Semi-OT: Really Cool Find

[Stainmaster]

Last night, I was digging through some old storage bins in my parents’ house and found this. Apparently, my grandfather happened to be sharing a flight with the ‘63-64 team at some point during their season, and was able to bring this back for my dad and his brother.

The only names I recognized were Toby Kimball, Spider Hesford, and Dom Perno. Still awesome nonetheless.

 

[Fishy]

Whoa - that’s an amazing find.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

3/12/64 Eastern Airlines flight: Guess where the Huskies were flying for their NCAA tourney game with the devil?

 

[AZHuskiePop]

3/12/64 Eastern Airlines flight: Guess where the Huskies were flying for their NCAA tourney game with the devil?

We Played and beat Temple and Princeton in Philadelphia then got to go to Raleigh to play Duke great draw .
It was an Ugly game but a virtual Duke home game.
I listened to it on the
radio
They were better than us but not that much better.
Two things I’d like to change about that game
Make Wes eligible ( he was a freshman and would have been the 2nd best player on team ) and play them on a neutral court. Mullen was an AA maybe their first ever .
It was only the decade before that the ACC lead by UNC emerged as a power conference.
Big Ed Slomcenski was from Naugatuck a legit 7’0” who once scored 50 pts against
Maine.
Wasn’t Tommy Penders also on that team.
Being Tommy he might have been flying first class and missed the signing.
Spider played as a forward but was only 6’3 or 6’4”
He was long legged and also had long arms hence the name spider .
he was usually bloody after every game. Loved him as a player
Kimball was a handful and one of the best pure rebounders in school history
The following year in a tough NCAA loss to national ranked St Joes in Philly ( see a theme here) he had 26-27 rebounds.

 

[uconnfan68]

We Played and beat Temple and Princeton in Philadelphia then got to go to Raleigh to play Duke great draw .
It was an Ugly game but a virtual Duke home game.
I listened to it on the
radio
They were better than us but not that much better.
Two things I’d like to change about that game
Make Wes eligible ( he was a freshman and would have been the 2nd best player on team ) and play them on a neutral court. Mullen was an AA maybe their first ever .
It was only the decade before that the ACC lead by UNC emerged as a power conference.
Big Ed Slomcenski was from Naugatuck a legit 7’0” who once scored 50 pts against
Maine.
Wasn’t Tommy Penders also on that team.
Being Tommy he might have been flying first class and missed the signing.
Spider played as a forward but was only 6’3 or 6’4”
He was long legged and also had long arms hence the name spider .
he was usually bloody after every game. Loved him as a player
Kimball was a handful and one of the best pure rebounders in school history
The following year in a tough NCAA loss to national ranked St Joes in Philly ( see a theme here) he had 26-27 rebounds.

They were much better than we were. Kimball did ok, but Ed Slomcenski was a no-show. We had no match for Mullen either.

 

[gtcam]

What a great find - thanks for sharing

 

[UConnNick]

They were much better than we were. Kimball did ok, but Ed Slomcenski was a no-show. We had no match for Mullen either.

Yeah, we could have played that particular team on Mars and it wouldn't have made that much difference. It was 62-27 at halftime, and Vic Bubas, still pissed off at his former asst. Shabel for leaving the year before, ran the score up. Jeff Mullins scored 33 and their starters played most of the game.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Amazing find.
I clearly recall that as the first time ever being given a heads up that my team was undeniably outmatched. It made no sense to me because they had done so well, but my father nevertheless tried to soften the blow before the tip-off and, of course, was right.

In 1999, I entered the game with optimism and came out happy. My dad missed it by 2+ years; otherwise I might have been told to temper my expectations.

PS - In addition to Slomcenski, I'd put Ritter in the known name category, but for those with a few more years than I have, was there perhaps a Ron Ritter in addition to Al Ritter?

 

[RichZ]

Wasn’t Tommy Penders also on that team.
Being Tommy he might have been flying first class and missed the signing.

Tommy would have been a freshman. We both graduated HS in 63. Played a lot of pickup with/against him during the summers.

 

[uconnfan68]

Amazing find.
I clearly recall that as the first time ever being given a heads up that my team was undeniably outmatched. It made no sense to me because they had done so well, but my father nevertheless tried to soften the blow before the tip-off and, of course, was right.

In 1999, I entered the game with optimism and came out happy. My dad missed it by 2+ years; otherwise I might have been told to temper my expectations.

PS - In addition to Slomcenski, I'd put Ritter in the known name category, but for those with a few more years than I have, was there perhaps a Ron Ritter in addition to Al Ritter?

Della Sala, was a sharpshooter.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Della Sala, was a sharpshooter.

I thought he sounded familiar.
When were Hollowatty, Corley, and Hrubala? Just after this?

 

[Guapo]

Really amazing find.

1963–64 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team - Wikipedia

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Tommy would have been a freshman. We both graduated HS in 63. Played a lot of pickup with/against him during the summers.

Thanks for blowing my great theory of him flying FC
He replaced Perno ( their only senior ) at PG with Wes as the Shooting guard.
The 64-65 team was arguably one of if not the best pre Big East Uconn team , better than 63-64 .
They lost only to Virginia by 5-6 . I think is was a neutral court.
Holy Cross hammered us at home ( was that the Jack the Shot Foley team)
Then that heart breaker against St Joes. at Philly where Toby was a man .
Corley replaced Kimball the following year and we were Yankee conferences co-champs with RI but they got the NCAA bid because we had been there the previous two years.

 

[Guapo]

FYI this is not OT in any way, shape or form

 

[Palatine]

The legend says that Shabel told the team they had no chance before the game. Don't know if it is true or not, but if it was true, it is awful.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

Cool stuff...love the note paper...”fly with confidence “. Amazing that flying was so new that people had to be told the plane wouldn’t crash!

 

[uconnfan68]

I thought he sounded familiar.
When were Hollowatty, Corley, and Hrubala? Just after this?

I think Corley was 67, and Hrubala was 68. Holowaty was 64-65, I think. Earlier than the others. Thought he played with Wes and crew.

 

[uconnfan68]

Yeah, we could have played that particular team on Mars and it wouldn't have made that much difference. It was 62-27 at halftime, and Vic Bubas, still pissed off at his former asst. Shabel for leaving the year before, ran the score up. Jeff Mullins scored 33 and their starters played most of the game.

I’ve hated Duke ever since.