As some of you (seven) already know, next March will be the 50th anniversary of St. Anthony's winning the City of Dayton Class E basketball tournament. I was on that team. It was the first athletic team that I ever played on. Unfortunately, it was also the last time that I would be a member of a championship team.
My claim to fame that year was that I was one of only three 4th graders to make the 5th and 6th grade team. That proved to be my only claim to fame as I spent most of the season "riding the pine" (although I did get to play in the waning seconds of the championship game). Our coaches were Mr. Lang and Mr. Detrick. They were really nice guys, and great coaches.
The championship game was played at the Dayton Boys Club that used to be located near the intersection of Keowee and Xenia avenue, adjacent to what is now US route 35. Our opponent that night was the other St. Anthony's Class E team. Deepest East Dayton ruled the hardwood in '64.
I still remember the final score of the game. It was 14-10. The reason that I remember the score is because those were the call numbers for the local rock and roll radio station, 1410 WING.
Later in March the City of Dayton hosted an awards dinner for our team at the Montgomery County fairgrounds.
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