Evanston, IL.: Where All the March Madness Began

By Dave “Large” Larzelere
Sixty-nine years ago today in Evanston, Ill., Oregon defeated Ohio State 46-33 in the NCAA’s first men’s basketball national championship game. The tournament began ten days beforehand with little madness in evidence. Only eight teams were involved, not much of a bracket to speak of, with the Eastern regional played in Philly and the West in San Francisco. Oregon came out of the West by beating Texas and Oklahoma, while Ohio State dominated the East with wins over Wake Forest and Villanova.
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The two finalists each were coached by future Basketball Hall-of-Famers, Howard Hobson (Oregon) and Harold Olsen (Ohio State). The Ducks’ star on the court also would make it to the Hall, the 6’4†Laddie Gale, who later played pro ball for the Detroit Eagles of the NBL. Gale’s efforts in victory, however, were not enough to earn him the ‘39 tournament’s most outstanding player award. That honor went to the Buckeyes’ captain, Jimmy Hull, who did not go on to the Basketball Hall of Fame, but matriculated to an equally prestigious enshrinement in the Rocky Mountain Orthodontics Athletic Hall of Fame following an All-Star career as a dentist. ↵