Remembering the ’62 Golden Bears run to nationals

Taken from the 2023-24 SWCC Mag
By Terri Higgins, SWCC director of marketing and enrollment management

When the Iowa community college system was created in 1966, a certain amount of history was seemingly archived, leaving the college with less than stellar records of a men's basketball team making history before the Spartans of Southwestern even existed; back in 1962, when the Creston Golden Bears of Creston Community College (CCC) took the floor at the National Junior College (NJC) tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas.

During September 2022, James Browne (J.B.) Templeton, the student manager for the 1962 national tournament team, stopped by the Creston campus for a wonderful visit and a trip down memory lane.

Templeton, a May 1961 Creston High School graduate, took driver's education with an instructor named Dale Howard. Imagine Templeton's surprise when he got to CCC and discovered Howard was the head coach for the Golden Bears basketball team. Once Templeton learned of this connection, he inquired about the team and was selected as the student manager.

In this role, Templeton was a "gopher" for the team performing tasks from washing the team's laundry to traveling to games to support and assist the players and coaches. On those trips to the laundromat, Templeton remembers personally paying for the uniforms to be washed and then submitting requests "to the office" to get reimbursed.

Templeton said Howard was innovative in building teams from the ground up with the help of his peers. Interestingly, Howard had no assistant coaches, but several individuals volunteered to assist the team traveling to games in private vehicles. According to Templeton, most of the student-athletes lived in private residences or apartments, with some of them being housed at the Iowana Hotel in uptown Creston.

One of Howard's connections was Creighton University's coach, John J. "Red" McManus, and the two would work together to recruit players who would ultimately play for both colleges.

"Freshmen and sophomores could not play on the varsity team at Creighton then, therefore McManus would send them to Creston to play for his buddy, Dale Howard," stated Templeton.

The 1961-62 season was no exception, and two players, Fritz Pointer, a 6'5" shooting guard (#32), and Mike Bell, a 6'8" center (#34), both from Oakland, California, came to Creston to play for the Golden Bears. Pointer is the younger brother of the world-famous girl group, The Pointer Sisters, and recently reached out to reconnect with the college as well (see article at right).

Dave Armstrong, guard, from the Chicago area, also came to CCC to play, but Templeton could not confirm he was a product of Creighton.

Templeton said the regular season was successful, but it wasn't a given they would be headed to nationals.

"We knew we had the genesis or the potential of a good team … and then we won the games we needed to win to get to the national tournament," explained Templeton.

The Bears were crowned regional champions in a frigid Mason City on Wednesday, Feb. 28. Templeton said the team stayed on the square in Mason City, but unfortunately had to venture out for meals.

"It was very very cold," said Templeton. "We stayed on one end of the square and ate on the other so we walked outside a lot. I remember to this day how cold it was that far north."

Following is an excerpt from a Thursday, March 1, 1962, editorial in the Creston News Advertiser, after the Golden Bears win:

"Congratulations are very much in order today for the Creston Golden Bears – the Creston Community College's basketball team that last night brought home the Iowa-Nebraska regional tournament trophy.

This is a particularly pleasing achievement in view of the difficulties the Bears met up with in the state junior college tournament. Things just didn't work out worth a cent there. But in the regional meet, they evened a score with a very good Webster City team and then dug their way out of other trouble to sweep the meet."

With this victory, the Golden Bears were national tournament bound, with nationals being played in Hutchinson, Kansas. According to a Creston News Advertiser, March 14, 1962, article, CCC was not the only college making its national debut.

"In addition to Creston, three other teams will be making first appearances, Fort Smith, Ark.; Trinidad, Colo.; and Wilmington, N.C."

During the first round of the national tournament, the Golden Bears faced Flint Junior College of Flint, Michigan, in a 1:45 p.m. match-up on Tuesday, March 20. Flint handed the Golden Bears their first tourney loss, 63-71, in the double-elimination tournament.

Following the loss, the Golden Bears played Young Harris College where they were again defeated.

In a Thursday, March 22, 1962, Creston News Advertiser article by Max Sandeman, it stated, "Creston's Golden Bears bowed out of the national junior college basketball tournament here last night as Young Harris College of Young Harris, Ga., sent the Bears to the sidelines 97-76. It was the second defeat for the Bears in the double-elimination tournament while Young Harris won its first game after losing the open to Moberly, Mo."

From the archives and Templeton's memory, the 1962 Golden Bears roster included the following:

• Dave Armstead of North Chicago, Illinois
• Bob Baker of Perry, Iowa
• Larry Bargenquast of Council Bluffs, Iowa
• Mike Bell of Oakland, California
• Bob Crawford of Uniontown, Pennsylvania
• Rick Crawford of Toledo, Iowa
• Ron Johnson of Des Moines, Iowa
• Jim Linkey of Diagonal, Iowa
• Paul Mundt of Manning, Iowa
• Fritz Pointer of Oakland, California
• Dick Rishel of Uniontown, Pennsylvania
• Gary Swainey of Chariton, Iowa
• Head Coach Dale Howard

The Golden Bears ended the season with a 23-7 record. According to the Creston News Advertiser, the team brought great pride to the Creston community, "The college's basketball team this year has brought a new standing to the athletic phase of the college program. And this is good. It is in keeping with the increased enrollment at the college and the expanded program of college education and training being offered in Creston … It is heartening to see the administration and the student body responding to this challenge."

Ironically, 62 years later, as this long-awaited article comes to fruition, Southwestern is still proud of its 1962 CCC Golden Bears!

NOTE: A big thank you to Ann Coulter, director of the SWCC Learning Resource Center, for her assistance researching the accomplishments of the 1962 Golden Bears men's basketball team.

Meet the 1962 Golden Bears' Fritz Pointer

Pointer, a native and current resident of California, has published books, poems, a book of collected poems, and other scholarly works. He has traveled the world and had additional travel plans prior to the sudden passing of his beloved wife of 44 years last year.

In addition to his writing, notable accomplishments following Pointer's time in Creston include:

• Graduated Creighton University, Bachelor of Arts in English, 1966
• Established Pan-African Cultural Center, Oakland, California, an educational clearing house steering young people to college or trade schools
• Graduated UCLA, Master of Arts in African History, 1971
• Completed post-graduate work, University of Wisconsin-Madison, MA-African Literature, 1977
• Contra Costa College professor, San Pablo, California, 30 years
• Professor emeritus, Department of English and African American Studies, Contra Costa College

Following are excerpts from a letter received from Pointer detailing the impact of Creston Community College on his life:

"This is a letter of "Thank You" to Southwestern Community College; thank you, administrators, staff, coaches and professors for giving me the opportunity to gain the discipline and skills to begin a journey towards what has been a successful, rewarding, and wonderful life. In 1961, when I was 18 years old, Southwestern Community College (Creston Community College at that time) had no campus, and were scattered around town at the high school, junior high and elementary schools... but obviously someone had a vision.

The Iowana Hotel was the "dorm" for our basketball team. Coach Dale Howard would have us up at 6:30 a.m. jogging to the local high school for morning practice…in the snow! A discipline I practice, somewhat, to this day in California, without the snow.

I have long since retired and yet at 80 years old this habit instilled at Creston/Southwestern still remains. My English professor, Ms. McGuire, instilled the love of stories and complimented my writing. She even asked me for a dance at the Chicken Inn."

"It all began at Creston, Southwestern Community College. This is a "thank you" to the college and a plea to the beautiful young people there now at SWCC. You are just beginning your adult life's journey: internalize those good study habits, maintaining your temple your body: respect science and expertise: keep your mind and your heart open to the world."