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1970 Championship Team

Class 5A State Champions

Select or scroll down to view: Season Highlights  |  Special Recognition  |  Player Accomplishments

1970 Wyandotte High School Basketball State Champions team.

Sitting, L- R > Manager Mark Conner, Manager David Kendall, Manager Tom Sutherland. --- Kneeling, L- R > Eugene Royster, Eugene Gipson, David Rauh, Phil Pendorf, Steve Wiley, Harold Brown. ---  Standing, from left to right > Assistant Coach George Czaplinski, Don Laytham, Randy Shoaf, Richard Morsden, Head Coach Don Upson, Robert Gray, John Gibson, Glenn Russell, Trainer Bill Young.

Season Highlights

Regular Season

  • The 1970 Wyandotte High School Bulldogs went unbeaten with the point differential in only 3 games being under 10 points and the average margin of victory was over 20 points per game.
     

  • The Bulldogs won their own Invitational Tournament with victories over the Wichita West Pioneers 64-57 in the semifinals and Wichita North Redskins (now Redhawks) 77-68 in the Championship game.
     

  • The only other game under 10 points was a 62-57 road win over the Shawnee Mission North Indians (now Bison).

    • Harold Brown led the Bulldogs with 26 points.
       

  • 5 of the players in the 1970 senior class (Harold Brown, John Gibson, Phil Pendorf, Eugene Royster, and Steve Wiley) never lost a game in their 55-game careers at Wyandotte.

    • 16-0 Sophomore season (coached by Paul Palmer)

    • 16-0 Junior/Junior Varsity season (coached by Don Upson)

    • 23-0 Senior/Varsity season (also coached by Don Upson)

 

Regional Tournament @ Shawnee Mission North High School

  • In the semifinal, the Bulldogs defeated Shawnee Mission West Vikings 67-47.

    • Richard Morsden led Wyandotte with 23 points, Harold Brown with 21, and 12 for Glenn Russell.
       

  • In the regional final, Wyandotte ousted the Washington Wildcats by the score of 52-34. 

    • Richard Morsden led the Bulldogs with 13 points and Harold Brown and Robert Gray added 10 points each.

 

State Tournament @ Henry Levitt Arena at Wichita State University in Wichita

  • In the quarterfinals, the Bulldogs defeated the Wichita East Blue Aces 60-41.

    • Wyandotte was led by 20 points from Harold Brown and 18 points from Richard Morsden. 
       

  • In the semifinals, Wyandotte ousted the Salina Mustangs 65-52.

    • Salina cut a 13-point 3rd quarter deficit to 6 before Brown and Morsden closed it out with 13 of the Bulldogs’ 17 points in the 4th quarter.

    • Harold Brown led the Bulldogs with 21 points, Richard Morsden added 19 points and 14 rebounds, and Glenn Russell tallied 15 points and 10 rebounds.
       

  • In the state championship game, the Bulldogs blitzed the Hutchinson Salthawks 72-50.

    • Richard Morsden led the Bulldogs with 23 points and 12 rebounds and Harold Brown added 19 points and David Rauh contributed 9.

    • Danny Knight, who played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks, led Hutchinson with 27 points and 13 rebounds.

    • The Bulldogs’ margin of victory (22) and the number of points scored (72) set all-time State records.

    • Wyandotte also won the State Tournament’s Sportsmanship award.
       

  • The 1970 title was Wyandotte’s 4th consecutive State crown, 11th in 14 years, & 5th all-time unbeaten season.
     

  • The 1970 Championship game win was the Bulldogs’ 18th consecutive State Tournament game win.

    • The winning streak started in 1964 and ended with an overtime loss to Wichita Southeast in the 1971 State Championship game.
       

  • In his only season as head coach, Don Upson led the Bulldogs to an undefeated State Championship.

Special Recognition

Richard Morsden (Senior, Class of 1970)

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Early Life

  • Grew up at 11th & Parallel. Attended Fairfax Elementary School & Northwest Junior High School before entering Wyandotte in the fall of 1967.
     

High School Career

  • 1969-1970 senior season

    • 1st Team All-Metro by the Kansas City Star, Class 5A All-State, Class 5A All-Tournament & MVP.

    • Averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds per game in the 1969-1970 season.
       

  • 1968-1969 junior season

    • Contributed as a top reserve on the 1969 Bulldog State Championship team.
       

  • Won a 1969 Class 5A Track & Field state title as a member
    of the Bulldog 880-Yard Relay team & Team Champion.

College Career

  • Wichita State University (1972-1974)

    • Played two years (1972-73 and 1973-74) for the Wichita State Shockers for Coach Harry Miller.

      • Averaged 16 points and 9 rebounds for his career.

      • Earned 2nd team Missouri Valley Conference All-Conference honors in 1973-74.

Richard Morsden Wyandotte HS Basketball, KCKS, playing for Wichita State.

Richard Morsden playing for the Wichita State Shockers.

Richard Morsden

  • Hutchinson Community College (1970-1972)

    • Led the Blue Dragons to a 54-12 record in his two seasons (1970-71 & 1971-72).
       

    • The Blue Dragons finished 6th place in 1971 and 8th place in 1972 in the NJCAA National Tournament.
       

    • Coached at Hutchinson by Gene Keady who later became the Head Coach for the Purdue Boilermakers from 1980-2005 and was inducted in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.
       

    • Earned 2nd team National Junior College All-American in 1972.
       

    • Finished as Hutchinson’s career all-time leading scorer (1,377 points) and rebounder (669).
       

    • Inducted into the Hutchinson Community College Quarterback Club Hall of Fame in 2018.
       

    • In June 1972, Morsden competed in the 1972 Olympic basketball team selection trials at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
       

      • Morsden’s son Rjshad Morsden was a member of the Bulldogs 1995 & 1996 state tournament teams.

Robert Gray

Robert Gray (Junior, Class of 1971)

 

Early Life

  • Grew up at 11th & Quindaro. Attended Douglass Elementary School, Dunbar Elementary School, Hawthorne Elementary School (now Bertram R. Caruthers Elementary School), & Northwest Junior High School before entering Wyandotte in the fall of 1968.
     

  • Gray’s brother, Leonard Gray (See Historic Connections), was an All-State, All-Metro, State Champion, and NBA player who graduated from Sumner High School in 1969.
     

High School Career

  • 1970-71 senior season

    • Earned All-Metro by Kansas City Star, 1st Team Class 5A All-State, & Class 5A State All-Tournament

    • Wyandotte fell to the Wichita Southeast Golden Buffaloes 69-66 in overtime in the 1971 state championship game.

    • The loss ended their 20-game State Tournament game winning streak that had lasted from 1964-1971.  Gray led the Bulldogs with 20 points in the state title game.
       

  • 1969-70 junior season

    • Averaged 9 points per game as a starting forward and helped the Bulldogs to the 1970 Class 5A State Championship.

College Career

  • Wichita State University (1973-1976)

    • After playing his first two years at Cal Poly Pomona & sitting out the 1973-74 season as a transfer, played two years (1974-1975 & 1975-1976) for the Wichita State Shockers for Coach Harry Miller.

      • Averaged 13 points and 6 rebounds per game during his career with the Shockers.

      • Earned 2nd team Missouri Valley Conference All-Conference honors in 1975-1976.

    • In 1976, Wichita State won the Missouri Valley Conference and advanced to the 1976 NCAA Tournament.

    • In the first round of the Midwest Regional held at the University of North Texas (UNT) Arena (known as the Super Pit) in Denton, Texas, the Shockers fell to the eventual national runner-up Michigan Wolverines (coached by Johnny Orr) 74-73.

      • Wichita State led Michigan the entire game but lost on a 20-foot baseline shot by Rickey Green with 6 seconds left.  Gray tallied 10 points and 7 rebounds in the game.

      • The Wichita State-Michigan game was played on the same day Wyandotte defeated Wichita Heights to win the 1976 Class 5A State Championship.​

Robert Gray Wyandotte HS Basketball, KCKS, playing at Wichita State.

Robert Gray, playing for the Wichita State Shockers.

  • Drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics with the 80th overall pick in the 5th round of the 1976 NBA Draft.

Player Accomplishments

Reference Team Photo - Sitting, from left to right

  • Mark Conner, Manager

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  • David Kendall, Manager

    • Served as manager for 3 Wyandotte Bulldog basketball state championship teams (1968-70).

    • After graduating from Pittsburg State University, Kendall served the Kansas City Chiefs as an athletic trainer from 1977-2007.  Was Chiefs’ Head Athletic Trainer from 1984-2005.

    • Inducted in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2018, the Pittsburg State University Interscholastic Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016, and the Missouri Sports Medicine Hall of Fame in 2005.
       

  • Tom Sutherland, Manager

 

Reference Team Photo - Kneeling, from left to right

  • Eugene Royster (Senior, Class of 1970)

    • Contributed as a starting guard.

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  • Eugene Gipson (Junior, Class of 1971)

    • Earned 1971 2nd Team Class 5A State All-Tournament.

    • Earned 1971 Honorable Mention All-Sunflower League.

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  • David Rauh (Junior, Class of 1971)

    • Contributed as a guard.

    • Replaced Glenn Russell (out with foul trouble) in the 1970 State Championship game and connected on 4 out of 5 shots for 9 points.

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  • Phil Pendorf (Senior, Class of 1970)

    • Contributed as a guard.

    • Played college basketball for the Ottawa University Braves.

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  • Steve Wiley (Senior, Class of 1970)

    • Contributed as a guard.

    • Won 1970 Class 5A Track & Field State Championships in the long jump & mile relay.

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  • Harold Brown (Senior, Class of 1970)

    • Earned 2nd Team 1970 Class 5A All-State & 1st Team 1970 Class 5A State All-Tournament.

    • Earned Honorable Mention 1970 All-Metro from the Kansas City Star.

    • Won 1969 & 1970 State Track & Field Championships as a member of the Wyandotte Mile Relay team.

    • Was a team member of 1969 Class 5A State Championship Track & Field team.

    • Played basketball for the Washburn University Ichabods from 1970-74.

    • Finished his career as Washburn’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder.

    • Inducted into Washburn University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986.

 

Reference Team Photo - Standing, from left to right

  • George Czaplinski, Assistant Coach

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  • Don Laytham (Junior, Class of 1971)

    • Earned 1971 2nd Team Class 5A State All-Tournament.

    • Earned 1971 Honorable Mention All-Sunflower League.

    • Played basketball for the Kansas City Kansas Community College Blue Devils.

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  • Randy Shoaf (Sophomore, Class of 1972)

    • Contributed as a forward.

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  • Don Upson, Head Coach

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  • John Gibson (Senior, Class of 1970)

    • Contributed as a forward.

    • Played basketball for the Kansas City Kansas Community College Blue Devils & University of Missouri-Rolla Miners. 

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  • Bill Young, Trainer,

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