Dates listed for wire-service dispatches cited are when they were transmitted on the newswires. Many of the stories ran in afternoon papers on the date listed. Others appeared in newspapers the next day.
For newspaper stories, if no writer is named, story was published without a byline.
Introduction
4 “The first college championship . . . ”: Oregonian (Portland), Nick Bertram, April 1, 1988.
1. Hobby
11 “I grew up with a basketball . . . ”: Howard Hobson, Shooting Ducks: A History of University of Oregon Basketball (Portland: Western Imprints, 1984). Hereafter: Shooting Ducks.
12 “Don’t bother him, he has a game . . . ” and “You better watch out for that boy . . . ”: Author interview with David Hobson.
13 “We spent many, many hours . . . ”: Eugene Register-Guard, Blaine Newnham, October 28, 1977. Hereafter: RG.
13 “We sold candy and cigarettes . . . ”; “McArthur Court was built by . . . ”; “At that time it was probably the greatest basketball pavilion . . . ”; “I thought with a master’s degree . . . ”; “What do you teach? . . . ”; “the best press I ever had”; and “a wonderful three years”: Interview with Howard Hobson for Oregon Historical Society’s oral histories, conducted in June 1982 by Linda Brody. Hereafter: OHS.
16 “We feel that in Hobson . . . ”: Oregon Daily Emerald (University of Oregon), Clair Johnson, April 18, 1935. Hereafter: Emerald.
2. Fishermen
23 “Dick Strite wrote . . . ”: Paul Simon, P.S.: The Autobiography of Paul Simon (Chicago: Bonus Books, 1998). Hereafter: P.S.
3. Laddie and Slim
25 “Shut up, kid . . . ”: Author interview with Hank Gale.
4. From the Gorge
30 “Sports and the local trials . . . ”; “I wanted to be a student . . . ”; and “Managing my time became an issue . . . ”: From Oregon athletic department official Jeff Eberhart’s interview of John Dick. Hereafter: Eberhart.
31 “You can’t have too few enemies . . . ”: Author interview with John Michael Dick.
5. Basketeers
36 “At the end of each season . . . ”: Associated Press dispatch, January 5, 1935. Hereafter: AP.
37 “I liked Wintermute from the start . . . ”: Oregon Journal (Portland), Richard H. Syring, December 3, 1939. Hereafter: Journal.
38 “He was in his day the best center . . . ”: RG, October 24, 1977.
38 “ . . . and there the tall-fir Webfoots . . . ”: Oregonian, L. H. Gregory, March 3, 1938.
38 “The only way Oregon’s tall-fir basketeers . . . ”: Oregonian, Gregory, March 5, 1938.
39 “Anet was an indifferent shot . . . ”: Journal, Syring, December 3, 1939.
39 “the greatest dribbler I have ever seen . . . ”: RG, Ron Bellamy, February 19, 2009.
40 “Next year, we’re going . . . ” and “After getting past us . . . ”: Eberhart.
42 “There are about 500 people . . . ”: AP, March 17, 1938.
43 “In the last game, I got to check . . . ”: Willapa Harbor Herald (Washington), March 1938.
6. Floating Ideas
44 “Interest was not great.”: Shooting Ducks.
46 “From that moment on . . . ”: Eberhart.
47 “It was not a helter-skelter fast-break . . . ”: RG, Newnham, October 28, 1977.
47 “I used to kid Anet all the time . . . ”: RG, February 13, 1977.
48 “He was relatively soft-spoken . . . ”: Oregonian, Ken Wheeler, June 10, 1991.
49 “wasn’t sure that Oregon existed”: OHS.
50 “He felt that the benefits of the trip . . . ”: Eberhart.
7. Bee and the Blackbirds
51 “After a while, the priests caught on . . . ”: New York Times, Sam Goldaper, May 21, 1983. Hereafter: NYT.
53 “He is salty, profane, a two-fisted fighter . . . ”: Sport magazine, Milton Gross, March 1951. Hereafter: Sport.
8. Taking the Show on the Road
59 “The National Collegiate Athletic Association’s plan . . . ”: AP, December 14, 1938.
62 “basketball rivals salmon fishing . . . ”; “could do more tricks with a basketball . . . ”; and “terrifically fast break”: New York Herald Tribune, Everett B. Morris, December 16, 1938. Hereafter: NYHT.
64 “small hall that bulged at the seams . . . ”: NYHT, Richards Vidmer, December 17, 1938.
9. Garden and Beyond
65 “Now we aren’t going to call every little . . . ”: Shooting Ducks.
65 “hampered in the beginning . . . ”; “slowed down to a walk . . . ”; and “a drab sort of battle in its early stages . . . ”: NYT, Arthur Daley, December 18, 1938.
66 “small, but mighty classy City College of New York . . . ”; “thrill-a-minute first game”; and “couldn’t quite solve . . . ”: New York Daily News, Jack Mahon, December 18, 1938.
70 “look like P.S. 9 on a bad night”: NYT, Daley, January 6, 1939.
71 “obviously weary from a . . . ”: AP, Dec. 31, 1938.
71 “We learned to adapt . . . ”: Eberhart.
10. White Smoke
77 “The German air force is the terror . . . ”: AP, March 1, 1939.
78 “That’s as good a team . . . ”: Eberhart.
79 “Yeah—the second-best team . . . ”: RG, Dick Strite, March 1, 1939.
80 “Washington’s formula is to build up . . . ”: Emerald, March 2, 1939.
81 “If she clicks . . . ”: International News Service dispatch, March 1, 1939. Hereafter: INS.
82 “The kids have shown improvement . . . ”: Emerald, George Pasero, March 2, 1939.
83 “The boot blacks . . . ”: RG, Strite, March 3, 1939.
83 “For the third year . . . ”: Eberhart.
83 “It’s a peculiar floor . . . ”: Oregonian, Gregory, March 2, 1939.
84 “We’ll win . . . ” and “The boys are as high . . . ”: RG, Strite, March 3, 1939.
11. Cayuse with a Saddle
86 “wading like a waterfront brawler . . . ”: Sport, Gross, March 1951.
86 “Oregon virtually ran . . . ” and “one of the greatest exhibitions . . .”: RG, Strite, March 4, 1939.
87 “It was the best officiated game . . . ”: Oregonian, Gregory, March 4, 1939.
87 “How’d you like that?”: Shooting Ducks.
88 “With many other democracies . . . ”: AP, March 4, 1939.
89 “rode the ball as if it had been a Cayuse”: Oregonian, Gregory, March 4, 1939.
89 “It still goes . . . ”: Eberhart.
91 “After misrepresentations and curious opinions . . . “: INS, March 5, 1939.
12. Maneuvers
95 “It looks to me . . . ”: RG, March 7, 1939.
13. RSVP
99 “What in the world is the NCAA . . . ”: Columbus Dispatch, Dick Fenlon, April 1, 1988. Hereafter: CD.
99 “We didn’t even know what it was . . . ”: CD, Bob Hunter, March 24, 1999.
101 “based on recommendations by coaches and sports writers . . . ”: National Enterprise Association dispatch, Jerry Brundfield, March 9, 1939.
103 “If we should win the conference . . . ”: RG, March 10, 1939.
103 “if his father starts another war.”: AP, March 11, 1939.
104 “the national invitation tournament that . . . ”; “Six teams have been invited to the tournament by the scribes . . . ”; and “a tremendous success . . . ”: NYT, Daley, March 12, 1939.
104 “The boys have been coming up fine . . . ”: AP, March 11, 1939.
14. Jumping Either Way
105 “overwhelming in its solemnity . . . ”: AP, March 12, 1939.
106 “No force stands between . . . ”: AP, March 10, 1939.
108 “I’ve only seen California play . . . ”: RG, March 15, 1939.
109 “We didn’t see how they could pass us up . . . ”: Philadelphia Daily News, Ray Didinger, March 23, 1988. Hereafter: PDN.
109 “Ten-gallon hats, cowboy boots . . . ” and “I can jump either way . . . ”: NYT, John Kieran, March 15, 1939.
109 “No grass . . . ”: AP, March 14, 1939.
110 “four teams who thought . . . ”: AP, March 15, 1939.
111 “Hitherto Germany has only . . . ”: AP, March 15, 1939.
111 “We are now living . . . ”: NYT, March 16, 1939.
111 “had the crowd in ecstasies of delight . . . ”: NYT, Daley, March 16, 1939.
112 “It will be the same . . . ”: RG, March 16, 1939.
15. Spotlights
113 “the law of self-survival . . . ”: AP, March 16, 1939.
113 “We were the two of the tallest teams . . . ”: Eberhart.
114 “With a lull here over the weekend . . . ”: NYT, Joseph M. Sheehan, March 17, 1939.
115 “We got our fast break rolling . . . ” and “We got the ball to Laddie . . . ”: Eberhart.
115 “did a beautiful job . . . ”: Oregonian, Gregory, March 17, 1939.
116 “As long as they don’t boo . . . ”: Emerald, Buck Buckwach, February 3, 1939.
116 “We played our best ball . . .”: RG, Strite, March 17, 1939.
116 “Listen, we’ll stop those big horses . . . ”: Shooting Ducks.
116 “to the utmost of its power . . . ” and “I have never denied that the terms . . . ”: AP, March 17, 1939.
118 “I think he covered his eyes on every one . . . ” and other Krutulis comments: PDN, Didinger, March 23, 1988.
16. Moving On
119 “wanton lawlessness and arbitrary force . . . ”: INS, March 21, 1939.
120 “guarded like a prisoner . . . ”: Oregonian, Gregory, March 18, 1939.
120 “In the second game . . . ”: Eberhart.
120 “I told you, we stopped ’em . . . ”: Shooting Ducks.
121 “Greatest basketball team we ever played . . . ”: Oregonian, Gregory, March 18, 1939.
121 “Coming from a coach . . . ”: Eberhart.
121 “I’ve said all season that . . . ”: Oregonian, Gregory, March 18, 1939.
121 “Well, we got what . . . ”; “looking for bigger game . . . ”; and “most brilliant game of his career”: RG, Strite, March 18, 1939.
17. Suitcase Test
123 “Just think, I’m going to see . . . ”: AP, March 18, 1939.
123 “Experts predicted that the Webfoots . . . ”: INS, March 18, 1939.
124 “Gentlemen, this is a little embarrassing . . . ” and subsequent exchange: CD, Bob Hunter, March 24, 1999.
125 “That won’t be enough . . . ”: RG, March 23, 1939.
126 “I figure the boys . . . ”: Oregonian, Gregory, March 20, 1939.
128 “They were just too fast . . . ”: AP, March 20, 1939.
128 “We were asked . . . ”: Eberhart.
128 “Picked by the Southern casaba favorites . . . ”: Emerald, Pasero, March 20, 1939.
128 “Imagine 350,000 pairs of eyes watching every move you make . . . ”: Emerald, March 20, 1939.
18. Eighth Avenue
131 “Kautz was not just a stooge . . . ”: NYT, Daley, March 21, 1939.
19. Treasure Island
132 “embroil the United States . . . ”: AP, March 20, 1939.
134 “The tall-fir Oregon boys”: Oregonian, Gregory, March 21, 1939.
20. How the West Was Won
136 “followed athletic scores and the sports pages faithfully . . . ”: P.S.
138 “We will win it for the west”: RG, Strite, March 23, 1939.
138 “We were head and shoulders . . . ”: OHS.
21. 49th Street
140 “Although the Metropolitan Basketball . . . ”: NYHT, Morris, March 21, 1939.
140 “the Wonder Team . . . ” and “the unbeaten . . . ”: NYT, Daley, March 22, 1939.
142 “What can you do . . . ”: NYHT, Irving T. Marsh, March 23. 1939.
22. Destinies
143 “I believe that now . . . ”: AP, March 23, 1939.
144 “He was always a tall boy . . . ” and other Ivie Wintermute comments: RG, March 23, 1939.
144 “rolled up an amazing total of 835 points . . . ”: Chicago Tribune, March 23, 1939.
145 “In the last year, two republics . . . ”: New York Daily Mirror, Walter Winchell, March 24, 1939.
146 “The train ride apparently . . . ” and other comments on the train ride: Oregonian, Charles Buxton, March 25, 1939.
147 “The Berlin-Rome axis is unbreakable . . . ”: AP, March 25, 1939.
147 “if he has a brain . . . ”: AP, March 25, 1939.
149 “It degenerated into an interview . . . ”: Eberhart.
151 “This was the only recommended change . . . ”: AP, March 27, 1939.
23. Broken Trophy and All
153 “Bob, run ’em to death . . . ”; “We’ll run them . . . ”; “I wish they’d run . . . ”: Shooting Ducks.
154 “He clipped off the figure . . . ”: Eberhart.
154 “He said, ‘Well . . . ”: Author interview with Peggy Anet.
155 “You told me not to call one until we were tired . . . ”: Journal, Syring, December 3, 1939.
155 “Both teams shot . . . ”: Eberhart.
155 “My leg just felt terrible . . . ”: CD, Fenlon, April 1, 1988.
156 “In the final 12 days . . . ”: Eberhart.
156 “Ohio State was really . . . ”: AP, March 30, 1939.
156 “The University of Oregon . . . ”: AP, March 27, 1939.
156 “Oregon’s rangy sharpshooters . . . ”: United Press dispatch, March 27, 1939.
159 “I think some of us had a couple of Heinekens . . . ”: RG, Neil Cawood, March 26, 1979.
24. Ride Home
160 “a fancy ball-handling . . . ”: AP, March 28, 1939.
161 “Years from now . . . ”: RG, March 28, 1939.
163 “a foot of our land nor . . . ”: AP, March 30, 1939.
25. Dance of Champs
167 “send it gracefully through the air like the Yankee Clipper”: Emerald, March 28, 1939.
167 “We never imagined . . . ”: RG, April 1, 1939.
167 “The sad part about this occasion . . . ”: Oregonian, April 1, 1939.
168 “The athletic committee realizes . . . ”: AP, March 31, 1939.
168 Bobby Anet, Howard Hobson, and Donald Erb comments at the Monday Morning Quarterbacks’ dinner: Emerald, J. Robert Penland, April 1, 1939.
169 “There was no hollow victory . . . ”: RG, Strite, April 2, 1939.
170 “When today an English statesman . . . ”: AP, April 1, 1939.
27. Coaches
178 “Well, now, you can’t go . . . ”: OHS.
179 “220-pound Negro Hercules”: NYT, Daley, December 17, 1939.
179 “muscular negro veteran”: AP, December 16, 1939.
179 “was shaking like a leaf”: Shooting Ducks.
179 “the greatest game ever played . . . ”: NYHT, Morris, December 17, 1939.
182 “If there’s a basketball court in heaven . . . ”: Oregonian, John Nolen, June 15, 1991.
183 “If a boy convinces me he’s sincere . . . ”: Sport, Gross, March 1951.
184 “We, you and I, have flunked . . . ”: NYT, Goldaper, May 21, 1983.
28. The Tall Firs
185 “Hobby actually spent . . . ”: RG, February 13, 1977.
186 “He still felt years later that he let the team down . . . ” and other remarks in this passage: Author interview with John Michael Dick.
187 “I was still in great shape . . . ”: Eberhart.
190 “Bobby was a great floor . . . ”: RG, July 27, 1981.
192 “I decided that I didn’t want . . . ”: McNeeley family taped interview.
194 “With my brain and his arm . . . ”: RG, Strite, June 1, 1941.
Acknowledgments
197 “I was awakened with fond memories . . . ”: Author phone conversation with Rear Admiral John Henry Dick.