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40 years ago.....


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The long thread earlier this week about Billiken baseball got me thinking, so I dusted off my 1964 Archive yearbook to check out the team. There was the Dix brothers and several other guys I remember in the team photo, but nothing at all written about the season. Being a spring sport and with the deadline to get published before computers didn't allow time for anything about the season.

Some interesting facts about the basketball season I found: 14-11 with wins over Kentucky, Ohio State, Mizzou and Illinois. Among the losses was twice to Wichita, Oklahoma City and Drake. I wonder what the RPI and SOS of that team would have been?

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Bob,

I believe that SLU played Kentucky on a fairly frequent basis in the 50's and 60's, and they did actually have a winning record VS the Wildcats. Of course, those would have been Hickey and Bennington teams.

In those days, the NIT was just as big a deal as the NCAA. Television and the big money provided by the sponsors has made March Madness one of the truly big success stories in sports. I'm geared up for another version this year. Anyone have tix for the Regional in St. Louis?

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The coach of Kirkwood's baseball team last name is Dix. I am pretty certain he played for SLU. But I cannot be sure it was in the 60's (he is older, but don't know if he is that old).

Just FYI,

Steve

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according to the current billiken media guide, the billikens have won 9 out of 17 games lifetime with the kentucky wildcats. the last time they met was in 1998 (hughes season) and kentucky won.

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From 1998, when the Dix bros. were inducted into the local baseball hall of fame:

James Dix: He was a first baseman and outfielder in the New York Mets and Montreal Expos farm systems. Dix, 54, played at St. Louis University, where he helped the Billikens win three Missouri Valley championships and reach the College World Series in 1965.

He coached at Missouri-St. Louis from 1972 to 1985 and led the Rivermen to the NCAA Division II World Series in 1973 and 1977.

Tom Dix: He played shortstop in the Minnesota and Chicago White Sox organizations from 1964 to 1966 and was captain of the Billikens teams that won three MVC titles. Dix, 55, coaches at Kirkwood High and coached at St. Louis U. for five seasons.

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for all you soccer fans the yearbook called the '64 team the greatest ever. They won the National Championship with a 13-1 record with 9 shutouts, outscoring opponents 94-12, avenging their only loss in the last game of the regular season to Michigan State by beating them next game in the playoffs when it really counted. Stars of that team were Carl Gentile and Pat McBride.

The thing I remember most that year was when President LBJ planted a maple tree outside the Busch student union only a few months after JFK's assasination. Is the tree still there? It's just a stick in the photos 40 years ago.

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I don't know about the year but I attended the LBJ tree planting and heard his speech and I was definitely still in HS (Graduated in '67). I went to the speech with a HS buddy of mine from Augustinian as his Dad was the chairman of the English Dept at SLU...Dr. McAvoy.

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I checked p.218 & 219 the tree was planted on the site of the new Busch Memorial Student Center. Fr. P.C. Reinert, August A. Busch, Jr. and LBJ are passing the shovel around. I remember the dark, dingy Campus Club as our only hangout in the basement of Cupples House. There was no campus east of Grand in '64. Only 1500 out of 10,042 students lived in dorms. On p.11 is a great photo of Stan Musial laughing when Fr. Reinert gave him a baseball autographed by Cardinal Ritter. Thaat's all folks.

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