Becoming Iron Men: The Story of the 1963 Loyola Ramblers
The greatest untold story in college basketball history
 
Loyola University Chicago was ahead of its time when racial matters were forefront in a long overdue revolution in civil rights. The Ramblers of the 1962-1963 NCAA college basketball season were pioneers in race relations in sport, though most of the time they were simply playing the sport they loved.
            When the NCAA tournament began in March, the Ramblers engaged in a series for the ages, daring to be the first NCAA Division I school to play five black athletes on the court at once and capturing the most prestigious title in college basketball at a time when states below the Mason-Dixon line still had laws on the books preventing black and white athletes from mixing even in pick-up games.
            Records were set, rivals faced, and one of the most famous and significant contests in college basketball playoff history played out in what incidentally became a model showcase for race relations. Nearly every time the Ramblers took the court, the game was unique in its magnitude.
            Relying significantly on exclusive interviews with surviving players, now in their seventies, Lew Freedman chronicles the entire journey, the adventure of the season that bound tight for a lifetime the group of men who lived through it.
1117596257
Becoming Iron Men: The Story of the 1963 Loyola Ramblers
The greatest untold story in college basketball history
 
Loyola University Chicago was ahead of its time when racial matters were forefront in a long overdue revolution in civil rights. The Ramblers of the 1962-1963 NCAA college basketball season were pioneers in race relations in sport, though most of the time they were simply playing the sport they loved.
            When the NCAA tournament began in March, the Ramblers engaged in a series for the ages, daring to be the first NCAA Division I school to play five black athletes on the court at once and capturing the most prestigious title in college basketball at a time when states below the Mason-Dixon line still had laws on the books preventing black and white athletes from mixing even in pick-up games.
            Records were set, rivals faced, and one of the most famous and significant contests in college basketball playoff history played out in what incidentally became a model showcase for race relations. Nearly every time the Ramblers took the court, the game was unique in its magnitude.
            Relying significantly on exclusive interviews with surviving players, now in their seventies, Lew Freedman chronicles the entire journey, the adventure of the season that bound tight for a lifetime the group of men who lived through it.
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Becoming Iron Men: The Story of the 1963 Loyola Ramblers

Becoming Iron Men: The Story of the 1963 Loyola Ramblers

by Lew Freedman
Becoming Iron Men: The Story of the 1963 Loyola Ramblers

Becoming Iron Men: The Story of the 1963 Loyola Ramblers

by Lew Freedman

Hardcover(1)

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Overview

The greatest untold story in college basketball history
 
Loyola University Chicago was ahead of its time when racial matters were forefront in a long overdue revolution in civil rights. The Ramblers of the 1962-1963 NCAA college basketball season were pioneers in race relations in sport, though most of the time they were simply playing the sport they loved.
            When the NCAA tournament began in March, the Ramblers engaged in a series for the ages, daring to be the first NCAA Division I school to play five black athletes on the court at once and capturing the most prestigious title in college basketball at a time when states below the Mason-Dixon line still had laws on the books preventing black and white athletes from mixing even in pick-up games.
            Records were set, rivals faced, and one of the most famous and significant contests in college basketball playoff history played out in what incidentally became a model showcase for race relations. Nearly every time the Ramblers took the court, the game was unique in its magnitude.
            Relying significantly on exclusive interviews with surviving players, now in their seventies, Lew Freedman chronicles the entire journey, the adventure of the season that bound tight for a lifetime the group of men who lived through it.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780896728776
Publisher: Texas Tech University Press
Publication date: 03/15/2014
Series: Sport in the American West
Edition description: 1
Pages: 256
Product dimensions: 6.40(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Lew Freedman is a veteran sports journalist who has worked for the Chicago Tribune, Anchorage Daily News, and Philadelphia Inquirer. He has also written books on every sport from baseball to Alaskan dogsled racing. Among his accomplishments is being one of the most decorated award-winners in the United States Basketball Writers Association. He lives in Wyoming.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations xi

Introduction 3

Chapter 1 The Showdown with Cincinnati 9

Chapter 2 The Coach 19

Chapter 3 The All-American 39

Chapter 4 Racist America 49

Chapter 5 Tennessee Two-Step 59

Chapter 6 Freshman Years 71

Chapter 7 Getting to Know You: The 1961-62 Season 81

Chapter 8 Bad News in New Orleans 93

Chapter 9 A Great Start 107

Chapter 10 Breaking Barriers in Oklahoma City 115

Chapter 11 Billy and Pablo 123

Chapter 12 Houston Nightmare 135

Chapter 13 The Bench 145

Chapter 14 Going After Them All 155

Chapter 15 The NCAAs Begin 167

Chapter 16 It's On, It's Off 175

Chapter 17 Showdown with Mississippi State 185

Chapter 18 The Lights Grow Brighter 197

Chapter 19 Toe to Toe with Cincinnati 205

Epilogue 215

Postscript 225

Notes 231

Note on the Sources 247

Selected Bibliography 249

Index 251

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