This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 31, 1979

Niles West High School, located in Skokie, wins the Illinois Girls' Class AA basketball championship, defeating East St. Louis, 63-47, at the Assembly Hall in Champaign.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 30, 1947

The Chicago Stags win the Basketball Association of America's Western Division Championship, as they defeat the St.Louis Bombers, 73-66, in overtime at the Chicago Stadium.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 29, 1971

The Bulls select forward Kennedy McIntosh from Eastern Michigan University as their first pick in the NBA draft.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 28, 1995

Returning to Madison Square Garden for the first time since his retirement, Michael Jordan scores 55 points for the Bulls in a victory over the Knicks.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 27, 1983

Nearly 18,000 fans watch the Blackhawks defeat Detroit, 6-0, at the Chicago Stadium, as Tony Esposito records his seventy-fifth NHL shut-out.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 26, 1945

Led by 6'10" center George Mikan, DePaul wins the NIT basketball tournament, defeating Bowling Green of Ohio, 71-54, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 25, 1972

Bobby Hull collects his 600th career goal, driving the puck by Boston goaltender Gerry Cheevers. The Golden Jet will notch four more goals for Chicago before he jumps to the upstart World Hockey Association.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 24, 1979

DePaul loses to the Indiana State, 76-74, in the NCAA semi-final game at Salt Lake City. Larry Bird shoots sixteen for nineteen from the field and gathers in sixteen rebounds in a phenomenal performance for the Sycamores.

Going Crazy in Rogers Park

I was a senior at Mather High School the night that Loyola University became college basketball's national champs. As a Jewish kid living in West Rogers Park, I became one of the greatest fans of the Loyola Ramblers, a team representing a Jesuit School located by the el tracks at Loyola and Sheridan in Rogers Park.

I must have attended at least ten Rambler games that year in their old-fashioned, tiny field house. I loved the chemistry of the team led by the smooth forward Jerry Harkness and feisty guard Johnny Egan. In the age of the civil rights struggle, it was a predominantly Black starting line-up. I identified with this team as the underdogs, going against the Goliaths of college basketball.

So the night when Loyola edged the powerful Cincinnati Bearcats to win it all, I hopped on the Lunt bus with my friend Howie Katz, and headed east to the el at the Morse station. Then we took the train south one stop and joined the celebration along Sheridan Road. We were too young to buy booze, but not too young to scream and shout about how our team came through for us. Two Jewish boys going crazy in Rogers Park over the success of our neighborhood Jesuit School. As Harry Golden would say "only in America."

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 23, 1963

Loyola University defeats the University of Cincinnati, 60-58, winning the NCAA basketball championship at Freedom Hall in Louisville.

The Great Marshall High School Junior Teams

I was speaking with my uncle Jerry Schlan tonight about the glory days of the Marshall High School Junior basketball teams,coached by the great Lou Weintraub, who dominated their Chicago Public League competition from 1939 through 1944. Uncle Jerry, who is now 87 and lives in South Florida, was a member of the 1939-40 team along with West Side basketball legends Whitey Siegel,Izzey Acker and Alex Eisenstein.

During that era, the Chicago Public League had two Leagues, a Junior League for boys who were 5'8" or under, and a Senior League for the bigger boys. The Marshall Juniors put together a string of ninty-eight consecutive wins from 1939-1944, capturing four city championships along the way. This winning streak remains a national record, and the Marshall teams from those four seasons are now enshrined in the Chicago Public Schools, Illinois Basketball Coaches and National Basketball Halls of Fame.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 22, 1958

The Marshall Commandos become the Chicago Public League's first State basketball champions. The West Siders defeat Rock Falls, 70-64, at Huff Gymnasium in Champaign.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 21, 1980

The Bulls-Denver game at the Stadium goes into three overtimes, but the Nuggets win, 134-128.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 20, 1967

The Catholic high school champ, DePaul Academy, defeats its public school counterpart, Harlan, in the City title game at the International Amphitheater. Joey Meyer leads the DePaul scoring with thirteen points.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 19, 1949

Loyola University loses the NIT title game, as the Ramblers fall to the Dons of the University of San Francisco, 48-47.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 18, 1978

The North Park College Vikings defeat Widener Colege, 69-57, to become the NCAA Division 3 basketball champions.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 17, 1965

Amos Alonzo Stagg dies at the age of 102. Stagg coached at the University of Chicago from 1892-1933, and his football teams won 268 games, while losing 141.

This Date in Chicago Sports---March 16, 1984

Ennis Whatley's three-point play, in the final seconds of the fourth overtime, gives the Bulls a 156-155 victory over the Trail Blazers in Portland.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 15, 1966

Abe Saperstein, the founder, owner and guiding light of the Chicago-based Harlem Globetrotters, dies in his beloved hometown.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 14, 1958

Ireland's Jim Delany celebrates St. Patrick's Day a few days early, as he runs a record indoor mile at 4:03.4 in the Chicago relays held at the International Amphitheater.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 13, 1960

Bye, Bye, Birdies! The National Football League approves the transfer of the Chicago Cardinals to St. Louis.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 12, 1966

Bobby Hull scores his fifty-first goal, a National Hockey League record for regular season play, as he slaps a shot past New York Ranger goalie Cesare Maniago at the Chicago Stadium. The Hawks go on to win the game, 4-2.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 11, 1954

Chicago Mayor Kennelly, Illinois Governor Stratton and 19,486 other fans attend the championship matches of the twenty-seventh annual Golden Gloves Tournament at the Chicago Stadium.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 10, 1984

Ray Meyer coaches his last regular season basketball game at DePaul. The Blue Demons soundly defeat Marquette, 64-49, before a crowd of 17,559 at the Rosemont Horizon.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 9, 1981

The White Sox announce that free-agent catcher Carlton Fisk will sign a multi-year contract with the team. Fisk will wear uniform number 72, a reversal of his Red Sox number.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 8, 1946

DePaul defeats visiting Beloit College, 65-40. George Mikan plays in his last game as a Blue Demon, scoring 13 points to up his career total to 1,870.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 7, 1976

The Bulls topple the Lakers, 91-88, in a game played at the Los Angeles Forum. Guards Norm Van Lier and Jack Marin lead the Chicago scoring with fourteen points each.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 6, 1983

The Blitz, Chicago's entry in the new United States Football League, wins its opening game, defeating the Washington Federals, 28-7, at RFK Stadium in DC.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 5, 1984

The University of Illinois at Chicago wins its twelfth consecutive basketball game, defeating Western Illinois, 72-67. UIC clinches first place in the new Association of Mid-Continent Universities Conference.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 4, 1973

Arthur Ashe wins the second annual Kemper International Tennis Tournament, defeating Roger Taylor of the United Kingdom, before 4,056 tennis enthusiasts at matches held at suburban Lyons Township High School.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 3, 1941

Joe Stamf of the University of Chicago tallies 12 points in a game against Indiana, to win the Big Ten scoring crown for the year. However the Maroons lose the game, 49-33, and finish 0-12 for the year in the Big Ten Conference.

This Date in Chicago Sports--- March 2, 1931

The Northwestern Wildcats receive the Allerton Trophy for winning their first Big Ten basketball title in twenty-five years.

March 1, 1972

Jim Pappin's three goals lead the visiting Black Hawks to a 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. It is Pappin's fourth career hat trick.