Cross & Crescent

Champions!

Towards the end of May, I enjoyed lunch with ten Lambda Chis from Ball State University. I wasn’t there for the food. No, it was the memories of 30 and 40 years ago that I was after, together with the laughter, entertaining stories, and warm feelings that are the essence of brotherhood.

The story begins at the Lambda Chi chapter house at Ball State with the delivery of mail on a cold January day in 1965. Rick Reeves (1965), the chapter’s athletic director, opened a letter from our chapter at Oklahoma City University. It was an invitation to participate in the 10th Annual All Lambda Chi Oklahoma City Basketball Tournament from March 5-7.

It was with a great deal of excitement that Rick presented this opportunity at the next chapter meeting requesting that the chapter sponsor a team and pick up travel expenses. Jere Humphrey (1966), the High Alpha at the time, remembers that Rick made the request through the High Zeta. It was approved that the chapter would fund the registration fee, gas money, and some meal money.

The team was chosen primarily from the brothers who had won the Ball State University basketball championship. The members of the team, who were coached by Tom King (1965), were Jerry Grimes (1966), Errol Hurst (1965), Rodger Macy (1967), Tom Maddox (1967), Dennis (Luke) McCoy (1965), Fred Price (1964), Reeves, Tom Reiter (1965), Jack Shafer (1967), Jerry Williams (1963), and Don Willsey (1966). It was also decided that they would be named the Lambda Chi Cougars.

The trip was over 800 miles in length and the weather was treacherous with ice and snow on the roads. Reiter remembers, “We stayed in a large hall of some kind, into which the local chapter had jammed more cots than the room should have held. I remember that it was a chilly Friday night and we could detect no source of heat.”

Grimes added, “We stayed at the fairgrounds, which was an old World War II army barracks. I remember when we got our bed linens, that the guy said to take two blankets because the room had a lot of natural air conditioning. He was sure right, as it got quite cold at night.” King adds, “One of the reasons we were so alert the day of the Michigan game is that it was so cold in that barracks that you could see your breath and nobody could laze around.”

The Road to Victory

Twenty-one teams participated in the tournament from as far away as Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. The two carloads of brothers from Ball State arrived on Thursday, and on Friday there was a welcoming dinner. This was followed by a dinner-dance on Saturday night at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds.

In attendance was Dr. John F. Olson, president of the University. Dr. Olson shared these thoughts: “The fine cooperation and conduct of the Lambda Chis made the tournament one of the greatest achievements in fraternity life that I had observed. It was an admirable answer to the poor publicity fraternities have been receiving in some instances on the national scene.”

The Cross & Crescent reported that “The tournament was well publicized. Extensive mention was made in the university newspaper, in the three major papers of the metropolitan area, and by Oklahoma radio and television stations. A television interview with representatives of the 43 man Oklahoma City chapter featured the tournament trophies.”

The tournament began with Ball State receiving a forfeit when the University of Missouri-Rolla was unable to travel on the icy roads. In the second round, the Cougars defeated the brothers from the University of Texas 74–44. In the third round Ball State defeated Southern Methodist University 78–62. During that round they learned that three of Michigan’s starters had participated in the Rose Bowl two months earlier.

In the semi-final game they defeated Iowa Wesleyan, which was playing with three starters from their varsity team, 77–50. The championship game was played in the university field house before 400-500 fans. The Ball State Cougars defeated Bradley University’s brothers by a score of 77–45. The 48-inch tall championship trophy was presented to the team by George Shirk, the mayor of Oklahoma City.

Jere Humphrey remembers clearly the return of the team to the campus. “It was a big event when the team presented the championship trophy at the next chapter meeting. The trophy was placed in the center cabinet in the house library room and it became a centerpiece of bragging rights for the campus.”

Later in the spring of 1965 the winning season continued as the Ball State Cougars met the brothers of Indiana State for the Indiana State basketball championship. They prevailed and received their trophy at a dance on the campus of Indiana University. The true prize was the lifelong friendships that have filled the lives of 11 brothers from Ball State.