Streaks Scrapbook- 1963 Boys Basketball- Sweet 16

1963 Streaks Roster

Roster- The Streaks started the season with a roster of (Row 1) Marv Harris (soph), Roger Johnson (Senior), Rick Callahan (Junior), Roger Bates (Junior), Chuck Nelson (Senior), Van Smith (Senior), Gary Anderson (Senior).

Row 2- Bill Weaver (Junior), Jeff Eyre (Senior), John Geist (Senior), Mike McCreight (Junior), Mike Nocella (Senior), Gordon Rosine (Junior), Frank Dexter (Junior).

At the beginning of the 1962-3 season, Marv Harris was the only sophomore on the varsity. There were 7 seniors and 6 juniors on the initial varsity roster. 

Tourney Team- In 1963, the IHSA had a rule that a team could only dress 10 players for the State series. This was a tough rule for every coach in Illinois. Most squads had 12-15 players on their roster throughout the regular season. So players were on their roster the entire season but the IHSA rule forced coaches to “cut” players for the State series. 

With only ten players available, a competitive team like the Streaks needed to make sure that all 10 players were capable of fulfilling a role. Coach Thiel had a policy that was shared with the players at the beginning of each season. Players were told that if come tourney time two players were judged to be similar, Coach Thiel would place the youngest player on the tourney team. 

Tourney Roster- (Front Row)- Chuck Nelson (Senior), Roger Johnson (Senior), Frank Dexter (Junior), Rick Callahan (Junior), Dave Lindstrom (Soph), Bernie Cowan (Soph). (Back Row) Assistant Coach Frank, Mike Davis (Soph), Mike Nocella (Senior), Larry Doyle (Soph), Marv Harris (Soph), Coach Thiel.

The tourney roster was made up of 5 sophomores, 2 juniors, and 3 seniors. 

1963 Streaks Lineups

The 1962-3 season was a season in which Coach Thiel hunted and hunted for the right combination in his lineups. With other good Streaks teams, often the lineup was the same on opening night as it was for the State series. By my count, the Streaks had at least 6 different lineups throughout the season. 

Three players started the entire season- Roger Johnson, Frank Dexter, and Roger Callahan. 

Johnson was a senior jumping jack. At only 6’1”, he was the main post for the Streaks and jumped center. He was athletic and physical. At the beginning of the season, Roger Johnson was mentioned in publications as one of the top players in Illinois and also nationally. He would play at Purdue after his graduation. Johnson had many games where he scored over 25 points. 

Dexter was the third leading scorer for the Streaks, and was the leader in assists. As a guard, Thiel’s 2-1-2 offense gave him the freedom to operate. At 6’3”, he was a big, physical guard. Dexter averaged in double figures but had many games of over 17 points. 

Callahan spent most of the season as the high post and late in the season moved to the guard position some. Callahan is acknowledged by many to have changed the high post position in Thiel’s offense, turning it into a much more creative and offensive scoring position. His example led to the success at this position by Barry Swanson and Dave Wood in later years. Callahan set the school record for field goal percentage. Callahan was the second leading scorer, frequently scoring 20+ points. 

In the preseason right up, Coach Thiel proclaimed that the 1962-3 team had the potential to be the best fast break team of Galesburg since the 1957 team. Later in the season, Thiel declared that the 1963 team was “small in height but had big hearts.”

Game #1 vs Manual- Frank Dexter (Jr), Rick Callahan (Jr), Roger Johnson (Sr), Van Smith (Sr), Jeff Eyre (Sr). The Streaks lost to Manual. 

Game #2 vs Moline- The Streaks were 0-1 after losing to Manual in game #1. Frank Dexter (Jr), Rick Callahan (Jr), Roger Johnson (Sr), Jeff Eyre (Sr), Marv Harris (Soph) 

Game #9 vs. Kewanee - The Streaks were 5-3 and had lost back to back games vs. Blue Island Eisenhower and Quincy. Frank Dexter (Jr), Rick Callahan (Jr), Roger Johnson (Sr), Marv Harris (So), Mike Nocella (Sr)

Game #10 vs Chicago Carl Schurz- The Streaks were 6-3, and coming off win over Kewanee. Frank Dexter (Jr), Rick Callahan (Jr), Roger Johnson (Sr), Mike Nocella (Sr), Chuck Nelson (Sr)

Game #20 vs East Moline- The Streaks were 13-6. East Moline was ranked in the top 10. Frank Dexter (Jr), Rick Callahan (Jr), Roger Johnson (Sr), Mike Nocella (Sr), Mike Davis (So). The Streaks upset East Moline 65-60. 

Game #21 vs Limestone- The Streaks were 14-6. This was the last regular season game. The Streaks won with the lineup that they would use the rest of the way. Frank Dexter (Jr), Rick Callahan (Jr), Roger Johnson (Sr), Mike Davis (So), Marv Harris (So). The rest of the season, the first three off the bench were Mike Nocella, Chuck Nelson, and Dave Lundstrom. 

The Regular Season

The Streaks finished the regular season at 15-6. Galesburg lost the opening game to Peoria Manual. Their other losses that year were to Blue Island Eisenhower, state ranked Quincy, Sterling, state ranked Rock Island, and Naperville. 

The high lights of the regular season were wins over Pekin, Richwoods, state ranked East Moline, and Limestone. 

Illini Conference

The Illini Conference was made up of 7 schools- Galesburg, Kewanee, Canton, Limestone, Pekin, Richwoods, and East Peoria. It appears to have been a loosely organized league in basketball. Not everyone even played the same number of games. Everyone played everyone but some teams played each other twice. Galesburg played Kewanee and Canton twice. In 1962, Richwoods won the Illini Conference with an 8-1 and Galesburg was second at 7-1, losing the conference because they played one less game. 

In 1963, Galesburg was a perfect 8-0 to win the conference. Galesburg clinched the conference title in the last game of the regular season with a 74-68 win over Limestone. Limestone was coached by GHS grad and Bradley grad, Mike Owens. 

Tourney Run

Galesburg won the Regional with wins over Union, Bushnell-Prairie City, and Abingdon. 

Marv Harris and Mike Davis added to the line up game the Streaks a punch. In the last two games of the regular season and the tourney run, Davis averaged 13ppg and had one game of 27 points. Marv Harris averaged 9ppg, and had a 20 point game. In the meantime, Johnson, Dexter, and Callahan all had games scoring over 20 points- so the Streaks had the ability to get big nights from all five positions. 

The Sectional was held at Galesburg. In the first game, Galesburg beat Canton 67-56. This set up a rematch with Quincy. Quincy had been ranked in the top five in the state the entire year, and Coach Sherril Hanks had hopes of a state title. Galesburg had lost at Quincy 73-60 earlier in the year. 

The game was played in front of a turn away crowd of 3,500. Galesburg jumped out to a 20-17 first quarter lead but Quincy roared to a 35-30 lead. The Streaks came back in the beginning of the third quarter, and the game went back and forth from then on. 

Johnson scored 6 of the Streaks last 8 points, including two big free throws with only 11 seconds left. 

Frank Dexter finished with 22 points on 11 for 17 shooting, and 11 rebounds. Rick Callahan had 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Roger Johnson tallied 14 points and 8 rebounds. 

Galesburg vs Quincy at a packed Galesburg gym, 3 point game- one of the great games in Galesburg history. 

Train To Quincy

One can only imagine how disappointed Quincy was to host a Supersectional, and not be playing it, and having to watch Galesburg play in it. Galesburg was matched up vs. Springfield Lanphier.

Galesburg fans booked a special train to take them to Quincy. The train had 16 cars and 950 fans. When the train arrived in West Quincy, there were school buses to shuttle them to Quincy HS Gym. All of this for $8.50, and the option to by a $5 box lunch. 

Sadly the game was not as much of a bargain. The Streaks were blasted by Lanphier 91-67. And according to reports, Coach Thiel got a speeding ticket on the way back. 

Bright Future

With the infusion of Davis and Harris into the lineup, the Streaks won 7 in a row before losing to Lanphier. So the 1963-4 team would return starters Dexter, Callahan, Davis, and Harris. Plus have Dave Lundstrom, Bernie Cowan, and Larry Doyle who had come off the bench as sophomores. 

Galesburg had finished unranked in 1963, but had received votes. Unknown in 1963, but Cobden had also received votes in 1963.