X-Men History

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By Packy MacFarland

St.F.X. basketball teams have been blessed with considerable talent and equally blessed with dedicated coach's who gave freely of their time and energy to provide top flight teams to represent this university. This section would not be complete without some special mentions.

The first person to be remembered should undoubtedly be Professor J.P. Coyle, the first official basketball coach at St.F.X. Although incumbent for only one year, 1923-24, it was he who coached St.F.X. in their first intercollegiate game in which Dalhousie was the opponent. He also had the distinction of coaching the first player who scored 20 points in a single game. The man was J.A. MacDonald and I assure you, in 1923, this was quite a feat. After a season with Mr. A. Ktenas, Father Leo McKenna, the dean of all St.F.X. coach's took over and guided for six of the next 11 seasons. During that 11 year period, on many occasions, he was obliged to fill in so it may well be said that he functioned for the whole period. 

In 1930, J.L.Kenny became coach and guided the Xaverians for three seasons. At the end of the 1932 season, basketball ceased to be a varsity sport at St.F.X. and was not revived until 1938. Even when it returned to life, there were no intercollegiate competition. During this period, Father M.E. MacLaughlin coached the team. 

From 1939 to 1941, during the war years, it was again revived and Father Leo McKenna coached his last year. In 1942 Father William Forgarty assumed leadership of the team and they began to take on the championship character that they have had ever since. They won their first Nova Scotia intercollegiate championship in 1945. 

Father Fogarty was obliged to relinquish the reins in 1946 and Father Frank Smith, another ex-varsity player, carried on with distinction. The team won the Nova Scotia intercollegiate crown in 1948. 

Father Fogarty returned to the blue and white team and they went out and beyond the maritimes to take the Canadian intermediate championship for the first time. 

The victory parade was destined to continue and the x-men went on to win the provincial and maritme titles 11 straight times. Four of these years, Ambrose Gilmet presided over the squad and for the following five, Athletic Director, Alex MacAdam, directed the team until John
"Packy" McFarland (contributor to this piece) was appointed coach. 

Complete supremacy by the Xaverians ended in 1961 when Acadia, a steadily growing power in Maritime Basketball , won both the Nova Scotia and Maritime titles. However, St.F.X. rebounded the following year to recapture these laurels. 

While it is very difficult to construct an honor role of players of the past, certainly there are some that are worthy of special mention. Ed Nash, 1930-31, was the first player to score 30 points in a single game and the first to score over 100 in one season. Lorne Whalen and Hank Propper were the stars of the 1947-48 team that started St.F.X. on their long successful trek to maritime honors. Rudy Pace, Joe Flaherty, Russ MacNeil and Pat Connolly did a great deal to maintain the high standard. 

In 1953, Al Grassi became the first player to score 300 points. His record lasted only a year because the incomparable Frank Korbut tossed in 328 points in 1953 and 375 points in 16 games during the 1954-55 campaign. This 23.4 points per game average stands as the best in St.F.X.
basketball history. 



The First Season: 1923-24

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The Fall of 1918 saw the completion of the college gymnasium. This building was kindly donated by Dr.Somers and Dr. MacNeil. For two winters there was nothing done in regard to basketball. The fall of 1920, however, saw this sport started at St. Francis Xavier's. An interclass league was drawn up and like hockey was divided into two sections. The freshmen and high School emerged the Victors in their respective sections and in the playoff's the high school won the first and third games, the Freshmen winning the second.

The next year the sophmores won the league after a very exciting season. The game was gradually increasing in popularity and it was decided to try our luck with outside teams. Two games were played, one at truro, which we lost by a score of 53-6, and another with Sydney Y.M.C.A. The St.F.X players won this game by a score of 26-18.

The Juniors held the title for the year 1922-23. Their victory, however, was not as easily secured this time as it was the previous year. Perhaps this may be attributed to the fact that it was decided that men who had played on the first team of last season were barred from taking part in the interclass league. The Juniors lost practically their whole team by this ruling. The first team travelled to Sydney that year and played two games with the Sydney Y.M.C.A., losing both games by scores of 30-20.

Due to the efforts of Prof.Coyle, basketball has taken a prominent place in athletics in St.Francis Xaviers and will in future be placed in the same category as football and hockey. As noted above, previous to this year basketball activities were confined mainly to the interclass league with an occasional outside game. The reason for this was not due to lack of interest in the game, but because there was nobody who could handle a team, and knew sufficient about the game to coach a team. Seeing the difficulties under which we were laboring, Prof. Coyle kindly consented to take charge of basketball. An interclass league was drawn up and from the games played in that league a first and second team were picked.

Early in December a game was played with Inverness. The showing made on the occasion astonished the most ardent supporters of the team. St.F.X. won by a score of 58-2.
Sydney Y.M.C.A. was the next team played. They had a reputation of being a fast combination team and they certainly lived up to their reputation in the contest with us. The work of the Xaverian quintette was superior on that occasion and they had little difficulty in taking the Cape Breton aggregation into camp to the tune 59-22.

Perhaps the biggest step forward in basketball was taken when arrangements for a game between Dalhousie and St.F.X. were completed. It had been decided that the intercollegiate rules should be waived and allow Dalhousie to play her city league team. The game was played in Antigonish on Febuary 1st, and was a good exhibition of basketball, the Xaverians having just a slight edge on their opponents. The tigers played a more vigorous game than our men and put up a stiff fight, the "X" men emerged from the fray, however, with a 25-15 victory.

St.F.X. suffered her first defeat on her own floor at the hands of Truro. This game was without a doubt the best game of basketball ever played in Antigonish. It was not until the final whistle had blown that the winner was decided. At the end of the first period, Truro led by a score of 11-10. St.F.X. managed to secure the lead about the middle of the second half and held it until within three minutes of the finish. Truro netted the ball two minutes before the finish and tied the score. A minute later Cox netted the ball on a free throw.. This proved to be the deciding point of the game. Truro has not lost a game this season and have the reputation of being one of the best teams in the Maritimes, and so it was not disappointing to the supporters of the Blue and White that their team was on the short end of a 19-18 score.

On Febuary 14th and 15th the team played in Halifax. The first night they met and were defeated by St. George's, and on the second night they played a return game with Dalhousie. Both games were fast and hard fought.

St. George's sent the Xaverians down to defeat in the first game by a score of 23-16. In the first half the floor was evidently divided, and the scoring was close. The period ended with the score 8-6 in favor of St. George's. The haligonians came back strong and added fifteen points to their opponents ten, the final whistle finding the score 23-16 in favor of St. George's.

The following evening the "X" men played a return game with Dalhousie. The Tigers played a better game than they did in Antigonish a week previous, while the Xaverians seemed to be off color. McOdrum started the scoring soon after the opening and Mader duplicated a few minutes later. The Tigers seemed to be able to get their shots on the basket more accurately than their opponents. The first period ended eleven to five in favor of the gold and black. The second period was faster than the first with Dalhousie controlling the ball. The gold and black got six baskets and two fouls, while the best that the Xaverians could do was two baskets and one foul. The game ended with the score 26-1 0 in favor of the Tigers.

Campbell was the pick of the Xaverians in both games and played real basketball. Maynard and McEachern also played well.

Basketball has taken a firm place in St. Francis Xavier's. Interest in the game was aroused not only in the college but in the town. In conversation with the writer on the day following the Truro game a prominent man in town Athletics said: "It was the first game of basketball that I ever saw but here's one that will never miss another game."
Prof. Coyle not only turned out a winning team this year but he also broke new men into the game who will be able to fill the vacancies caused by graduation.