1964-65 VU team “Trailblazers” in
every sense of the word
After being dominated by teams from the West and Midwest, the NJCAA Div. I Men’s Basketball Tournament
received an infusion of championship blood from east of the Mississippi River in 1965.
That’s when the Vincennes University Trailblazers – who had come up short in two previous tournament trips became the first team originating east of the Mississippi River to win the title in Hutchinson, Kan.
The Trailblazers edged the Burlington (now known as Southeastern Iowa) Blackhawks, 80-76, for the crown.
Freshman guard Bob Pritchett was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after scoring 89 points in four
games at “Hutch.”
VU was led from the sidelines by Coach Allen Bradfield, who would go on to lead the program to two more
national championships, in 1970 and '72.
Bradfield was the first coach to win three
NJCAA basketball national titles.
The Trailblazers entered the tournament’s
championship tussle against Burlington
with the Blackhawks having assumed the
role of tournament darling. Burlington had
won its previous two games at the event by
slim margins when its center hit winning
buckets after transitioning from a seldomused body to a prime contributor on the
team. The Blackhawks began the
tournament by upsetting defending
champion Dodge City, 85-83.
Conversely, VU’s closest margin of victory
at Hutch had been seven points.
The Trailblazers may have entered the
championship contest against a newlyminted “underdog” in the Blackhawks, but
VU quickly put a stop to any thoughts of
Southeastern Iowa riding crowd support to a quick start. After winning the opening tip, the Trailblazers moved
the ball to Nat Shields, who quickly drained a 20-footer from the wing. VU held a 37-31 advantage at halftime.
The game was tight in the waning moments, but the Trailblazers outscored the Blackhawks 5-2 to close out the
game for the final margin of victory and the national title.
VU’s journey to the title was filled with ups and downs, smooth patches and rough spots.
THE REGULAR SEASON
The Trailblazers tipped off the 1964-65 campaign by spanking Hannibal-LaGrange, 104-60, before a packed
Beless Gym crowd. All 14 VU players scored as the Trailblazers opened up a 60-21 halftime lead and never
looked back.
In the season’s second game, Larry Cobb erupted for 32 points and VU defeated Lincoln Christian, 84-68, on the
road. The victory avenged a 97-70 upset loss to Lincoln Christian the previous season. Cobb stayed hot in the
season’s third game as he scored 21 points, but Pritchett led VU with 22, as the Trailblazers turned away visiting
St. Louis Junior College, 91-78, in front of another standing-room-only crowd at Beless.
Danville was the next victim for the Trailblazers. VU trounced the Jaguars by a 131-57 score, even though
Bradfield substituted like a rotating door in the second half after the Trailblazers had built up a 59-24 halftime
advantage. Nat Shields paced VU with 27 points and all five starters reached double figures and all 11 who played
for Bradfield got into the scoring column.
After absorbing their first loss of the season when Lindsey Wilson tripped them up 75-71 in VU’s Kentuckiana
Junior College Conference opener, the host Trailblazers defended their 1963 Thanksgiving Holiday Tourney by
defeating St. Louis again at Beless, this time by an 87-57 score in the tournament’s championship game. Behind
Cobb’s 20 points, it was VU’s seventh win of the year.
VU reversed its Kentuckiana Junior College Conference
fortunes with a pair of conference wins over Lees Junior
College, 112-93, and Sue Bennett by a 71-61 score. The pair
of victories improved the Trailblazers to 9-1 on the season
before VU blew out Lincoln Christian again, 124-81, in early
December. Shields exploded for 34 points to lead a
balanced VU scoring attack in the rout. The December
rampage continued when the Trailblazers dismantled
Hannibal-LaGrange for the second time of the season with a
98-69 verdict behind Shields’ 29 points and Cobb’s 22.
It was a stiffer test at Southeastern Illinois in Harrisburg, IL,
when VU got away from the Falcons with an 89-79 win.
Shields and Cobb scored 21 and 20 points, respectively, to
help the Trailblazers overcome a 39-point performance by
SIC’s Jim Humble.
Sporting a 12-1 season record, VU headed into a four-team
tournament in Paducah, KY, to face Memphis State’s
freshman team. The outsized Trailblazers clawed their way
to a 70-70 tie at the end of regulation against the Tigers but
lost 80-75 in overtime for VU’s second setback of the year.
Shields had a game-high 23 points. In the Paducah event’s
consolation game the next night, VU defeated the freshman
team from Southern Illinois University, 98-71, as Bob
Pritchett led all scorers with 29 points and Shields finished
with 19.
The holiday tournament “season” continued for VU at the
post-Christmas Lake Michigan Holiday Tournament in
Benton Harbor, MI, when the Trailblazers edged Hiawassee
Junior College, 69-65. The game was an especially tough test as Hiawassee held an eight-point lead before VU’s
Randy Weber scored to knot it up at 63-all and Shields and Fred Kuester iced the game with six free throws. The
win upped VU’s record to 14-2 as John Olsen led the way with 17 points for the Trailblazers. The next night, VU
claimed the tournament with a 100-89 win over host Lake Michigan. Cobb scored 23, Shields 21 and Olsen 18.
The Trailblazers celebrated Homecoming in January after being on the road throughout much of December and
early January with a 116-61 shellacking of Lees. Bob Pritchett scored 32 as VU went to 16-2.
Kentuckiana Junior College Conference honors loomed large with two conference contests up next. At 4-1 in
KJCC standings, VU welcomed Sue Bennett to Beless and then headed to Columbia, KY, to take on conference
leader Lindsey Wilson. The Trailblazers passed the first test with a 75-56 win over Sue Bennett as Shields
finished with 31 points. Weather forced the trip to Lindsey Wilson to be postponed to Feb. 18, 1965.
Things turned surreal in VU’s next game. Paducah visited Beless Gym and, with just over six minutes left to play,
Paducah center Eugene Jones was whistled for his fifth foul. The call angered the Indians coach, Claude “Sonny”
Haws so much that he pulled his team off the floor and forfeited a 65-44 victory to the Trailblazers and the “win”
gave VU the conference lead at 6-1 (18-2 overall). Ironically, Paducah had entered the contest with the top spot in
the league at 5-0.
When play was halted, Cobb had 18 points and Shields had 15 points.
The Trailblazers maintained their winning ways when Shields and Cobb scored 24 and 22 points, respectively, to
lead VU over Southeastern Christian College, 105-61. The win improved VU to 7-1 in conference play and 19-2
overall. Also of importance was a full one-game lead over Paducah in the conference.
VU reached the 20-win mark and set a new school scoring record with a 141-55 blow-out of Danville. The scoring
totals looked like speedometer readings in city driving as Shields totaled 33, Cobb 28 and Pritchett 27. The
previous Trailblazer team scoring mark was 131 against Centralia in 1954.
The Trailblazers reached a crucial point in the season and the Kentuckiana Junior College Conference race when
a rematch with Paducah, a home date against Wilberforce and the rescheduled battle at Lindsey Wilson rolled
around in February. VU, Paducah and Lindsey Wilson each held 7-1 league records at that juncture.
VU’s trip into the belly of the beast at Paducah was a difficult night. After VU took a 38-36 lead to the locker room
on Olsen’s long jumper at the halftime horn, the host Indians went on a second half surge and the result was a
72-64 Paducah victory. Shields and Cobb both had 17 in the loss.
The Trailblazers righted the ship against visiting Wilberforce with a 79-70 win, despite despite the absence of the
flu-stricken Pritchett. Shields scored 28 while Cobb and Olsen both finished with 16 points.
VU neared the showdown with Lindsey Wilson with a shot at a share of the conference title, but also got
broadsided with bad news. In addition to Pritchett still being idled by the flu, Olsen had contracted mumps.
With the designated “defensive stopper” a victim of mumps and Pritchett’s illness leaving a hole in the
backcourt, the Trailblazers battled to a 44-40 halftime lead over the host Blue Raiders. But second half foul
trouble sidelined two more VU players – including Shields, who fouled out with more than eight minutes to go –
and the load was too much to handle. Lindsey Wilson posted a 72-66 win, thanks in part to a sizeable advantage
at the free throw line. The win provided Lindsey Wilson with a 9-1 conference record and Paducah’s 8-2 KJCC
mark edged third place VU’s 7-3 conference standing.
KENTUCKIANA JUNIOR COLLEGE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
The KKCC Tournament was at Paducah and VU was fortunate to draw Southeastern Christian in the first round
and figured to reach the semifinals easily with a third victory of the season over the Torches and get another
crack at Paducah. However, Olsen was still out of commission with mumps so the first game’s outcome wasn’t in
stone after all.
No one could have known that illness would befall Cobb as well, but the guard was unavailable for the
Southeastern Christian game and Pritchett – 15 pounds lighter from the severe flu compounded by a case of
tonsillitis – was just returning by recuperating on the fly. In spite of two easy victories over the torches in the
regular season, the Trailblazers couldn’t solve an unexpected zone defense from Southeastern Christian and
were upset, 57-54, eliminating VU from the conference tournament.
Just prior to the sting of the conference tournament upset, VU got some good news. Sophomores Shields and
Cobb and freshman Pritchett were named to the KJCC All-Conference Team.
NJCAA REGION 12 TOURNAMENT
The NJCAA Region Tournament in Flint, MI, got off to a better start for the Trailblazers. VU registered an 88-66
victory over Muskegon. With the roster back intact in terms of bodies, Shields scored 34 and Dan Sparks had 18
for the Trailblazers. VU advanced to the region event’s final round with a 91-87 win over Flint. With Sparks
scoring 22 and Pritchett contributing 15, VU turned away Alpena, 75-70, to win its first region championship and
punch its ticket to Hutchinson, KS.
NJCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
The Trailblazers began national tournament play against Manatee Junior College of Bradenton, FL. The Florida
regional winner was coached by former Bicknell High School coach Johnny Sines and – like VU – was making its
first appearance at Hutch.
With a record of 24-6, the Trailblazers dropped Manatee, 82-64, behind Pritchett’s 28 and Cobb’s 24 points. The
opening win set up a match-up with Canton (NY) Agricultural and Technical College in the second round. Against
Canton, VU got 27 points from Cobb and 18 from Shields to win, 84-77, and ensure no worse than a sixth place
finish in the tournament.
Joliet awaited VU in the semifinals. In the other semifinal matchup, Eastern Utah and Burlington would decide a
final game participant. The Trailblazers topped Joliet, 101-87, as Pritchett made 15 shots and four free throws for
34 points, Shields scored 20 and Cobb finished with 17.
Upon the victory, Bradfield – who was already multi-tasking by meeting recruiters from four-year programs and
discussing including national tournament participants in his team’s 1965-66 schedule – had to wrangle additional
reservations for another night at the team’s hotel.
Seven carloads of VU fans – mostly students who were working the trip into mid-term exam week – made their
way to Hutch and arrived Saturday morning for that evening’s final game.
WELCOME BACK!
After the championship tournament victory, the Trailblazers were treated to a variety of warm welcomes back to
Vincennes on the Sunday after the Saturday night title tilt. The weary team’s seven-hour trip back home got a jolt
of energy in the area of Olney, IL (32 miles from Vincennes), when cars carrying VU faithful began to form a
caravan with the team vehicles. The make-shift victory parade picked up other vehicles between Lawrenceville,
IL, and VU.
When the procession reached Vincennes, the team – with the
championship trophy in-hand – moved onto a large Vincennes
Fire Department ladder truck and received the well wishes of
several thousand people who lined the streets. The parade that
formed behind the fire truck wound through the city and ended
at Beless Gym, where about 1,500 people packed the building
to celebrate more.
According to the Vincennes Sun-Commercial’s account of the
Trailblazers’ victory celebration in the newspaper’s March 22,
1965, edition, Bradfield and the team engaged in about 15
minutes of handshakes and other greetings before the coach
asked the crowd to settle. He delivered a short address to the
crowd, invited them to walk around the trophy to read its
inscription and then tossed a net from the Hutchinson Sports
Arena in the air to signal it was time for a thunderous ovation.
The crowd obliged and, more than one hour later, was still
filing past the trophy.
Seemingly unable to get enough of reveling in the Trailblazers’
success, VU held a convocation on Monday and another
victory parade through town followed. Even more celebrating
came after the VU program and parade. A rally for the general
public took place Monday night at Green Auditorium.
*Photos Courtesy of Robert “Gus” Stevens