The 1957-58 Lincoln High Links
Fifty-five years ago as of this writing, Lincoln High won the Nebraska State Basketball Tournament.
Most of the time, the 1958 championship is overshadowed by the 1959 undefeated team that won the State Championship the very next year. I have always called this "my team" as this is the year I would have graduated from Lincoln High. Many of the cheerleaders and players were former school classmates. Don Posey, Paul Ude, and Jim Hergenrader attended Whittier Junior High with me. In fact, Paul Ude asked me to make sure my dad got him on the team the next year. It was a joke between us but turned out it was NO Joke. I helped Jim Hergenrader with his math in Mr. Keill's math class. I knew Neil Unterseher at Irving Junior High. Bill Bowers used to chase me and Mary Jo home from Clinton grade school.
One of the most surprising moves Dad made during the year was when he brought up Sam Zollicofer from the Reserve Squad. This was when the fantastic warm-up drill was unveiled. Can you picture it? The gym is crowded with fans; the team enters and the band strikes up with Rock Around the Clock. They start the opening drill dribbling, weaving, passing. It ends as Don Burt with Sammy Zollicoffer following close behind goes for a layup. Instead of dunking the ball, Don passes the ball back over his head to Sammy. At only 5'7 Sammy dunks the basketball! It was a drill Dad designed. Later he couldn't remember exactly how it went nor was a video ever found
Recalling the Season
The statistical information is not coming from my memory banks. I had to consult the 1958 Links yearbook. The team was 14 and 4 at the end of the regular season. Then came the District Tournament.
For the opening game, we played the fledgling Southeast High School team and beat them 35 to 20. They didn't have a shot clock in those days nor did they have the 3-point shot. They did jump ball at every tie up. I wish they would go back to that today. Dick Vitale agrees with me.
Remember this one brother Joe? In the District Finals, Lincoln High played Northeast who was ranked Number One in the state. Northeast had beaten the Links twice during the regular season. Payback time was here. The game was played at Pershing Auditorium. I was attending night classes to finish my high school degree and the battleaxe in charge wouldn't give me permission to miss class. Today, 55 years later, I just wouldn't have gone. Lincoln High beat the Rockets 62-55! Following the game a riot broke out. Don Burt grabbed 11-year old Joe and got him out of there.
State Championship
State Tournament games were played at the Nebraska Coliseum. In the first round we beat North Platte 49-43. No I don't remember anything about the games. School spirit was at an all-time high. The night of the finals, we were paired against Omaha Central. Then came my next crushing blow. Don's mom wouldn't baby sit Cindy so Don and I could go to the game. I had to watch this momentous victory sitting in front of a small black and white TV at our friend's house. This was my team; my year and I was sitting it out.
They won by golly they won and in the end that was all that mattered. I cried when the camera showed them carrying Dad off the floor.
Posted just as the High School State Tournaments begins March 6, 2013.
