, until the day came when it wasn't quite so easy. A game that was supposed to be to 5 baskets went to 10 or 15 or 20, while the rest of the team warmed up. This intense competitive spirit was passed along to all of us. He would also scrimmage with us, so he knew our strengths and weaknesses. He was a terrific scout. He could analyze a team and zero in on what we needed to do to beat them. He believed in treating us like we were pros; shoes, practice gear, uniforms, travel blazers, charter busses, team meals after road games. He wanted us to feel special and we did.
Later, in his career, he became a bit more adaptable. He had been purely a man to man defensive coach, but our team employed some zone defense and zone pressing. He was a master psychologist, with us and with the officials. Truth is we loved him, but we were also afraid of him. We also never questioned his decisions, nor did our parents. That would have been unheard of.
I got to know Coach on a personal basis when I did play by play on WGIL for his last season. Some of those personal stories remain private, and gave me some insights into who he was as a person. He is a legend for a reason and was a great friend for who I had and still have the utmost respect. I corresponded with him on a few occasions both before and after I became the head coach. He was happy to help me however he could. His advice was honest, supportive and much appreciated.
We were both on Mike Owens staff in 1976 when the Streaks upset Richwood in the Regional championship. In 1975, we lost in the Regional championship game by 50 some points. Basically, the two teams brought back the same teams. I was scouting that night with Don Wright, so even today, I have never seen the game. How did Galesburg go from losing by 50 to beating the undefeated #1 ranked team in the State (maybe the USA)? What did they do in that year, and that night? Is it the biggest game you have ever seen in Thiel Gym?
Mike's pre-game was the shortest I have ever heard. Something like, "You guys know what to do, now just go out and do it." He really had confidence in those guys and they responded. He walked out the door and there I was standing in front of the team. I had coached most of them and played against them in the summer or on Sundays when we went over to Churchill and played. I had a couple of them in class at Lombard. They all knew the criticism that Mike had endured, as had most of them. They also knew how much Mike cared about them. I think I said something like that to them, and they definitely had revenge in their hearts. It was a great team effort. Of course, Mike Campbell and Scott Kelley were magnificent going up against Derek Holcomb and Mark Smith. The game went to overtime (I actually thought we lost when they stole the ball at the end of regulation and made a basket, but it was only tied.) We won in overtime. I think it was the biggest upset in our gym ever, at least with the most on the line. The juniors on that team were our 22-0 team and contributed whereas they had not played to such an extent the previous year. Eric Doss hurt his knee in the game the year before and he was a glue factor. I hesitate to list the other team members, and do not have a roster in front of me, but I recall Rance Berry, Mike Wilder, Jay Stone, Carl Finley, Rollie Williams, Mark Mendez, Barry Cheesman, Andy Hendricks, Bill Dwyer, all Mark Brown, to name just a few, who all made contributions in that memorable run to Champaign where we lost in the quarterfinals to Morgan Park and Levi Cobb (U of Illinois) who went on to win the title. (I believe Dick Lindstrom has a copy of the tape, if you want to watch the game).
As coaches, we know come tourney time that the ball can take weird bounces. You had some great teams in the 1980's and 90's that played some legendary thrillers. During that run, are there some games or performances that still bring a smile to your face when you think about them? In general terms, what do you hope people remember about your teams when they reflect on them?
Wow! There were so many great games against some legendary teams and coaches. Our battles with Quincy, Rock Island, Moline, Alleman, and UTHS in the Big Six conference were always tough. Lincoln at ISU, Peoria Manual, Richwoods, and Central, Marshall, Chicago Phillips, East and West Aurora, Thornton, Thornridge, Chicago King, Weber, Westchester St. Joe, Collinsville, Edwardsville, Pekin, Sterling, Geneseo. Coaches Van Syoc, Leggett, Reid, Talley, Morris, Hammerton, Buescher, Wallace, Pingatore, Snyder, Harrington, Bedford, Cox, Bone, Kiss—most who are in the IHSA Basketball Hall of Fame (I am not-ha!)
I find it hard to pick out a few games, but there were some thrilling victories and some heart-breaking losses.
Wins
1979-80. Beat Quincy. They were ranked #2 in the state, undefeated? Maybe.
1982-83. Broke Quincy's 64 home game win streak to tie for Big Six Title
1982-83. Mike Yeager made two free throws at Richwoods to win with no time on
Clock. Schmidt and Duncan worked the game and made the foul call—gutsy!
1983-84. Beat Morton 99-92 in 7 overtimes (third most in IHSA history)
All the championship games at the Illinois State Classic from 1979-84 (4 titles)
1989-90. Beat Rock Island in OT at Wharton Fieldhouse to advance to Sectional Title
Game. They were undefeated or maybe had one loss, ranked #2 in the State. We had a
losing record. A great team win with Jason Shay and Elmer Dickerson leading the way.
1993-94 Beat Richwoods for Regional Title, and Peoria Central in First Round Sectional game
1995-96 Beat Moline for Regional Title
We had some great wins over quality schools that had either won the State Championship or played in the State Tournament (see above).
Losses
We lost our share of heart-breakers. Here are a few that come to mind.
1979-80 Richwoods in Regional final at Richwoods
1980-81 IVC Sectional Final
1981-82 Peoria Manual Sectional First Round
1982-83 Richwoods in OT, Regional Final
1983-84 Richwoods, Regional Final
1979-80 Sterling, Sectional Final
1990-91 Peoria Central, Regional Final
1993-94 Peoria Manual (eventual State Champion), Sectional Final
1995-96 Freeport (my last game as Streaks coach), First Round Sectional
I believe most of my players respected what we were trying to do, but John Thiel cast a long shadow. I regret we never made it to State. We came close a few times, but it never happened. There could have been a million excuses; injuries, a tough route through Peoria, a missed free throw here and there, a shot that didn't fall, but I honestly think we all did our best. Our teams were dedicated in the off-season, which got to be crazy (we probably played more games in the summer than during the season). We won regionals, first round sectional games, but never got to the sweet sixteen. We won the Illinois State Classic 4 out of 5 years during my first Varsity coaching stint and came close twice the second time around losing in the championship game. We got third in Collinsville losing in the semis to Richard Keene (University of Illinois) and the home team.
I hope people will say our teams always played hard and were competitive. There were very few games in my 17 years (12 Varsity and 5 sophomore) where we were not in the game. We played in a tough league against some legendary teams, and we had a few ourselves. I did my best and only wanted to win. I always played the players that I thought could do that the best and that played the best together. I had great assistant coaches who felt the same way. I loved my guys, but I know I was also demanding, and maybe too competitive sometimes. I should have kept my coat on more, and lost my temper less.
You had the rare opportunity to play on championship teams at GHS, and then come back and coach championship teams at GHS. I think every young coach dreams of going back to their high school. How special was that for you?
It was an honor to coach at GHS. I am so proud of the young men I had the privilege to coach. I loved to teach the game. I loved the games. I loved my players and coaches, but I did not love the periphery that surrounded many of those years. There were, to be honest, some tough times; threatening letters and obscene phone calls. Gail, who was a rock during my entire career, was even assaulted by one of our own fans. Most fans and parents were supportive, but there were also critical fans and parents. That was a given with the job, and I wish I had had a tougher skin. After all, even the legendary John Thiel was hung in effigy.
In the end, there were many factors that led to my "retirement". I still regret not being able to coach Matt during his senior year, but pursuing my doctorate and leaving Galesburg was the right decision for me and our family. I was pleased that the Streaks did finally make it to the State Tournament in 1998. It was the culmination of a dream I had for our program and I was proud to see our players bring home their own second-place trophy.
I will always remember with great affection my time as a player and, for the most part, as a coach. I am thankful for the great assistant coaches who helped build our program: Brannon, Jaskowski, Peck, Hensel, Bunch, Wagher, Mudrock, Sigel, Reed, Gonzalez, Buescher, Kelly, Mason, Morgan, Erickson, Cheesman and Hellenthal to name just a few. Seeing guys like you, Thom Sigel, Mark Makeever, Casey Piggee, Jason Shay, Ryan Hellenthal and others go on to have success as coaches gives me some degree of satisfaction knowing, if nothing else, all of them may have learned a few things while sitting beside me or playing for me. Hopefully, what they, and the rest of the young people I coached or taught over the years, learned contained more good than bad.
Coach Dean Smith once told me, "The mark of a good coach, Barry, is what type of person your players become twenty years after they've graduated." If that is the case, then I guess I was a great coach because most of the players I coached are today outstanding men. I realize that I was not solely responsible for that, most had wonderful parents and other mentors, as well. But, I would like to think I had a small part in their development.
I remember sitting around in a hotel suite at the end of a clinic held at Bradley University in Peoria. Ron Ferguson was the Bradley Athletic Director at the time. He was a good friend of Coach Thiel's. He took me up to a hospitality room where we sat around and listened to Jim Valvano, Jerry Tarkanian, and Andy Landers, Women's Coach at Georgia. They swapped stories, but mostly Coach V "held court". I don't remember the year or where V was coaching then. I had been with Coach Thiel in Champaign during his final year and attended a similar "round table" with Coaches Hanks, Kivisto and other Hall of Fame coaches. In both cases, beverages and stories flowed in abundance, but V was much like Coach Thiel—a great story teller. In both cases, I just listened and took it in. But that night in Peoria, as everyone was calling it a night, I walked out with V and said, "Can I ask you a question?"
He smiled, and said, "Sure".
"What advice would you give to a young coach like me? I mean what should I do to be really successful?" I asked, hoping he wouldn't make fun of me.
It wasn't the "laugh, cry, think" line he gave later at the Espys, but he did tell me this, "Have a goal, work your ass off and go after it because you love what you're doing. But be yourself. Don't ever try to be someone you're not. Just go out there and do your best. And good luck, Coach. We can all use a little bit of that." He laughed and was gone.
I have tried to follow V's advice. I am so grateful for your questions and having the opportunity to walk down memory lane, and to, at one time, have been called Coach. Most of my players still do.
During my last lecture as a professor at Knox College, I quoted Sydney Cox, Robert Frost's biographer who wrote, "We're after ultimates, but we have to content ourselves with individual composings in the main." I told my students they were my composings. I will stand on that. My children and grandchildren, my students, my players, managers, statisticians, and assistants are all individual composings to me. I may have had only a small part in each of their composings, but each one, to me, is special, more than any trophy or plaque on a gym wall. They remain my ultimate.
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