Feb. 9, 2006

DETROIT - Wayne State University Director of Athletics Rob Fournier announced that the WSU athletic department will be recognizing the 1955-56 Wayne University basketball squad that participated in the NCAA Division I tournament at halftime of the Feb. 11 men's basketball game versus Gannon.

"Long before the advances chronicled in the movie Glory Road, the freeways of Detroit had made a significant contribution to the success, and integration, of college basketball," said Fournier. "The achievements of the 1955-56 Wayne State basketball team are part of our proud history ... and that of the NCAA basketball tournament."

The 1955-56 squad, under the tutelage of head coach Joel Mason, compiled a 17-1 regular-season mark with the lone loss to the University of Louisville. The Tartars, playing home games both at Pershing High and U of D Memorial, ran off a 16-game winning streak to conclude the regular season, which included two wins over Central Michigan College (now University) and a victory over Michigan State Normal College (now Eastern Michigan). Wayne began the year with an 80-54 victory at MSNC.

Ironically, this Saturday (Feb. 11) is the 50th anniversary of Wayne's 105-54 triumph over Case Institute of Technology. The Tartars posted three more victories (75-52 over Valparaiso, 97-74 at Western Reserve, and 88-80 over John Carroll) before defeating DePaul University, 72-63, in an NCAA First Round match in Fort Wayne to advance to the "Sweet Sixteen."

Wayne then traveled to Iowa City, where the Tartars fell to Kentucky and Morehead State to finish in a tie-for-13th nationally.

Five players (George Brown, Clarence Straughn, George Duncan, Robert Kendrick and Ronald Porter) saw action in all 21 games, while Thomas Keller and Jerry Greenberg each played in 20 contests. Other team members were Lawrence Gualtieri, Donald Halverson, Ulysses Harvey, Dean Hedden, Tarpon London, Mark Wittock, Fred Snowden, Dolzier McDonald and Ed Williams.

Those receiving numerals for the 1955-56 season were Robert Austin, Alan Blackburn, Charles Boyce, Glen Byers, Alexander Hardie, Winfield Henry, Lynn Holmes, Talmadge James, William Norwood and Alfred Peterson. The varsity assistant coach and freshman head coach was Jack Cotton.