Hall of Fame
Back To Hall of Fame
Back To Hall of Fame
The 1953-54 Crusader basketball team is one of the most legendary in the history of PC/PNC/PLNU history. The team consisted of returners from the 1952-53, Doyle Cozzens, Ted Cummins, John Davis, Bobby Hopkins and Ralph Leech. Coach Ken Keoppel also added newcomers Fred Forster, Ken Hopkins, Dean Kerns, John Knox, Bob Little, CW Perry and Eric Pyle to the 1953-54 squad.
The season began with the pressure to sustain. Now Crusader goodness was taken for granted—to repeat was expected! The belief that daily publicity for the team and that the two All-Americans, Bobby Hopkins and John Davis should be recognized at the same level the second consecutive time was ever present. And they responded.
The team began the season with a 16-game win streak and then somewhere along way had another streak of nine before the District Three Tournament. They secured the championship with a 90-87 victory over San Diego State and a 108-74 win versus Chico State . The team averaged 86 ppg and established an all-time school record with 139 points against LaVerne. Reaching the coveted prize of the NAIA Nationals in Kansas City with a great following for the second time, they defeated Bridgeport 79-60 and Nebraska Wesleyan 81-74. The team’s heartbreaking loss came by one point to Saint Benedict’s, the eventual champion, and finished with a record of 29-5.
The year before, the supporting cast to the Firehouse Five had all been seniors. This time around, the supporting cast was mostly made up of sophomores. The 1953-54 PC basketball team has responded to the pressure with an outstanding year and had gone even deeper into the national tournament than the year before.
Back To Hall of Fame
