Newsletter Thorpes Made ‘B’ Fans Believe in Miracles by Greg Hansen Him,” Says Tyon

2210 W. Pentagon Place • Sioux Falls, SD 57107 (605) 467-3010 • www.sdbbhof.com 2020 Spring Newsletter Thorpes made ‘B’ fans believe in Miracles By Greg Hansen him,” says Tyon. “Whenever we n the following day – March really needed a basket the rest of 8, 1963 – a newspaper us didn’t want to even touch the Oreport proclaimed it: ‘The ball. We wanted Marvin to take Greatest Comeback In The History the shot.” Of The State Basketball So it was no surprise, in a game Tournament.’ dripping with drama, that the 5-9 The previous night, before a Red Elk had the ball as the final sold-out Sioux Falls Arena crowd, seconds ticked off the clock. the never-surrender duo of Louis When he pulled up, still 20 feet Tyon and Marvin Red Elk won a from the basket, and hit the game- crucial game for the Pine Ridge winning jump shot it climaxed a Thorpes that nearly everyone resounding 28-6 run that gave the believed was already lost. Thorpes a stunning 51-49 victory. Pine Ridge’s opponent, Monroe, Red Elk finished with 22 points was talented and big. The uniquely and Tyon had 18. Friese scored 15, named Wooden Shoed Canaries Phil Mellegaard 13 and Ron were led by 6-foot-5 center Ivan Nugteren 12 for the Canaries of Friese and brought a sparkling 22- Coach Larry Ortman. 1 record to the State Class B Pine Ridge beat Iroquois in the Tournament. semifinals and then lost to In the quarterfinals the Thorpes Alexandria in the championship trailed Monroe by a seemingly game. Monroe topped Agar in the insurmountable 20 points at 43- consolation round and then fell to 23 late in the third quarter. It was Irene in the fifth-place game. an era before the 3-point goal Fifty-seven years later became a late-game equalizer. So memories of the Pine Ridge- spectators were already updating Monroe classic remain vivid for their brackets and moving Monroe Tyon Family Photo those who watched in person or into the semifinals. Pine Ridge reached the Class B title game in on statewide television. 1962 and 1963 behind forward Louis Tyon, But then Pine Ridge unleashed here rebounding against Edgemont as “People still bring it up,” says some desperate defensive Filmore He Crow (34) looks on. Tyon. “That game has kind of pressure. Tyon is now 74 years old lived on.” and he still remembers the sense But the Miracle at the Arena of urgency that gripped he and his In this Issue: was only one compelling chapter teammates. in the story of the Thorpes during In the Beginning .....3-4-5 “We started getting some steals the 1962 and 1963 seasons. Chuck and the momentum really turned,” A Traveling Band .............8 Gustafson coached Pine Ridge. He says Tyon. “We weren’t very big. I Legacy Lives On ............10 was a native of Bryant and was our tallest guy at about 5-11. So graduate of Northern State. we full-court pressed and we ran as Gustafson provided guidance and much as we could.” against Monroe he didn’t miss direction, says Tyon, but, “He gave Baskets after steals by Tyon many,” says Tyon. us the freedom to play the way and Red Elk spurred the How much did the Thorpes that came natural to us.” comeback. believe in the smooth-shooting Tyon and Red Elk were juniors “Marvin was a good outside Red Elk? in 1962 when the Thorpes went shooter and in that last quarter “We had a lot of confidence in Continued on Page 2 2020 Spring Newsletter • Page 2 Thorpes made ‘B’ fans believe in Miracles Continued from Page 1 25-3 and won their first state championship since 1936. In the title game, facing McIntosh and star guard Homer White Buffalo, the Thorpes prevailed 70-68 on two late free throws by Tyon. Pine Ridge’s consecutive trips to the finals was aided by Marvin Ghost Bear, Myron Iron Cloud, Wilmer Kills Warrior, Filmore He Crow and Gordon Weston. But the Thorpes were built around Tyon, first team all-state in both 1962 and 1963, and Red Elk, a third team all-state selection both years. Tyon went on to play at Northern and Chadron State. He graduated from Black Hills State and spent many years as the guidance counselor at Pine Ridge. He now lives at Rapid City. Red Elk served in the U.S. Coast Guard. He died at age 39 in 1984. Submitted Photo Red Elk is buried at the Fort One year before the famous Pine Ridge-Monroe game, the Thorpes won the 1962 state title. Pine Snelling National Cemetery in Ridge was 25-3 with, from left, front, Wilmer Kills Warrior, Gordon Weston, Marvin Red Elk, Filmore He Crow, Pat Twiss. Back, manager Bill Pulliam, Edger Ghost Bear, Don Standing Elk, Minneapolis. Pat Hayes, Vincent Pourier, Joe Clifford, Louis Tyon, Ray Bull Bear and Coach Chuck Gustafson. A Message from the Hall of Fame On this we can all agree, the state and nation challenging months behind us. 2019-20 basketball season was in looking The edition you are now reading like no other in history. towards the is our 12th and it will bring back The coronavirus pandemic future with memories of simpler times. caused a reshaping of priorities renewed hope There are over 1,200 on our and a fundamental reawakening and optimism. newsletter mailing list. And the to the fact that nothing compares It was number of states to which we mail to the importance of keeping regrettable but has grown to 40. We thank our people safe and healthy. necessary to readers for your support and for Still, it is impossible to put into cancel our sharing our belief in the value of words the despair felt by student- Dave Wagner banquet in keeping South Dakota basketball athletes, coaches and fans who March. We now look forward to history alive. are now left to forever wonder instead inducting the Class of what might have been. 2020 in 2021. With the onset of spring, we at We hope that our website and Dave Wagner the South Dakota High School newsletter archives provided Executive Director Basketball Hall of Fame join our some respite during the 2020 Spring Newsletter • Page 3 Basketball Cometh, igniting a S.D. Passion By Bob Swanhorst o find, let alone agree on, the origin and evolving of Tany movement or happening is very difficult to factually establish. So is it with basketball. I first learned that Columbus discovered America, but that was bogus since there were hundreds of thousands of people already in the Americas and Caribbean Islands. Leif Erickson (970-1020) had already been here too. President Calvin Coolidge said so at the Minnesota State Fair in 1925. Erickson has statues all across the country Jansa Family Photo from Boston to Seattle including Clifford Jansa releases a shot for Nettleton Commercial College in the late 1930s. His son Steve, the Twin Cities and Duluth. former O’Gorman star, is a South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame member. We do know that basketball lack of things for them to do in be played indoors and should was invented by Dr. James their spare time. Mischief took deemphasize roughness and Naismith at a YMCA in hold. To alleviate this trend an involve some sort of goal. Springfield, Massachusetts, effort was made to place Christian Because of a previous game sometime in the year 1891. But principles into practice. The goal known as Duck on a Rock a how did he perceive the game of the first YMCA, founded by Sir vertical throw at the goal was and how did it develop and George Williams of London, was established. Anyone can find spread across the country? When the development of “body, mind, further explanations because the did it come to South Dakota? and spirit.” YMCA buildings were first 13 Rules of Basketball were The first YMCA goes all the soon spreading across the entire written down and have been way back to 1844 in London, globe. The buildings more often preserved for all of history. England. A quick explanation says than not included gymnasiums. Fast forward to the shores of that during the Industrial Dr. Naismith, originally from Big Stone Lake in Northeast Revolution boys and young men Canada, was asked to develop a South Dakota. Henry F. were coming into cities by the game to occupy the youth during Kallenberg, who once worked hundreds. There was an apparent winter months. The game could Continued on Page 4 Board of Directors To Contact Us Bob Swanhorst, Gordon Fosness Lynn Frederick Executive Director President Mike Begeman Frank Brost Dave Wagner LaMoine Torgerson, Colleen Moran Bill Marquardt SDBBHOF Vice President Jesse Mendoza H H H Lee Stoddard, Elton Byre 2210 W. Pentagon Place Director of Media Treasurer Jim Thorson Sioux Falls, SD 57107 Greg Hansen Wayne Thue, Tyrone Albers (605) 467-3010 Secretary Chad Bergan Executive Assistant Rob Van Laecken Mary Pennington [email protected] 2020 Spring Newsletter • Page 4 Basketball Cometh, igniting a S.D. Passion Continued from Page 3 with Naismith at Springfield, held a summer conference for Sioux Indians at the lake. The recreational period included the introduction of basketball. The year of that conference has been established as 1896. Kallenberg was, at that time, the physical instructor at the YMCA in Iowa City. Various references say Kallenberg also used basketball at a conference in Pierre and at various reservation schools in South Dakota at about the same time. Probably safe to say that basketball had come to our state.

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