URI UConn Rivalry in the 60's

[Ramball]

Taylor Swift, this is the history you requested. The URI/UConn rivalry in the 60's was a fierce one. The teams played twice a year as members of the Yankee Conference, with the conference champion getting an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. In the '65-'66 season, we beat UConn in the first game and then played them in the final game of the regular season. A URI win would give us the Yankee Conference crown and an automatic bid but UConn trounced us, 96-74 creating a tie for the championship. It was decided that a playoff game would determine who would get the bid and a coin toss to see where the game was to be played went in UConn's favor so we had to go back to the field house to play the game. In the second half, UConn's guard Tom Penders (remember him) started a fight with our guard, Jim Cymbala. Then Art Stephenson, our rugged center through a punch at Penders and was thrown out of the game. He was replaced by Bob Boehm, a seldom used transfer from the Naval Academy who played a great game and we went on to beat UConn and secure the automatic bid. Only 22 teams were invited that year and URI was one of them. Unfortunately, we faced Davidson then coached by an unknown, Lefty Driesell in Blacksburg Va. and lost 95-65. The college game was a lot more simple and pure in those days.
Our coach's salary was probably between $10,000-$15,000 tops.
In the '66-'67 season, we played UConn in the final game of the season at Keaney. We trailed 86-85 with 3 seconds remaining. After a time out, Don Kaull was to inbound the ball on the sideline. He passed the ball into sophomore, Dick Jenkins who buried a shot at the buzzer giving us an 87-86 win over the hated Huskies.
These are just a couple of the many historic games in that rivalry. It is a shame that it no longer exists.

[Billyboy78]

I remember some great games in the 70s too when Corny Thompson was UConn's star.

[Rhode_Island_Red]

Jim Norman once told me there would be 6,000 in Keaney for those games.

[Falcon]

Jim WHO ??

[Ramball]

One other historical fact: The URI media guide for the 1969-1970 season had two players pictured on the cover who were both drafted by the NBA that year. We were the only college in the country who could make that claim that year. Can you name them?

[ramster]

One other historical fact: The URI media guide for the 1969-1970 season had two players pictured on the cover who were both drafted by the NBA that year. We were the only college in the country who could make that claim that year. Can you name them?

John Fultz, Phil Hickson

[Ramball]

You got one of them right.

[ramster]

Fultz has to be right
Possibly Steve Rowell? He was a great player. Would have liked to have seen Rowell with the 3 point line.

[ramster]

And if not Rowell I’ll go with Art Stephanson who was an incredible rebounder

[Ramball]

Still only one correct answer.

[neil]

I’m confident that it is Claude English

[Ramball]

Correct. John Fultz was drafted by the Lakers and Claude English by the Portland Trailblazers.

[ramster]

Correct. John Fultz was drafted by the Lakers and Claude English by the Portland Trailblazers.

Good trivia question. Thank you.


Both great players. Claude was an amazing how high he could go up. Fultz was a tremendous overall player and shooter.

[ramster]

Steve Rowell’s wife Linda was the highest scorer ever for the woman’s team and both were inducted to the URI HOF

[neil]

The answer was a little easier since I was a junior in Kingston during that period of time.

[Ramball]

John Fultz ended up playing in Italy where he was a legend. He coached and played until age 55.

[reef]

I was going to guess Claude E

[Maine66]

I was at the 1966 game. They split the UCONN fieldhouse in half with a side and end for each school. When the fight started the Connecticut state troopers lined the court. Amazing energy level.
Another note on the 65-66 season, we had not beaten PC in the four years I was there and remember we played them twice. Well for the final time we went up to Alumni Hall and beat them by 20 points and they were No. 4 in the country at that time. Nearly 500 students greeted the bus when it returned to Keaney.
Regarding UCONN, the same thing happened in the 1963-64 season when we beat them by a point in Kingston and they returned the favor in Storrs. We won the toss and Keaney was split down the middle with a bevy of Rhode Island Staties patrolling the sidelines. Unfortunately, we lost by a point, but I believe that UCONN went quite a ways in the NCAA tournament. Jim Norman was right, they did cram 6,000 people into Keaney for the PC and UCONN games.

[Ramball]

Another classic game was in February 1970 at the field house. URI had the better team so UConn coach Dee Rowe (who passed away last week) decided to use Dean Smith's four corner offense and hold the ball. There was no shot clock in those days. With less than a minute remaining UConn led 33-32. A URI guard (I believe it was Eddie Molloy, the Flea) stole the ball at midcourt and was driving in for an uncontested layup when he turned his ankle and the ball rolled out of bounds. We fouled UConn on the inbounds play and they made two free throws to win the game 35-32.

[neil]

Couple of thoughts about the sixties. There were 6 teams in the Yankee Conference. The 3 weakest teams were Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire with the 3 strongest were UConn, I mass and the Rams. In order to have any chance of going to the dance you had to sweep the weak teams, win your home games against the strong teams and maybe sneak a win on the road. That was not easy. Going to the cage in Amherst orAlumni gym in Storrs was no walk on the beach. My freshman year we were 7 and 3. No chance whatsoever. The intensity with UConn in my opinion was just about the same as pc. In my degree of dislike, it is UConn over pc, solely from the fact of how I grew up with those games and also their fans remain obnoxious. Red might agree with me that we like when pc plays UConn someone has to lose. Btw, to get a ticket for a Kearney game you had to go at 8 in the morning to the second floor of the union. The line was always down the hallway. Also, on the day after a game the coaches met with the students in the union for q and a. It was an honor watching Doctor J, Ernie D and of course Art Stephenson. I was there when he set the ram record for 28 rebounds in one game go Rhody

[Billyboy78]

Couple of thoughts about the sixties. There were 6 teams in the Yankee Conference. The 3 weakest teams were Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire with the 3 strongest were UConn, I mass and the Rams. In order to have any chance of going to the dance you had to sweep the weak teams, win your home games against the strong teams and maybe sneak a win on the road. That was not easy. Going to the cage in Amherst orAlumni gym in Storrs was no walk on the beach. My freshman year we were 7 and 3. No chance whatsoever. The intensity with UConn in my opinion was just about the same as pc. In my degree of dislike, it is UConn over pc, solely from the fact of how I grew up with those games and also their fans remain obnoxious. Red might agree with me that we like when pc plays UConn someone has to lose. Btw, to get a ticket for a Kearney game you had to go at 8 in the morning to the second floor of the union. The line was always down the hallway. Also, on the day after a game the coaches met with the students in the union for q and a. It was an honor watching Doctor J, Ernie D and of course Art Stephenson. I was there when he set the ram record for 28 rebounds in one game go Rhody

Art Stephenson AVERAGED over 16 rebounds a game that season.

[Ramball]

Steph was a great center at 6' 4''. He was a terrific rebounder, as noted but also had a double pump shot which was pretty accurate. He passed away at an early age. The story I heard was that he suffered a heart attack while stuck in traffic in NY City. Not sure how accurate that is. His younger brother Andy played at URI a few years later.

[McRam]

Taylor Swift, this is the history you requested. The URI/UConn rivalry in the 60's was a fierce one. The teams played twice a year as members of the Yankee Conference, with the conference champion getting an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. In the '65-'66 season, we beat UConn in the first game and then played them in the final game of the regular season. A URI win would give us the Yankee Conference crown and an automatic bid but UConn trounced us, 96-74 creating a tie for the championship. It was decided that a playoff game would determine who would get the bid and a coin toss to see where the game was to be played went in UConn's favor so we had to go back to the field house to play the game. In the second half, UConn's guard Tom Penders (remember him) started a fight with our guard, Jim Cymbala. Then Art Stephenson, our rugged center through a punch at Penders and was thrown out of the game. He was replaced by Bob Boehm, a seldom used transfer from the Naval Academy who played a great game and we went on to beat UConn and secure the automatic bid. Only 22 teams were invited that year and URI was one of them. Unfortunately, we faced Davidson then coached by an unknown, Lefty Driesell in Blacksburg Va. and lost 95-65. The college game was a lot more simple and pure in those days.
Our coach's salary was probably between $10,000-$15,000 tops.
In the '66-'67 season, we played UConn in the final game of the season at Keaney. We trailed 86-85 with 3 seconds remaining. After a time out, Don Kaull was to inbound the ball on the sideline. He passed the ball into sophomore, Dick Jenkins who buried a shot at the buzzer giving us an 87-86 win over the hated Huskies.
These are just a couple of the many historic games in that rivalry. It is a shame that it no longer exists.

If I remember correctly , we.passed the ball to mid court and Earnie c called a time out and set up a play. Jenkins hit a 35 foot shot to win

Great win over hated Huskies!

[McRam]

Anyone remember the ncaa team that had a front line of Chubin Steph and 5’11 Henry Carey. Now that was a leader.

Think that was the year we beat the jimmy walker pc friars at providence 84-61 after losing to them at home

[McRam]

Leader. Meant leeper

[Rhode_Island_Red]

Couple of thoughts about the sixties. There were 6 teams in the Yankee Conference. The 3 weakest teams were Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire with the 3 strongest were UConn, I mass and the Rams. In order to have any chance of going to the dance you had to sweep the weak teams, win your home games against the strong teams and maybe sneak a win on the road. That was not easy. Going to the cage in Amherst orAlumni gym in Storrs was no walk on the beach. My freshman year we were 7 and 3. No chance whatsoever. The intensity with UConn in my opinion was just about the same as pc. In my degree of dislike, it is UConn over pc, solely from the fact of how I grew up with those games and also their fans remain obnoxious. Red might agree with me that we like when pc plays UConn someone has to lose. Btw, to get a ticket for a Kearney game you had to go at 8 in the morning to the second floor of the union. The line was always down the hallway. Also, on the day after a game the coaches met with the students in the union for q and a. It was an honor watching Doctor J, Ernie D and of course Art Stephenson. I was there when he set the ram record for 28 rebounds in one game go Rhody

I was in college in the late 70s. The second Saturday of November was the end of the football and soccer seasons, and either Storrs or Kingston would host soccer in the morning and football in the afternoon. Imagine 5,000 people at a 10 a.m. soccer game ... many of them drinking, of course (peppermint schnapps was a blessing and a curse), so you can imagine what the football game was like when the other 5,000 rolled in.

Brothers Kevin and Ken Murphy played soccer — Kevin for URI, Ken for the Leg-humpers. One year (I think it was ‘78) they got into a fistfight during the game on the field. Afterward, Kevin said something to the effect of, “he’s my brother and I love him but when he puts on that uniform he’s the enemy.” THAT’s a rivalry.

[Maine66]

McRam:

Steve Chubin, Mike Fitzgerald and Don Kaul were my fraternity brothers as were Frank Nightengale and Ron Rothtsein on teams prior to 65-66. Henry Carey and Jim Cymbala might as well have been as they came to all our parties. Henry used to put on a pregame show with his dunks. It was a fun time to be a basketball fan especially as we had a lot of day to day contact with the players. A lot of the TKE and Phi MU guys get together each June to play golf and tell lies! Chubin was a legend in all aspects of the word!