1961–62 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team

American college basketball season

1961–62 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball
1962 NCAA Tournament, Sweet Sixteen
ConferenceIndependent
Record21–5
Head coach
  • Red McManus
Home arenaOmaha Civic Auditorium
Seasons
← 1960–61
1962–63 →

The 1961–62 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team represented Creighton University during the 1961–62 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bluejays, led by third year head coach John J. 'Red' McManus, played their home games at the Omaha Civic Auditorium. They finished the season 21-5. The Creighton Bluejays earned a bid into the 1962 NCAA Tournament where they defeated Memphis State in the Midwest Region Quarterfinals round before falling in the Midwest Region Semifinals to the #2 ranked, and eventual 1962 National Champion, Cincinnati Bearcats. The Bluejays defeated Texas Tech in the Midwest Region Third Place game.[1]

Before the season started, Red appeared before the Quarterback Club in Omaha and with his first words stated that Creighton was going to a post season tournament. A majority of the people felt that McManus had a fatal case of over-optimism. The previous year's 8-17 record was far from good. McManus worked tirelessly to turn Creighton into a basketball power. He utilized sharp recruiting and tough coaching to put the Bluejays back on the road to fame. The hard work paid off. Sophomore Paul Silas would blossom into a force in the middle, leading the nation in rebounding for the 1961–62 and 1962-63 seasons.[2]

Roster

Number Name Position Height Weight Year Hometown
21 Herb Millard Senior
22 Santos Jimenez
23 Pete McManamon
24 Chuck Officer Guard 6-2 175 Junior Moline, Illinois
25 Harry Forehand
31 John Callaghan
32 Tom Dowling
33 Larry Wagner
35 Paul Silas Center 6-7 220 Sophomore Oakland, California
41 Carl Silvestrini
42 Jim Swassing
43 Bob Eickholt
45 Jim Bakos Sophomore East Chicago, Indiana
52 Mike Lynch

[3]

Schedule

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular Season
12/01/1961
 Colorado College W 85-51  1–0
 Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
Omaha, Nebraska
12/09/1961
 Notre Dame W 73-71  2–0
 Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
Omaha, Nebraska
12/12/1961
 at Illinois L 61-70  2-1
 Huff Hall (-)
Champaign, Illinois
12/14/1961
 Denver W 60-59  3–1
 Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
Omaha, Nebraska
12/16/1961
 at Northwestern L 56-59  3-2
 McGaw Memorial Hall (-)
Evanston, Illinois
12/18/1961
 Gonzaga W 82-77  4–2
 Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
Omaha, Nebraska
12/19/1961
 at South Dakota W 85-59  5–2
  (-)
Vermillion, South Dakota
12/20/1961
 UCLA W 74-72  6–2
 Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
Omaha, Nebraska
12/21/1961
 Rice W 91-57  7–2
 Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
Omaha, Nebraska
12/29/1961
 Princeton W 63-54  8-2
 Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
Omaha, Nebraska
1/02/1962
 South Dakota W 84-58  9-2
 Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
Omaha, Nebraska
1/06/1962
 Wabash W 96-62  10-2
 Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
Omaha, Nebraska
1/13/1962
 at St. John's L 52-72  10–3
 Alumni Hall (-)
Jamaica, New York
1/15/1962
 at Seton Hall L 80-86  10–4
 Walsh Gymnasium (-)
South Orange, New Jersey
1/27/1962
 at Nevada W 76-69  11–4
  (-)
Reno, Nevada
2/03/1962
 at Iowa W 68-67  12-4
 Iowa Fieldhouse (-)
Iowa City, Iowa
2/05/1962
 at Marquette W 79-72 OT 13–4
  (-)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
2/10/1962
 at Notre Dame W 74-71  14–4
 Notre Dame Fieldhouse (-)
South Bend, Indiana
2/12/1962
 at St. Ambrose W 93-63  15-4
  (-)
Davenport, Iowa
2/16/1962
 at Air Force W 61-60  16-4
  (-)
Colorado Springs, Colorado
2/19/1962
 Centenary W 77-70  17–4
 Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
Omaha, Nebraska
2/26/1962
 North Dakota State W 84-54  18–4
 Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
Omaha, Nebraska
3/03/1962
 North Dakota W 90-54  19-4
 Omaha Civic Auditorium (-)
Omaha, Nebraska
1962 NCAA Tournament
03/12/1962
 vs. Memphis State
Midwest Region Quarterfinals 		W 87-83  20-4
 Moody Coliseum (-)
Dallas, Texas
03/16/1962
 vs. No. 2 Cincinnati
Midwest Region Semifinals 		L 46-66  20-5
 Ahearn Field House (-)
Manhattan, Kansas
03/17/1962
 vs. Texas Tech
Midwest Region Third-place game 		W 63-61  21-5
 Ahearn Field House (-)
Manhattan, Kansas

References

  1. ^ "Go Creighton". Creighton Athletic Department. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  2. ^ The Bluejay. Creighton University. 1962.
  3. ^ "Number 24: Chuck Officer". White & Blue Review. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
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