One of the greatest teams in Galesburg basketball history was the 1966 Silver Streaks. The Streaks were coached by John Thiel, and led in scoring by Dale Kelley. Galesburg lost to Thornton in the State Championship game and finished 2nd in State.
The Silver Streaks started out the 1965-6 season at 6-0 ranked #1 in State. By Christmas, the Streaks were to lose their only two games of the regular season when they lost back to back to Chicago Marshall and Quincy. At that point, Coach John Thiel moved Barry Swanson from guard to the high post, where he averaged 15ppg the rest of the year. And Roland McDougall was inserted into the lineup as a great compliment to Dale Kelley in the back court.
During their tourney run, Galesburg had to play four teams ranked in the top 10- #1 Benton, #3 Thornton, #4 Belleville, and #5 Quincy. Benton, Belleville, and Thornton were back to back to back- in a 30 hour period.
Two of the most thrilling games came before the State Finals. The Streaks beat cross town rival Costa 78-64 at Bushnell-Prairie City in a packed gym. The gyms capacity is under 2,000 but the claim was that there were over 3,500 fans there. The number is doubtful but the obvious is that it was a HUGE crowd.
During the regular season, Galesburg lost to Quincy at Galesburg by 61-69. The Streaks avenged that game by winning the first round of the Sectional at Western Hall, Macomb over Quincy by 61-49. Anyone who knows basketball knows Dale Kelley was the star of the ‘66 team, but on this night Bob Jasperson came through with an incredible 14 points and 17 rebounds.
From the Sectional Championship thru the State Semi-Finals, Dale Kelley had an unbelievable four game run. Vs. Hamilton, Springfield, Benton, and Belleville, Kelley scored at a 33.8ppg clip. His dynamic offensive skills captured fans of Illinois and made the Streaks the popular team for fans throughout Illinois.
During the nine game tourney run, Kelley averaged 26.0ppg, 8.8 rpg, and made 87 of 101 free throws for 86%.
In a recent interview, Dale Kelley looked back on the ‘66 team and shared his perspective…
Dale Kelley saw it this way, “God gifted me with the ability to jump so I could shoot over a lot of people. I was right handed but my best move was going to my left and pulling up. You have to realize that Roland McDougald was the best player I ever played against in HS. We worked out together all summer. Roland was just a great passer, he had the ability to hit me with the ball right when I got open. He got the ball at the right place and at the right time.”
“Barry Swanson was an incredible leader, he was determined we would never lose. I got credit because I scored a lot of points, but our best all-around player was Bob Jasperson. He was a great defender for his height and a phenomenal rebounder. He allowed us to get out and run. The fast break was the #1 thing for us. That is where I got most of my points. Either I had the ball or Mac penetrated and hit me as a trailer.”
Not only did the Streaks basketball team take second in State, but Galesburg brought back two other State trophies. The Silver Streaks cheerleaders were awarded the State Championship for their performance at Champaign. That team was made up of Connie Norris, Becky Wood, Gail Zumwalt, Cathy Stone, and Arlene Carr.
In addition, Polly Gamble was selected the Elite Eight Queen. She was crowned by Jim Dawson, the captain of the University of Illinois basketball team.
I have included five sections below:
#1- Other blog article related to the ‘66 team.
#2- From the Galesburg Register-Mail, games accounts from the Regionals, Sectionals, Super-Sectionals, and State. It includes pre-game write ups, post game write ups, and more.
#3- From Tom Wilson’s Scrapbook- Tom was a Galesburg historian who love the Silver Streaks. His scrapbook has numerous clipping from the ‘66 tourney run.
#4- From the GHS Reflector (yearbook)- team pictures, write ups about the season, celebration pictures, and more.
#5- From the IHSA records- boxscores, brackets, and more from the Super-Sectional thru the State Finals.
Related Blog Articles on ‘66 Streaks
Galesburg Register-Mail Articles
Tom Wilson’s Scrapbook
IHSA Brackets, Boxscores, & more
Other Stories on the ‘66 Silver Streaks…
Classic- GHS vs Costa Regional Championship 1966
1966- Dale Kelley’s 52 o Point Game
Barry Swanson- Rivalries and 1966
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