The History of Loyola Men’s Basketball

It’s no secret Loyola is known for its men’s basketball team. Gentile Arena hosts sold-out games with fan-packed stands cheering the Ramblers to victory. But what’s richer than the games themselves is the history of the team. 

First formed in 1913, Loyola men’s basketball has broken racial barriers and led several underdog runs to cement its place among college programs, making it arguably one of the university’s most successful athletic programs, according to Loyola Libraries. 

Former head coach Porter Moser, who led the Ramblers from 2011 to 2021, described Loyola basketball as one “created by culture.” 

In 1923, the team hired head coach Leonard D. Sachs, who’s now in The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Sachs served 19 years as head coach with the Ramblers, taking the program from infancy and making it one of the “finest teams in the Midwest,” according to Loyola News and Features. 

The program saw early success — such as their 1929-1930 undefeated season. 

In both 1939 and 1949, the team made its way as runner-ups in the National Invitation Tournament, but they ended up falling to Long Island University and the University of San Francisco. 

Despite the early triumphs, the most historic point in Loyola basketball history was their path to the 1963 NCAA championship, when the team defied expectations and fought through racial restrictions. 

Directed by Patick Creadon, the 2022 documentary “The Loyola Project” details the story of the championship season. 

Up until the 1962-1963 season, there was an unwritten rule in college basketball which said no coach should play more than three Black players on the court at one time. Some teams would even refuse to play others with just one Black player on their squad, according to The New York Times. 

In the same year, head coach George Ireland defied the standards by putting four Black players in as starters for the Ramblers.

One player was fourth-year point guard Jerry Harkness, who averaged 21.4 points per game during the season. Harkness graduated as Loyola’s all-time leading scorer and was drafted into the National Basketball Association twice for his hometown team, the New York Knicks — first as an eighth-round pick in 1962, then a second-round pick in 1963.

The team won their first 21 games of the year and finished the regular season 24-2, good enough for an NCAA tournament bid. The Ramblers won their first round matchup, beating Tennessee Tech University by 69 points 111-42. 

Loyola’s next matchup was against the all-white Mississippi State University team, who had to sneak out of the state against governors’ wishes to be able to play — flying up to Michigan to play Loyola.

The game itself was friendly and polite. Players worked hard but were civil, according to Loyola’s website. Some Loyola players even felt Mississippi wanted them to win both the game and championship, according to Loyola’s website. 

This game was a historic point in college basketball and is now known as “The Game of Change,” and, according to Harkness, it was a joint effort by both universities. 

“This is more than a ball game,” Harkness said. “This is history.” 

Challenging racist stereotypes often resulted in the team having to endure sifting through copious amounts of hate mail and threats. 

“You better not play against any more white teams in the tournament,” some threats said, according to NPR. “Stop right there.”

But despite the threats, Harkness said the team received support from the Black community. 

“Please win,” the community said, according to Harkness. “This is a great opportunity for the Black race.” 

The Ramblers beat the Bulldogs 61-51 and took on two-time defending champions University of Cincinnati in the championship game. The game went to overtime, with Loyola emerging victorious 60-58 on a last-second basket. 

Chicago was abuzz when the team returned to the city, and Mayor Richard J. Daley welcomed Loyola back home with open arms, according to the Loyola Archives. North Sheridan Road was also closed down for a celebratory parade. 

With Loyola, Ireland earned a career record of 321-255 and reached the NCAA tournament three other times. Loyola is still the only Illinois school to win the NCAA basketball championship. 

The legendary Mississippi State game was honored in 2012 when the Bulldogs were invited back to Chicago to play Loyola. Players from both teams who competed in the 1963 game looked on as the Rambler grabbed a 59-51 win. 

Four players from the 1963 team were welcomed by former President Barack Obama at the White House in 2013 — the fiftieth anniversary of “The Game of Change.” 

Loyola saw continued success with a return to the tournament in 1963 with only three losses in their season. Despite losing to Western Kentucky University in the first round, they ended the season ranked sixth in the AP poll. 

The 1970s were also filled with extremely talented squads — they were the all-decade team. The team had 11 players in 1970 with four former NBA draft picks, according to Loyola Athletics. 

Center LaRue Martin even graduated from Loyola in 1972, and in the same year was the No. 1 overall selection by the Portland Trailblazers in the NBA draft. He still holds the Loyola career record with 1,062 rebounds, according to Loyola’s Hall of Fame. 

Another monumental moment for Loyola was when they reached the Final Four in 2018. In a “Cinderella” run, the Ramblers entered as an 11th seed and became the fourth in NCAA history to reach the Final Four.

Following a successful 26-5 regular season, the Ramblers partook in “Arch Madness” tournament, earning an NCAA automatic bid after defeating Illinois State University for the Missouri Valley Conference title. 

The team was one “Created by Culture” — through their intense support of one another and the support of Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM. Schmidt was 97 years old at the time and serves as team chaplain.

In the tournament, the Ramblers’ second-round win over No. 3 seeded University of Tennessee made history because of their ranking. The team was propelled further after beating No. 9 seed Kansas State University 78-62. 

Despite the Cinderella run, the Ramblers ended up falling short to the University of Michigan in a “red-eyed and sniffling” 69-57 loss. But they left the tournament as heroes, according to ESPN. 

Praise came from all over, as the team received shoutouts from Chance the Rapper and met NBA star Russell Westbrook, according to ESPN. 

Loyola officially became a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference in 2022, with their athletic acumen and success over the 21st century making them “a perfect fit for the A-10,” The Phoenix previously reported. 

Through decades of triumph and grit, the Loyola’s men’s basketball team didn’t just play the game — they changed it.