1950s Connections | Wyandotte High School Basketball, Kansas City, Kansas

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Overbrook High School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Class of 1955)

High School Career

Averaged 37.4 points per game in his high school career leading the Overbrook Hilltoppers to 2 Philadelphia city championships.
After visiting the University of Kansas in February 1955, Chamberlain picked the Jayhawks in May, 1955, over scholarship offers from over 200 colleges. Bulldog Trailblazer, Roy Edwards, was a significant figure in KU’s recruiting of Chamberlain.

College Career

1955-1956 freshman season
- With freshman ineligible for varsity competition, Chamberlain played for the Kansas Jayhawk freshman team. Among Chamberlain’s teammates was Wyandotte Bulldog Monte Johnson (Class of 1955) who had joined the Jayhawk team as a walk-on.

1956-1957 sophomore season
- Averaging 30 points and 19 rebounds per game, Chamberlain helped the Jayhawks to the 1957 National Championship game at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri where they fell to the North Carolina Tar Heels 54-53 in triple overtime. Earned consensus 1st Team All-American honors. Among Chamberlain’s teammates were Wyandotte Bulldogs Harry Jett (Class of 1953) and Monte Johnson (Class of 1955).

Wilt Chamberlain, playing the Kansas Jayhawks.

1957-1958 junior season
- Helped the Jayhawks to an 18-5 record and 2nd place finish in the Big 8 Conference. Earned consensus 1st Team All-American honors. Among Chamberlain’s teammates were Wyandotte Bulldogs Alan Donaghue (Class of 1956) and Monte Johnson (Class of 1955).

Professional Career

Played the 1958-1959 season for the Harlem Globetrotters before joining the Philadelphia (now Golden State) Warriors for the 1959-1960 season. Competed for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors from 1959-1965, Philadelphia 76ers from 1965-1968, and Los Angeles Lakers from 1968-1973.
Earned 2 NBA Championships (1967, 1972), 4 Most Valuable Player Awards (1960, 1966, 1967, and 1968), and was elected to 13 NBA All-Star teams (1960-1969, 1971-1973).
Earned NBA Anniversary Team honors for the 35th, 50th, and 75th years of the league.

Parsons High School, Parsons, Kansas, Class of 1955

High School Career

Competed as a 3-sport athlete for the Parsons Vikings. In 1955, Wyandotte defeated Parsons 55-47 in the semifinals of the Wichita North tournament. Parsons’ second leading scorer was Guthridge with 11 points. Both teams advanced to the 1955 Class AA Tournament where Parsons finished 4th and Wyandotte defeated the Leavenworth Pioneers to win the state championship.

College career

Competed for 3 seasons (1957-1958 through 1959-1960) for the Kansas State Wildcats and Coach Tex Winter. Helped the Wildcats to the 1958 Final 4 where they lost to future NBA Hall of Famer, Elgin Baylor & the Seattle Chieftains, 73-51 in the National Semifinals.

Professional career

After starting his career as a high school coach for the Scott City Beavers for two seasons, Guthridge served as an assistant coach for Coach Tex Winter & the Kansas State Wildcats from 1962-1967.
Hired as an assistant coach by North Carolina Tar Heels’ Coach Dean Smith in 1967 to replace Larry Brown. Guthridge served as Smith’s assistant coach for 30 years until Smith retired from coaching in 1997. In 1997, Guthridge was promoted to UNC head coach in a role he held for 3 seasons until retiring in 2000.

UNC coaching staff from the early 1980's. (L-R) Roy Williams, Eddie Fogler, Bill Guthridge, Dean Smith (head coach)

Guthridge played or coached in 14 Final Fours which is the most of any player / coach of all time.
Player @ Kansas State - 1958, Assistant Coach @ Kansas State - 1964, Assistant Coach @ North Carolina - 1968, 1969, 1972, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, Head Coach @ North Carolina 1998, 2000.
Was the first college coach to identify Michael Jordan as a college basketball prospect during his junior year at Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Earned a 1976 Olympic Gold Medal as an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic team coached by Dean Smith.

Wichita North High School, Wichita, Kansas, Class of 1956

High School Career

Competing for the Wichita North Redskins, earned All-State honors in football in 1955, twice earned All-Ark Valley Conference in basketball, and won the 1956 Class AA high hurdles state title.
Helped the Redskins to the 1954 Class AA state tournament championship where they defeated the Wyandotte Bulldogs 63-55 in the title game at Ahearn Field House in Manhattan.
In the 1955 Class AA state tournament, the Redskins lost to the Chanute Blue Comets 59-46 in the quarterfinals despite 12 points from McClinton. After defeating Chanute in the semifinals, the Wyandotte Bulldogs defeated the Leavenworth Pioneers 53-43 in the 1955 state championship game at Ahearn Field House in Manhattan.

College Football Career

Signed a football scholarship offer with the Kansas Jayhawks in September 1958 after playing his freshman season for the Wichita State Shockers.
Earned All-Big 8 Conference honors for the Kansas Jayhawks in 1959, 1960, and 1961.
In 1961, helped the Jayhawks to a 7-3-1 record & a 33-7 victory over the Rice Owls in the Bluebonnet Bowl.
Drafted by the Dallas Texans (now Kansas City Chiefs) in the 14th round of the 1961 AFL Draft.

Professional Career

Curtis McClinton, playing for the Kansas Jayhawks,

Scored the first touchdown (on a 7-yard pass from Len Dawson in the 2nd quarter) by an AFL player in Super Bowl history for the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl I in 1967.
Competed for the Kansas City Chiefs team that won Super Bowl IV over the Minnesota Vikings 23-7.

Bishop Ward High School, Kansas City, Kansas, Class of 1958

Early Life & High School Career

Grew up at 8th & Pacific Avenue in the Strawberry Hill neighborhood.
As a senior basketball player for the Cyclones, faced the 1958 state champion Wyandotte Bulldog team 3 times. Sadecki scored 17 points in the season-opening Ward win over the Bulldogs. Wyandotte defeated the Cyclones in both the regular season finale and the Regional Final. Sadecki joined Wyandotte’s Nolen Ellison, Phil Heitmeyer and Jim Lugar on the Kansas City Star’s Kansas City, Kansas All-Star team.
Signed by the Major League Baseball St. Louis Cardinals to a “bonus baby” contract while still 17 years old.

Professional Career

After being promoted to the major leagues at the age of 19, pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1960-1966. In the 1964 season, Sadecki finished with a 20-11 record and helped the Cardinals to their 1st World Series appearance since 1946. In the 1964 World Series, Sadecki pitched the Cardinals to a 9-5 Game 1 victory over the New York Yankees & Hall of Fame pitcher Whitey Ford. Sadecki also pitched Game 4 for the Cardinals where he earned a “no-decision” in a game the Cardinals won 4-3 on a Ken Boyer grand slam home run. Sadecki’s Cardinal teammate Bob Gibson pitched the Cardinals to Game 5 and Game 7 wins on the way to the 1964 World Series Championship.
Later pitched in the major leagues from 1966-1977 for the San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Royals, and Milwaukee Brewers.
In the 1973 season, Sadecki helped the New York Mets to the World Series where they fell to the Oakland Athletics in a 7-game series. Sadecki appeared in 4 of the 7 World Series games earning a save in Game 4.

Ray Sadecki, playing for the St. Louis Cardinals.