Tiny Toulon to the Bradley hilltop: Remembering all-American basketball player Paul Unruh

The headline on the front page of the Stark County News on Jan. 9, 1946, said it all: “Toulon Trojans Basketball Team Undefeated in 12 games.”

The subhead, though, might have indicated the lead had been buried.

Not only was tiny Toulon — with its enrollment under 200 students — undefeated through its first dozen games, but the Trojans were ranked 40th in the Associated Press state rankings. Mind you, these was the days of single-class sports in the Illinois High School Association. The Trojans found themselves ranked ahead of such large schools as Moline, Winnetka New Trier, Calumet City, Morton and Oak Park.

From the archives: Where are they now? Bradley all-American Paul Unruh

Leading the way was 6-foot-4 senior do-it-all Paul Unruh, who would later go on to become the first consensus all-American at Bradley University, leading the Braves to runner-up finishes in the NCAA and NIT tournaments and landing in the school and Missouri Valley Conference halls of fame.

Unruh, considered one of the pioneers of the basketball jump shot, died on Friday, Dec. 8. He was 95.

He is survived by three children — Brent, Brenda and Bryce — his sister and five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Donna, his brother Daniel, and his brother-in-law, Harry Murrell. At Unruh’s request, cremation rites have been accorded and a private family celebration of Paul's life will be held at a later time. Memorial contributions may be made to the Paul & Donna Unruh Endowed Scholarship at Bradley University.

"It's been a good life, very gratifying," Unruh told the Journal Star in 2003. "My senior year, we were ranked No. 1 most of the year, that was a pretty exciting ride. It was very special and provided memories that will never go away. And staying in the area and being close to Bradley all these years has been a good thing for me."

From Toulon to Bradley for Paul Unruh

Unruh averaged better than 20 points during that magical 1945-1946 season at Toulon. But that wasn’t his only contribution to the Toulon tradition. While the Trojans were winning their first six games, the Stark County News also pointed out Unruh had made the second-quarter honor roll and that he was starring in the senior class production of “Spring Fever,” which the News described as a “three-act farce.”

Later, Unruh’s Trojans moved up to No. 34 in the AP poll — once again ahead of state powerhouses. Unfortunately, that dream season ended with a defeat of neighboring Wyoming in the first round of District tournament play.

Unruh was just getting started writing his own story.

The big left-hander became the first player to lead Bradley in scoring in all four seasons. But, just like at Toulon, Unruh’s talents were not limited to the hardwood. Unruh also ran track at BU and set a school record in the 440-yard dash at 49.7 seconds.

That same speed drew him national attention on the basketball court. Stan Lomax of Sport Magazine wrote “Six feet, four inches tall, with 181 pounds distributed over all that length, Unruh has been one of Bradley’s steadiest scorers. He is one of the fastest men playing college basketball … but is best known at Bradley for his amazing endurance. He’s the ’40-minute man’ and never shows any signs of slowing up”

Ups and downs at Bradley

Unruh’s senior season of 1949-50 coincided with the debut of Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse as the Braves moved on from the Peoria Armory.  The consensus All-American teamed with future No. 1 NBA Draft pick Gene “Squeaky” Melchiorre to set the Braves on a path of dominance in the storied arena. Bradley went 18-1 that first season in the hangar on the Hilltop. When the Braves ceased playing there in 1982, they had won nearly 80 percent of their games played in the historic building.

“I’ll guarantee you the Peoria community has not forgotten those great teams," Unruh told the Journal Star in 2012. "It’s pretty amazing the number of people who still come up to me and want to talk about it. A lot of them weren’t even born yet, but they still know there was a time when Bradley had a great basketball team. It’s an amazing thing.”

The Braves' dominance at home in their inaugural season at Robertson helped them ascend to No. 3 in the Associated Press polls when the first poll was released on Jan. 5, 1950. Despite not suffering any setbacks, the Braves dropped as low as No. 6 in the poll before climbing the ranks again. Bradley spent the final three weeks of the regular season ranked No. 1 in the country, setting the stage for their greatest triumph and their downfall.

After earning invitations to both the NCAA tournament and the NIT tournament — the latter was in its final stages of being equally prestigious to the NCAA championship. Twice Bradley traveled to New York City and the hoops mecca of Madison Square Garden for the championship game of each tourney and twice the Braves were beaten by the City College of New York.

It would later be revealed that several members of the Bradley team had been involved in a nationwide point-shaving scandal. As former Journal Star sports editor Kirk Wessler wrote in a 2008 story:

“In the summer of 1951, Melchiorre and six of his teammates were called to account by authorities for their roles in point-shaving schemes that began sweeping college basketball in the late 1940s. When the investigations wrapped up, 32 players from seven schools had been arrested. Twenty-four, including Melchiorre, were either convicted or pled guilty to assorted crimes. Four served jail time.”

Bradley Braves basketball: Coverage of the team from the Peoria Journal Star

Left out of the media reports at that time was Unruh. However, as Wessler pointed out in the same article, Unruh later admitted in 1997 that he had accepted $100 — the equivalent of $1,200 today — but he has also claimed he had never agreed to alter any outcomes. Unruh said that he was questioned in the case, but that investigators never asked him if he had taken money.

Before those allegations came to light, however, Unruh became Bradley’s first consensus All-American — appearing on all the major All-American teams alongside illustrious names like future Hall of Famer Bob Cousy. He was selected in the second round, 20th overall, of the 1950 NBA Draft by the Indianapolis Olympians, but he opted to never play for them. Instead, he played for the Peoria Cats of the National AAU Basketball League, which maintained his eligibility to represent Team USA at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland.

But that dream would never come to fruition as Unruh was once again drafted — this time into the U.S. Army amid the Korean War. Though he never saw combat duty (he instead served stateside), Unruh’s duty to country dashed his dream of representing his country in the sport he loved.

When his commitment to Uncle Sam was complete, Unruh returned home to Peoria. Here, he built a family insurance agency, first under the name Unruh & Morse and then later worked under the Wells Fargo banner.

"Being a former Bradley player, especially in the insurance business, has been a big asset for me," Unruh said in 2003. "The community is very receptive to Bradley players. It's pretty hard to find anybody here who isn't familiar with Bradley and the team."

Unruh stayed active in the community, serving as a member of the Peoria Suburban Kiwanis Club as well as Peoria Country Club. He helped to found Willow Knolls Country Club as well as the Bradley Chiefs Club.

Today, his No. 15 jersey hangs in the rafters at Carver Arena, a reminder to future Braves and their fans as to what is possible.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Paul Unruh obituary of Bradley Braves basketball all-American