During the 1962-63 season, Pan American College was on the “outs” with all of its opponents in the NAIA post-season tournament.
Head coach Sam Williams watched as his Broncs’ squad out-scored, out-rebounded, out-hustled, out-worked and out-played every opponent that came in their way en route to capturing the NAIA National Championship at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City, MO.
Led by All-American Luke Jackson, the 12th-ranked Broncs went into the NAIA post-season tournament as one of the nation’s hottest teams, winning 17 of their final 19 games of the season. Pan American proved to be untested in its first three contests by hammering Peru State (NE), 83-48, followed by victories over Stetson (64-41) and Northern Michigan (99-73).
The Broncs biggest test of the tournament came in the NAIA National Semifinals against Grambling (LA) and its dynamic duo – Hershell West and future NBA star Willis Reed. West came into the contest tied for eighth in the nation in scoring (26.0 ppg.) while Reed was second on the squad, averaging 21.2 ppg.
Williams and the Broncs knew that West and Reed would score their points, 34 and 31 respectively, but Pan American refused to let the rest of the Tiger shooters get the best of them. Grambling received only 18 total points from the rest of the squad.
Jackson and Mitchell were a dynamic duo in their own rights as the pair tallied 26 of the Broncs’ 36 first half points. In the second half, Jackson and company continued their strong play and outscored the Tigers, 54-51, en route to pulling one of the biggest upsets in the tournament with a 90-83 victory.
Jackson finished the game with 33 points and 13 rebounds while Mitchell Edwards added 24 points and eight boards. The Broncs had four players score in double-digits with Jim McGurk (14 points) and Marty Urand (12 points) joining the scoring action.
In one of the most unlikely National Championship Games, Pan American was pitted against 10th-ranked Western Carolina and its top scorer, Mel Gibson. The Catamounts held their own against the Broncs, trailing 59-52 with a little over nine minutes remaining in the contest. Over that span, Western Carolina focused the majority of their attention on Jackson, who finished the game with 25 points and 25 rebounds.
That proved to be the Catamounts’ downfall as Edwards and McGurk lit up the floor and combined to score 10 of Pan American’s final 13 points. Edwards ended the contest with 20 points and 12 rebounds while his McGurk added 12 points and 10 boards.
When the clock fell to zero, Pan American captured its first-ever NAIA National Championships. Jackson was named the Most Valuable Player , finishing the five-game tournament with 132 points and 93 rebounds.
The 1962-63 Pan American squad is one of just three Texas Universities to win a Collegiate Basketball National Title. In 2000, all 14 members of the NAIA National Championship Team graced the floor together at the UTPA Fieldhouse for the first time since that memorable March night in Kansas City, MO.
The NAIA National Championship Team was again reunited in February of 2007 when the Broncs were inducted into the first-ever UTPA Athletics Hall of Fame. Along with a team induction, Williams and Jackson were both inducted into the UTPA Athletics Hall of Fame for their individual accomplishments while representing the University as well as Rio Grande Valley.
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Roster |
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No. (H-A) |
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Name |
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POS |
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CL |
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HT |
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Hometown |
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10-11 |
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Paul Friddle |
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G |
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SR |
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5-9 |
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Anderson, IN |
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12-13 |
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Joe Karam |
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G |
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SO |
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6-2 |
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McAllen, TX |
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14-15 |
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Ramiro Villegas |
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G |
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SR |
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5-8 |
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McAllen, TX |
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20-21 |
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Vince Marino |
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G |
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JR |
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5-11 |
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New York, NY |
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22-23 |
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Walter Yates |
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F |
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JR |
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6-4 |
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Houston, TX |
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24-25 |
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Fernando Salinas |
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F |
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FR |
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6-2 |
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Mission, TX |
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30-31 |
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Marty Urand |
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G |
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SO |
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6-0 |
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Brooklyn, NY |
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32-33 |
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Bob Lessinger |
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F |
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FR |
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6-3 |
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New York, NY |
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40-41 |
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Andrew Carney |
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G |
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FR |
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6-0 |
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New York, NY |
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42-43 |
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Jim Harter |
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C |
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SO |
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6-9 |
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Little Falls, NY |
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44-45 |
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Tony de la Pena |
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G |
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FR |
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6-3 |
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Brownsville, TX |
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50-51 |
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Jim McGurk |
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F |
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JR |
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6-4 |
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New York, NY |
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52-53 |
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Mitchell Edwards |
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F |
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SO |
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6-5 |
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Houston, TX |
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54-55 |
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Luke Jackson |
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C |
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JR |
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6-9 |
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San Marcos, TX |
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Box Score |
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Pan American |
73 |
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FG |
FT |
P |
R |
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Friddle |
4 |
1-2 |
9 |
2 |
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Viellega |
0 |
0-0 |
0 |
0 |
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Marino |
0 |
0-0 |
0 |
0 |
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Yates |
0 |
0-0 |
0 |
1 |
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Urand |
3 |
1-2 |
7 |
0 |
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Carney |
0 |
0-0 |
0 |
0 |
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McGurk |
4 |
4-6 |
12 |
10 |
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Jackson |
9 |
7-8 |
25 |
25 |
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Edwards |
10 |
0-0 |
20 |
12 |
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Team |
0 |
0-0 |
0 |
5 |
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Totals |
30 |
13-18 |
73 |
55 |
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Western Carolina |
62 |
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FG |
FT |
P |
R |
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Tharpe |
3 |
0-0 |
6 |
6 |
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Horne |
0 |
1-1 |
1 |
0 |
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Peterson |
0 |
0-0 |
0 |
0 |
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Britnall |
0 |
0-0 |
0 |
0 |
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McConnell |
0 |
0-0 |
0 |
0 |
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Gibson |
11 |
4-5 |
26 |
5 |
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Gustafson |
0 |
0-0 |
0 |
0 |
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Murray |
5 |
1-2 |
11 |
2 |
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Seal |
3 |
0-0 |
6 |
8 |
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Lavelle |
5 |
2-4 |
12 |
12 |
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Totals |
27 |
8-12 |
62 |
33 |
