Post by Frank Johnson on Mar 17, 2014 12:29:05 GMT -6
GHS produced state champs 50 years ago
By Tom Wilson
The Register-Mail
Posted Mar. 4, 2014 @ 9:00 am
Galesburg, Ill.
Fifty years ago, during the 1963-64 school year at Galesburg High School, the
cheerleaders, golfers, basketball team and a wrestler were among the elite in Illinois
high school athletics.
Gene Denisar, a Silver Streaks wrestler, won the state championship in the 154-pound
division and was the only participant to pin his opponent in the final round. Many will
remember Gene, who would return home many years later to become superintendent
of schools in District 205. Denisar’s coach was R.E. Wallace.
The GHS 1963-64 boys basketball team topped off a 24-win season and qualified for the Elite 8 state finals in
Champaign. Members of the Elite 8 Silver Streaks included Rich Callahan, Frank Dexter, Mike Davis, Bernel
Cowan, Dave Lundstrom, Mike McCreight, Marv Harris, Larry Doyle, John Pratt and Roger Bates. The basketball
team was coached by John Thiel.
The honor of playing in the Elite 8 finals also qualified the GHS cheerleaders to vie for the state championship of
their division. Sarah Hawkinson, Nancy Lundeen, Janet Higgins, Martha Nevelin and Sherry Randell were judged
the best cheerleading squad in the state of Illinois. Fred Kuster coached the GHS cheerleaders.
The high honors continued to flow a half century ago. In May 1963, GHS boys golf team also won the state
championship. Due to the cutting of several programs in the local school system the 63-64 GHS golf team was
not allowed to defend its state title. The Silver Streaks linksters overcame an 8-stroke deficit round to defeat
Waukegan for the state championship. The squad consisting of Jeff Eyre, John Eyre, Dave Lundstrom, Gary
Trotter and Bill Weaver enabled GHS to win its first state championship since 1913 state basketball
championship. The golf team was coached by Robert Hungerford.
Falk record 50 years ago
On Feb. 24, 1964, a former star basketball player from Galva established a new school scoring record at
Northwestern University in Evanston. Rich Falk scored his 49th point with only 10 seconds remaining against the
Iowa Hawkeyes. Ironically, Falk would not have had the opportunity if not for a remarkable gesture by Iowa
Coach Sharm Scheuerman. With Northwestern building a commanding lead over Iowa he was taken out with 42
points at the 5-minute mark. The Iowa coach, who prepped at Rock Island, informed the Northwestern coach that
he should put Falk back in and give him a chance at the record.
The coolest part of the story, as passed on by his son Geoff, who recently coached the GHS Silver Streaks, was
the history of the previous record. The record of 40 points by Northwestern players was shared by Joe Rucklick
and Rick Lopossa. Rucklick, who starred at Princeton High School, later was on the news staff at the Register-Mail
and Lopossa was a high school star for the Pekin High.
Later, the record was set at 48 points by Temple guard Hal Lear in March 1956 at McGaw Hall at Northwestern in
an NCAA Final Four game. Rich Falk who was then an eighth-grader at Galva, was in attendance due to obtaining
a job as usher by his uncle Ernie Nordstrom, who was the tourney ticket manager. It gets even better, since
Sharm Scheuerman was in attendance as a player for Iowa in the Final Four, and the late John Liston of Knoxville
was also a member of the Iowa team.
Tom Wilson is a local historian. Write to him at wilsont29@comcast.net or at The Register-Mail, 140 S. Prairie St., Galesburg, IL 61401.
Read more: www.galesburg.com/article/20140304/News/140309883#ixzz2v0uz4fHv
By Tom Wilson
The Register-Mail
Posted Mar. 4, 2014 @ 9:00 am
Galesburg, Ill.
Fifty years ago, during the 1963-64 school year at Galesburg High School, the
cheerleaders, golfers, basketball team and a wrestler were among the elite in Illinois
high school athletics.
Gene Denisar, a Silver Streaks wrestler, won the state championship in the 154-pound
division and was the only participant to pin his opponent in the final round. Many will
remember Gene, who would return home many years later to become superintendent
of schools in District 205. Denisar’s coach was R.E. Wallace.
The GHS 1963-64 boys basketball team topped off a 24-win season and qualified for the Elite 8 state finals in
Champaign. Members of the Elite 8 Silver Streaks included Rich Callahan, Frank Dexter, Mike Davis, Bernel
Cowan, Dave Lundstrom, Mike McCreight, Marv Harris, Larry Doyle, John Pratt and Roger Bates. The basketball
team was coached by John Thiel.
The honor of playing in the Elite 8 finals also qualified the GHS cheerleaders to vie for the state championship of
their division. Sarah Hawkinson, Nancy Lundeen, Janet Higgins, Martha Nevelin and Sherry Randell were judged
the best cheerleading squad in the state of Illinois. Fred Kuster coached the GHS cheerleaders.
The high honors continued to flow a half century ago. In May 1963, GHS boys golf team also won the state
championship. Due to the cutting of several programs in the local school system the 63-64 GHS golf team was
not allowed to defend its state title. The Silver Streaks linksters overcame an 8-stroke deficit round to defeat
Waukegan for the state championship. The squad consisting of Jeff Eyre, John Eyre, Dave Lundstrom, Gary
Trotter and Bill Weaver enabled GHS to win its first state championship since 1913 state basketball
championship. The golf team was coached by Robert Hungerford.
Falk record 50 years ago
On Feb. 24, 1964, a former star basketball player from Galva established a new school scoring record at
Northwestern University in Evanston. Rich Falk scored his 49th point with only 10 seconds remaining against the
Iowa Hawkeyes. Ironically, Falk would not have had the opportunity if not for a remarkable gesture by Iowa
Coach Sharm Scheuerman. With Northwestern building a commanding lead over Iowa he was taken out with 42
points at the 5-minute mark. The Iowa coach, who prepped at Rock Island, informed the Northwestern coach that
he should put Falk back in and give him a chance at the record.
The coolest part of the story, as passed on by his son Geoff, who recently coached the GHS Silver Streaks, was
the history of the previous record. The record of 40 points by Northwestern players was shared by Joe Rucklick
and Rick Lopossa. Rucklick, who starred at Princeton High School, later was on the news staff at the Register-Mail
and Lopossa was a high school star for the Pekin High.
Later, the record was set at 48 points by Temple guard Hal Lear in March 1956 at McGaw Hall at Northwestern in
an NCAA Final Four game. Rich Falk who was then an eighth-grader at Galva, was in attendance due to obtaining
a job as usher by his uncle Ernie Nordstrom, who was the tourney ticket manager. It gets even better, since
Sharm Scheuerman was in attendance as a player for Iowa in the Final Four, and the late John Liston of Knoxville
was also a member of the Iowa team.
Tom Wilson is a local historian. Write to him at wilsont29@comcast.net or at The Register-Mail, 140 S. Prairie St., Galesburg, IL 61401.
Read more: www.galesburg.com/article/20140304/News/140309883#ixzz2v0uz4fHv