Conference Independent 1962–63 record 29–2 Assistant coach Jerry Lyne | AP No. 3 Head coach George Ireland | |
The 1962–63 Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team represented Loyola University Chicago. The head coach was George Ireland. The Ramblers were the 1963 NCAA Tournament Champions, defeating top-ranked and two-time defending champion Cincinnati Bearcats in a 60–58 overtime contest. The team was notable in that it broke the so-called "gentlemen's agreement" amongst coaches in which no more than two black players would be on the floor at one time (and in some road games, black players would have to rotate so that only one of them was playing at any given moment): the Ramblers would regularly have three or four black starters, paving the way for the 1965-66 Texas Western Miners men's basketball team who would finally put the "agreement" to rest and have an all-black starting five.
Contents
On July 11, 2013, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of their championship, surviving members of Loyola's team were honored by President Barack Obama in a ceremony at the Oval Office of the White House. It also was announced that the entire team would be inducted in the College Basketball Hall of Fame in a ceremony scheduled for November 2013.
Awards and honors
Jerry Harkness:
Team:
Records
Loyola's first-round Mideast Regional victory over Tennessee Tech, 111-42, continues to be the record margin of victory (69 points) in an NCAA men's basketball tournament game.