Galesburg vs Richwoods 1976

 

This series is a look back at the famous Galesburg vs Richwoods 1976 Regional Championship game as Mike Campbell, Scott Kelley, and Eric Doss share their memories. It will be broken up into five parts. 

PLEASE-PLEASE-PLEASE- Share any of your memories and your name in the comments at the end of the blog pages. 

CLICK HERE FOR PART I-  Galesburg vs Richwoods 1976- Part I The History

CLICK HERE FOR PART II-  Galesburg v Richwoods 1976- Part 2 1973-6

CLICK HERE FOR PART 3- Galesburg vs Richwoods 1976- Part 3 Regular Season

CLICK HERE FOR PART 4- Galesburg vs Richwoods 1976- Part 4 THE Game

CLICK HERE FOR PART 5- Galesburg vs Richwoods 1976- Reflections

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE GAME- Galesburg vs Richwoods 1976- The Actual Game

CLICK HERE TO WATCH MY ANALYSIS OF ACTUAL GAME- Galesburg vs Richwoods 1976- I Finally Watched the Game

PLEASE- PLEASE- PLEASE- SHARE YOUR MEMORIES AND NAME IN THE COMMENTS AT THE END OF EACH BLOG- THANKS!!

1976 Reunion- Old Stories About the ‘70’s

Here is a collection of Massey Basketball Blog posts that have been written about GHS & Galesburg in the ‘70’s.

Galesburg vs Richwoods 1976- Part V Reflections

Mike Campbell at Northwestern

Massey- I have enjoyed reading your memories and thoughts. I really appreciate your willingness to share the memories. Do you have any conclusions to share?

 

Campbell- It should be acknowledged that the events leading up to and during the 1976 Regional Final (and, in fact, all of our team and individual successes during the 1975-76 season) were made possible by the time, energy, and knowledge invested in us by individuals such as Coach John Thiel, who started us on a path toward being Streaks via his summer camps; Coach Bill and Coach Bob Morgan and Coach Barry Swanson, who got us involved in the open gyms where we learned how to play the game the right way; the former Streaks players (too numerous for me to mention without forgetting to name several of them) who played with and against us in those open gyms, modeling for us how to play and inspiring us to believe that we could one day be where they had been; a guy like Craig Johnson, whose backyard full court was the site of the many summer evening pick-up games where we developed our skills and built up our confidence and camaraderie; those teammates who, through the years, contributed to our development as players but then fell away completely or took on a less prominent role on the team, thus never getting to share the full impact of being a 1976 Silver Streak the way some of us did; our parents, who loved us unconditionally and supported us through the ups and downs of our high school years, including our basketball experiences; the rabid Galesburg fans (even those who occasionally booed us and me) and the very attentive Galesburg print and broadcast media (hey, where else can one get out of high school for part of a day to be on a local radio show (“Swick on Sports”)??); our assistant coaches, such as Coach Massey, who provided us with good scouting information and energetic practices; and Coach Mike Owens, who not only got the most out of an imperfect roster, but did so while modeling what it looked like to be a very good man and father, even while being a fierce competitor in the arena. I’ve had the opportunity to go around and thank several of these individuals over the past several years, and I’m happy that I did so.

Streaks Scrapbook- GHS Team Champions Thru The Years

Galesburg High School has a rich tradition in sports. For over 100 years Galesburg has been winning championships. This is a list of Silver Streaks teams in all sports who have:

- Finished in the top 5 in State

- Won Super-Sectional Championships

- Won Sectional Championships

- Made the football play-offs

- Been inducted into the GHS Athletic Hall of Fame 

- Won Districts/Regionals Championships

- Won Conference Championships

1970’s GHS- The Lasting Legacy of Patterson, Devore, and American Studies

 

In the early 1970’s, two Galesburg High School teachers came up with a plan to team teach a course combining U.S. History and American Literature. Joe Patterson was the English half of the team, and Hal Devore was the history half of the team. 

I had the good fortune to student-teach for Hal Devore in the Fall of 1973, so I had the opportunity to get an inside look at their plan and their approach. My role was more one of observation as opposed to being in front of the classroom. 

Massey Quiz #49- Galesburg HS Faculty- 1976

 

   

This week the Galesburg High School class of 1976 is celebrating their 50th Union. This week’s quiz challenges you to identify some of the faculty members from 1976. 

The answers are at the end of the quiz. Keep track of your score and read exactly what your score indicates. If you would like- share your score on the Facebook or Massey Blog under the comments. 

Streaks Scrapbook- Boys Basketball Thru The Decades

Key Events in Streaks History

1912- Streaks 2nd in State

1913- State Championship

1929- Gerald Phillips hired

1931- Streaks 3rd in State

1950- Gerald Phillips resigns

1955- John Thiel hired

1959- Streaks 3rd in State

1966- Streaks 2nd in State

1968- Streaks 2nd in State

1969- Western Big Six Conference formed

1972- IHSA goes to 2-classes in basketball

1972-3- Girls Basketball Started

1973- John Thiel resigns

1976- Streaks in Elite 8

1982-3 GHS becomes 4 year high school

1982-3 All JH sports were cut (some for 1 year, others longer)

1993- Wicall Gym built

1998- Streaks finish 2nd in State

2008- IHSA goes to 4-classes in basketball

2014- Kimbrough Fieldhouse built

This Week in Galesburg History (July 6, 2026)

 

“This Week in Galesburg History,” brought a new Knox coach, a traitor, a Silver Streak pioneer, and protestors on Henderson St. 

This is a look back at the history of Galesburg (and the world). What was going on 100 years ago, 75 years ago, 50 years ago, 25 years ago, and 10 years ago this week? 

“This Week in Galesburg History” appears every Monday morning on the WGIL website and  Massey Basketball Blog. 

1976 Galesburg HS Reflector- 50 Years Ago

This summer the GHS class of 1976 will be celebrating their 50th anniversary of graduating from GHS. 

Here is a collection of parts of the 1976 GHS Reflectors.

Galesburg vs Richwoods 1976- Part I The History

 THE STORY

If you are a Galesburg basketball fan, you know about the 1976 Galesburg vs Richwoods Regional Championship game. It had AP #1 and undefeated Richwoods Knights playing at AP #9 Galesburg Silver Streaks. Earlier in the year Richwoods won by 10 at Galesburg, and the year before Richwoods won by 52 in the Regional.

The full house at Galesburg, four All-State players, redemption of 52 points loss, beating undefeated #1 team, and OT game- movies can’t make this story up. Although in other seasons before and after Galesburg upset the #1 ranked team in Illinois, this game was the “greatest game” in Galesburg history. If you disagree, write your own blog.

 

Almost 50 years after the game, I have asked 3 of the senior Galesburg players about their memories of that season and that game- Eric Doss, Mike Campbell, and Scott Kelley. This story is written entirely from a Galesburg perspective- sharing memories and emotions they experienced as teenagers playing a sport they loved in a community obsessed with basketball.

 

Galesburg vs Richwoods 1976- Part IV The Game

 

Massey- This was before Hudl fim exchanges. If you were going to scout, you had to go to the games with a notepad and write down what you saw. During the regular season, Coach Owens usually had Coach Wright or me go to scout one game each weekend. One of us would scout on Fridays and the other on Saturday. Barry then acted as the main assistant on the benches during games.

The way it worked for me, Coach Owens usually told 3-4 things he wanted me to watch. I did not scout Richwoods many times, but I remember when I went he always had me watch who Holcomb guarded and how far he would go out on the floor. One of the times, I was supposed to write down every time Smith touched the ball, where he was when he caught it, and what he did. He wanted to watch to see if Smith left his feet to pass. It was obvious Coach Owens had a specific plan in mind and he wanted info to support his plan. He wanted Holcomb to have to go outside and guard Campbell or Kelley, and he wanted to put a smaller, quicker Carl Finley on Mark Smith to pressure him as a ball handler.

 

A great thing that year was that the Peoria schools played a lot of weekday games on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Mike Owens and Jimmie Carr went over to watch Richwoods many, many times. Recently Jimmie told me that each trip, he could tell Mike was more confident in the strategy he wanted to use.

 

Mark Smith

Doss- We saw them play a few times, and usually they were up 20-30 by half time. I don’t think they were challenged that often. Maybe Central and or Manual gave them a good game. We thought their guards were average and Holcomb wasn’t great offensively. Mark Smith, who was junior, was a very good scorer. (I think once the game started in the regionals, we found out their guards (Hohstadt and Dothard were very good and better than we thought, and that Cornelius was also solid.) Remember, Holcomb was 6’ 11” and Smith was 6’ 8” and both D1 players. So, all around, they were a great team and undefeated.

 

Kelley- Nothing specific comes to mind regarding the prep and scouting for the Richwoods game.  We had played them earlier in the year and twice the year before.  We had a pretty good idea of their players and how they played as a team.  My recollection is that it was pretty much business as usual leading up to the game.  Clearly there was excitement in the air leading up to the game.  We had to get by our first Regional game against Macomb.  And then played Richwoods a day or two later.  So we didn’t have a lot of time for prep and scouting reports.

1976- Campbell and Kelley Lead the Streaks to Elite 8

By 1976 Galesburg HS had built up a rich basketball tradition. Going back to the 1912 team that took 2nd in State and the 1913 team that came home as State Champs, the GHS Silver Streaks boys basketball teams were the pride of Galesburg. Every decade there from the ‘20’s thru the ‘60’s there were great Streaks teams for Galesburg to get excited about.

Galesburg vs Richwoods 1976- Part II 1973-1975

Massey- One of my first memories of the 1974-5 season was having a staff meeting at Coach Owen’s house in pre-season. We went into his basement he had a little office. Early in the meeting, Coach Owens went thru various organizational things- offense, defenses, practice. But his tone was matter of fact talking about the potential of the team to be good enough to go to State. He wasn’t talking about winning a conference title, he was talking about going to State. 

The IHSA allowed practices to start at the beginning of October at that time. I can remember how exciting it was to go onto the floor for the first practice as a coach. I know exactly where I was when Coach Owens started that first practice. For the next 50 years, almost all of them as a girls coach, I was always reminded of that first day when I looked at that spot.

 

Galesburg vs Richwoods 1976- Part III 1976 Regular Season

Massey- Do you have any memory going into your senior year what your goals were? Did you have a goal of being really good, but we can’t beat Richwoods? Or was beating Richwoods a goal? Or was it just, we can be better?

Doss- The first goal was to work hard and get into the starting lineup. We had 12 guys who could play! The guards were me, Mike Wilder, Carl Finley, Mark Mendez, Andy Hendricks, Jim Pogue, Barry Cheesman, and sometimes Rance Berry. I started most games, but coach started different combinations, kind of based on who was playing well at the time. Yes, beating Richwoods was a goal for the team. Mike Campbell took the roll as a leader and pushed everyone in practice. I can remember, “when you go, go hard.”

 

Streak Basketball Alums: Scott Kelley 1976

What was your favorite class (classes), favorite teacher (teachers)?

I had so many good teachers during my GHS years. Some of my favorites include Mrs. Dunn (sophomore year Geometry), Mr. Cochran (sophomore year Biology), Coach Bruington (sophomore year P.E.), Mr. Patterson and Mr. Devore (junior and senior year American Studies), Madame Shelly (junior and senior year French) and Miss Gates (senior year Calculus). Great teachers and great classmates made for an excellent academic experience at GHS.

Galesburg’s Time Capsule- This Week in History (April 6, 2026)

 

This is a look back at the history of Galesburg (and the world). What was going on 100 years ago, 75 years ago, 50 years ago, 25 years ago, and 10 years ago this week? 

Streaks Basketball Alum: Greg “Peach” Johnson 1975

What was your favorite class (classes), favorite teacher (teachers)?

I enjoyed Biology class with Mr Browning he made class very interesting! Second class I enjoyed was singing for Mr Hegg throughout my high school career and I really enjoyed drivers education with Mr Hickey & PE class was probably the most enjoyable with Mr. Fish!

This Week in Galesburg History (June 22)

 

“This Week in Galesburg History,” Galesburg is voted an ideal city, JC Penney’s is excited about the future at the Mall, and Stan Musial is indeed “Stan the Man.”

 This is a look back at the history of Galesburg (and the world). What was going on 100 years ago, 75 years ago, 50 years ago, 25 years ago, and 10 years ago this week? 

“This Week in Galesburg History” appears every Monday on the WGIL website and Massey Basketball Blog. 

Galesburg Basketball- Boys Individual Records

Career Most Points

1- Joey Range   2390   1998

2- Grant Gibson   1817   2015

3- Ethan Meeker   1768   2016

4- Byron Thierry   1369   1984

5- Jaylin McCants   1338   2020

6- Elmer Dickerson   1313   1991

7- Eric Johnson   1232   1983

1976 Peoria Superscectional- Galesburg vs Moline

I found the 1976 Peoria Supersectional Program in the IHSA files. The game was played at Roberstson Fieldhouse. 

On their way to an undefeated, WB6 championship, the Silver Streaks had beaten Moline twice during the regular season. Both games were nail biters. 

Galesburg won the first meeting 73-72, and the second meeting 69-66.