Undefeated Redmen won state's big-school championship with a perfect 25-0 season

(Note from author Mike Drooger: The Edgerton (Minn.) Flying Dutchmen were the talk of high school basketball in the Upper Midwest in 1960. Three years later, the Sisseton Redmen also pulled off the unlikely when they went 25-0 and won the Class A crown in South Dakota. The Dutchmen and the Redmen have some things in common including one biggie — the year they won it all, they both had a new coach. The Redmen recently gathered in Sisseton to relive that wonderful year of high school basketball. Myron Moen, who also starred at General Beadle State Teachers College in Madison is Gay Lynn Drooger’s (Mike's wife) oldest sibling.)

SISSETON — The year was 1963.

The biggest news story far and away occurred in November with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The next biggest story was arguably Jack Ruby gunning down Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused killer of JFK.

Sports news in ’63 involved the Dodgers beating the Yankees in the World Series and Boston knocking off the Los Angeles Lakers for the National Basketball Association crown. Toronto defeated Detroit to take the Stanley Cup and the Chicago Bears won the National Football League championship by beating the New York Giants 14-10.

The Beverly Hillbillies was the No. 1 TV show in ‘63, and Stevie Wonder, now 73, was so young he was known as Little Stevie Wonder. A postage stamp was five cents and you could buy three gallons of gas for less than a dollar.

In northeastern South Dakota in '63, the Sisseton Redmen boys basketball team grabbed the spotlight in March when they finished the season with a record of 25-0 and won the state Class A title in the Sioux Falls Arena, where the tournament was held for the first time. The Redmen were just the third Class A team to finish with an undefeated season.

On Friday, July 7, the remaining members of the 1963 state champion Redmen who were able to attend met at Rosalie’s in Sisseton to celebrate the 60th anniversary of their incredible feat.  Players, wives and cheerleaders from that incredible season shared memories that brought about lots of laughter, hugs and handshakes. There was also some quiet time as they remembered the passing of a teammate, as well as others who were unable to attend the get-together due to health issues.

Myron Moen, who coordinated the reunion, began the event by thanking all of those that had taken the time to come. Then he said, “These guys (he motioned around the room) were the best basketball players in the state of South Dakota for many years.”

It would be hard to argue Moen’s statement.  All five of the ’63 starters played basketball in college, and two players from the ’62 team also played collegiately.  Those seven college basketball players were Moen, Jack Theeler, DuWayne Groos, Simon Schloe, Bob Hull, Bob Brewster and Doug Nelson.

Theeler compared his team’s accomplishment to that of Milan High School in Indiana, which was the basis for the movie “Hoosiers” about a small town that overtook the bigger schools on the way to the title.

“There were 32 teams in Class A in ’63. There were only four schools with a smaller enrollment than us,” Theeler reported.  He also said, “When I look at the scrapbooks now and all of the newspaper clippings, the memories come storming back.”

More than one person in attendance mentioned how important the 1962 state tournament was for the ’63 team.  Moen, Theeler, and Mike Dady recalled how heartbroken the team was after they had lost to Sioux Falls in ’62 (Sioux Falls had just one high school then).

“We were up by 13 points with 3:12 left in the game,” Moen recalled.

Foul trouble and substitutions that backfired allowed Sioux Falls to battle back to within a point.

“All I had to do was make two free throws and the game would have been over,” Moen admitted about a situation in the final seconds. “I made the first one, but the second one went around the rim and fell off. Sioux Falls tied the game and then won in overtime.”

“That loss to Sioux Falls stimulated the ’63 team,” Dady said. The ’62 team finished 23-2.

The Redmen breezed through the ’63 regular season going 20-0. They did have a trio of games in a row at midseason that were close. They defeated Watertown 55-49, Custer 41-40 and Rapid City 40-33 (Rapid City also had just one school in ’63).

The closest game of all happened in the brand new Watertown Civic Arena in Section play against the host Watertown Arrows.

“The game was tied at 46.  We got off a long shot attempt that missed, but Bob Hull was right there for a tip-in at the buzzer,” Moen explained.

The Redmen were back in the state tournament.

They disposed of Gregory easily (65-37), which set up a revenge game vs. Sioux Falls. This time, there would be no collapse. The Redmen won 42-33. They took care of Brookings by 16 points (58-42) in the championship game to give the city of Sisseton a state title. To this day, it's the only state boys basketball championship in school history.

It was reported a car caravan three miles in length followed the victors to Sisseton on Sunday. Moen and Theeler were named to the Class A All-Tournament first team. Bob Brewster and Simon Schloe made the second team.

While listening to the players talk about that season, one thing that was common among them was their recollection of many things falling into place in the prior years, plus there was a lot of hard work along the way.

Two pieces of the puzzle that “fell in place” were Schloe and Theeler. Schloe transferred to Sisseton from nearby Peever as a junior. Theeler came from McLaughlin as a sixth-grader. The Redmen nearly lost Theeler after his junior season when his dad contemplated moving his family to Aberdeen.

“I began thinking of teammates who would let me live in their basement,” Theeler stated with a smile.  He did end up staying in Sisseton and, much to his surprise, his father Jack, Sr., took over as head coach of the Redman for Duane Phillips.

Coach Phillips had helped lay the groundwork years earlier by getting outdoor basketball courts built. He also spent many hours maintaining them. Phillips opened the gym on Saturdays during the school year and in the evenings in the summer.

Phillips taught basketball in his physical education classes where he stressed the fundamentals. He arranged ambitious schedules for the boys when they were in grade school, which included a yearly trip to Sioux Falls and YMCA tournaments. The stars of the future also played intramural games. It was conservatively estimated they participated in over 50 games a year thanks to P.E., intramurals and their regular grade schedule.

Players also talked about playing outside during recess no matter the weather.  And Tony Barker remembered playing a lot of one-on-one in grade school.

“No one could beat Myron and me,” he said with a laugh.

Barker added, “It (winning the title) took a lot of hard work.”

Marlowe Samson, a valuable reserve who was praised by the starters along with the other reserves for pushing the starting five in practice, jokingly said, “All I remember is the starters kicking us around pretty good in practice every day. That was brutal!”

Bob Hull, the hero of the victory over Watertown, said, “My heart’s pumping as I recall all of these great memories.  I might be biased, but I think we had the two best forwards in the history of South Dakota (Moen and Theeler).”

Hull also amused the crowd with a humorous account of one-on-one games with Moen.

“I never beat him. I got to nine a few times, but then he would do anything to win. My life was in danger. I figured it wasn’t worth a fractured arm, leg or neck.”

Hull also noted the Redmen had a six-and-a-half-year stretch where they did not lose a game at home. He too praised the reserves by saying, “I know if we would have played just our sixth man all the way to the end of the roster, they could have won the conference that year.”

Steve Bergerson had a major decision to make during his senior season. He had to choose between basketball and music. He chose music because he knew that would have a longer impact on his life than basketball, but he was able to be around the team by being the team mascot.

A drummer and band manager for the Mystics, Bergerson was inducted into the South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.

“Most of us played basketball together since the sixth grade, and we played year around. We had a chemistry you couldn’t define but could feel. We also had really great coaches who guided us,” Bergerson said.  

Tom Hruby moved to Sisseton from North Dakota for his senior year. He echoed others when he mentioned the rigors of practice including “running bleachers” while wearing ankle weights. He also pointed out practice is where the “great teams are made.”

Hruby aptly summed up everyone’s thoughts when he said, “That state championship was the icing on the cake!”

During a five-year span, the Redmen had an incredible record of 111-12. They capped off that amazing run with a state championship and their perfect season. In 2011, the team was inducted into the South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame by being recognized as a Team of Excellence.

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Sisseton's 1963 state championship boys basketball team holds reunion