Reminiscing on 1960s SJU Athletics
Martin Luther King Jr. visited what is today Saint Joseph’s University on Oct. 26, 50 years ago. His visit came towards the latter half of a century that saw St. Joe’s athletics soar to new heights, and spiral into a scandal that cost an athlete the chance to play with Wilt Chamberlain in the NBA.
Sports on campus during King’s visit were inconsistent, yet relatively successful. Some sports saw success, while others struggled. But this was not a reflection of the athletic prosperity at the university throughout the decade. Cliff Anderson ’67, Don DiJulia ’67 and Jim Lynam ’63 represent three of the most successful athletes to ever set foot on Hawk Hill.
In 1968, the St. Joe’s men’s soccer team finished the season with a 3-1-3 record. This season was preceded by a very successful 7-3-0 campaign in 1967. Both seasons were highlighted by the phenomenal play of Jack Ruggero ’69, who was selected as an All-American in 1967 and 1968.
The Hawk’s baseball team experienced varying levels of success during the late 1960s. In 1967 the Hawks finished the season at a mediocre 12-10 mark. The Hawks improved the following season, finishing at 15-7-1.
In a two year period during the late 60s and early 70s, the Hawks threw three of the six career no hitters in the history of the university. Carl Vogt-Lowell ’69 no hit Franklin and Marshall University on March 29, 1969. In April during the next season, Ed Linaugh ’70 and John Barth ’70 no hit Glassboro State College. In the same month, Dave Landers ’71 threw a no hitter against Albright College.
The St. Joe’s men’s basketball team saw a constant stream of success following head coach Jack Ramsay’s departure following the 1965 season. Under new head coach Jack McKinney, the Hawks never finished a season under .500. Although St. Joe’s never advanced past the first round of the NCAA Division I Tournament under McKinney, the constant success of the program during his tenure was an athletic highlight of the decade.
McKinney later moved on and coached for multiple NBA teams. In 1981, McKinney won the NBA Coach of the Year Award after leading the Indiana Pacers to their first playoff appearance since the ABA-NBA merger.
In his three year career at St. Joe’s, Cliff Anderson averaged 20.6 points and 14.6 rebounds per game. Anderson is currently the sixth leading scorer in school history and his 1,228 rebounds are the most in school history. Anderson grabbed 32 boards against La Salle University on Feb. 26 1967. This total remains the second most rebounds in a single game by a St. Joe’s player.
DiJulia played baseball and basketball while at St. Joe’s. DiJulia’s performance on the court and field is vastly overshadowed by his time spent on Hawk Hill as vice president for Athletics/Athletic Director. DiJulia has spent 34 of his past 41 years here at St. Joe’s. His fingerprints can be found on all aspects of athletics on campus. From expanding women’s athletics in the late 1970s, to overseeing the Hawks 2003-04 run to the NCAA Elite Eight, DiJulia has been a fixture at St. Joe’s for nearly half a century.
Lynam was a three year starting point guard on St. Joe’s most successful basketball team of all time. The Hawks reached the Final Four in 1961, and then won one of the greatest college basketball games of all time: A four overtime win in a consolation game against the University of Utah.
In addition, Lynam was the head coach of the men’s basketball team at St. Joe’s from 1978 to 1981. The Hawks advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament in 1981, upsetting the number one seed and winning three straight games by less than three points in the process.
Lynam’s confidence manifested into the rest of the team, and sparked one of the greatest upsets in NCAA Tournament history against DePaul University, which featured two future NBA All-Stars: Mark Aguirre and Terry Cummings.
After the 1981 season, Lynam began coaching in the NBA. As the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, Lynam led them to two conference semifinals, losing twice to a Chicago Bulls team led by the infamous Michael Jordan.
The 1960s was a decade that produced some of the greatest athletes and moments in the history of St. Joe’s. The decade changed the landscape of St. Joe’s athletics and the reverberations from the decade can still be felt to this day.
