By Woodrow Carroll
For both the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) men’s basketball tournament and the National Basketball Association (NBA), the 1956-1957 season was memorable. The final runs for both organizations produced classic games.
The NCAA men’s championship game has produced more than its share of classics. Given that the idea is to have the best two teams playing at the finish, close, tense, championship games should be expected.
The first time the NCAA championship game went into overtime was in 1944. The NCAA conducted its first tournament in 1939, so, not too many years passed before we the first overtime championship game. By then New York had become the mecca for college basketball. The championship game in 1944 final saw Utah beat Dartmouth, 42-40, in overtime.
Overtime! Just to refresh your memory, the last championship game for the NCAA men that required extra time was in 2019 when Virginia beat Texas Tech, 85-77. Clearly, an overtime to determine the men’s champion has taken place a few times along the way, however, only once has the championship game required more than a single overtime, the 1957 NCAA championship game!
The four finalists who faced off in Kansas City for the NCAA championship in 1957 were defending champion San Francisco, undefeated North Carolina, Kansas with superstar Wilt Chamberlain, and Big Ten representative Michigan State.
The first semifinal game in 1957 pitted North Carolina against Michigan State. Undefeated North Carolna survived, but, just barely, by beating Michigan State, 74-70, in triple overtime.
San Francisco University may have been defending champion, the however, were without Bill Russell now playing for the Boston Celtics and it showed when Kansas and Chamberlain dismantled the Dons, 80-56 to earn the right to take on North Carolina for the championship.
Despite North Carolina’s being undefeated, many observers thought the Kansas, with two regular-season losses, had to be favored. Chamberlain was a force and with the Final Four held in Kansas City it was like a home game for the Jayhawks.
The men’s championship in 1957 between North Carolina and Kansas was still tied after the first overtime, and still knotted after the second overtime. It was only after two free throws by North Carolina’s Joe Quigg in the waning seconds of the third overtime, did North Carolina a secure a 54-53 victory.
In the 1957 NBA finals, Bill Russell did his thing, winning!
Russell, in his rookie year with the Boston Celtics, guided Boston into the championship finals against the St. Louis Hawks. What a final it was.
Despite a sensational rookie campaign, Russell was not voted NBA rookie of the year. That honor went to Russell’s teammate, Tommy Heinsohn. Russell was late joining Boston that season due to an Olympic Games commitment and it may have affected the voting.
The 1957 NBA championship final was best-of-seven. The Celtics, by virtue of a better regular-season record, opened at home. Game one of the NBA finals went to St. Louis, 125-123, in double overtime.
The Celtics-Hawks final in ’57 was all anyone could ask for by going the full seven games. Game seven was another double overtime game. Only this time the Celtics prevailed, 125-123, in double overtime, to claim the championship. Russell won the first of 11 championships in his 13-years in a Celtics’ uniform.