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Men's Basketball at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee - Archives Dept.: Photographs

A brief history of men's basketball at UWM, from its beginnings at Milwaukee State Teacher's College to the present day.

Photographs

A 1910 game versus Beloit. Although this particular game was 17-35 loss for the Normals, they would fire back with three nearly perfect seasons. (Echo 1910, p. 160) The 1913 men's basketball season ended in a Wisconsin Normal Conference championship, which the team took with some humor and a reference to cubism. (Echo 1913, p. 89)
Anton Christensen, Milwaukee basketball captain in 1922, was elected mid-season after former Captain Eddie Loehr broke his arm and left the Normal School. (Echo 1922, p. 139) The 1921-1922 Normal basketball team, including coach Barney Anderson. The team was 6-7 in the season, following several injuries, the loss of their captain and sleet storm that cancelled the final two games. (Echo 1922, p. 138)

1928 men's basketball team, coached by Milton Murray, showing off their new uniforms after the change to Milwaukee State Teacher's College and a change of the team name to the Green Gulls. (Photograph from box 12, folder 4, UW-Milwaukee Photographs Collection) Portraits of the 1930 basketball team made into a collage (Echo 1930, p. 124-126)

Chicago and Milwaukee players jump for the rebound in a 1941 game.  Milwaukee won the game, 37-25, and went on to its first and only perfect season, coached by Guy Penwell, at 16-0. (Echo 1941, p. 135) 1942 men's basketball team. The Green Gulls were dominant for a second straight season, though they ended up sharing the regular season championship with Superior. (Photograph from box 12, folder 4, UW-Milwaukee Photographs Collection)


Collage of the 1946-1947 Milwaukee team, which took second place in the conference that year. The Milwaukee team were once again named Conference champs the following season. Players for left to right, top to bottom: Layup by #12 D. Morris; jump shot by #21 D. Beaudoin; #21 D. Beaudoin and #18 (unlisted) fighting for a rebound; #23 W. Fricke waiting for a pass; #20 L. Kratz watching the ball. Caption says "Fight-Fight." (Ivy 1947, p. 103) 1951 Green Gulls standing in an "M" for Milwaukee in Guy Penwell's final season. Penwell finished his 18-season tenure with an impressive record of 186-145. (Photograph from box 12, folder 5, UW-Milwaukee Photographs Collection)

The 1953 Green Gulls: Gerald McDermot, Allan Wulz, Coach Russ Rebholz, Tom Hanrahan, Robert Fabich, Wayne Krueger. Rebholz took over at Milwaukee after Penwell's departure. (Photograph from box 12, folder 5, UW-Milwaukee Photographs Collection) Bob Fabich drops in a gift shot" during this 1957 game. The team, in its second season as the UW-Milwaukee Cardinals, was dominant on its home court, winning 41 of 42 home games and 35 straight from 1956 to 1961 by an average of 18 points per game. (Echo 1957, p. 175)

Baker Fieldhouse basketball court, 1958. Players would be "caged" by the mesh fencing, leading to the term “cagers" in reference to basketball players. The team went 17-4 that year, its best record in two decades. (Photograph from box 1 folder 1, George M. Richard Photographs of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee #11 Marty Harrison goes for a layup at Lacrosse in 1963. (Ivy 1963,  p. 177)
Mike Maren takes a jump shot against UW-Lacrosse. Despite his success in the 1962-1963 season, Maren did not return to the team in subsequent years. (Ivy 1963, p. 177) Center and team Captain Fred "Duke" Maas, guards the ball from an opponent. Maas led his team to a record 2,435 points in the season and 90.2 points per game, also a record. Maas would also broke the free throw accuracy record that year. (Ivy 1968, p. 175)

Harold Lee #21, the UW Panther's senior guard drives against a Long Island University opponent, Dec. 26, 1972. UWM won 80-69.  Harold Lee was named one of five players in UWM’s All-Decade Teams for the 1970s. (Photograph from box 12, folder 9, UW-Milwaukee Photographs Collection) UWM Panther Basketball player Ed Williams (#44) and Harold Lee (#21) Panthers try and block a pass in 1973. Their record, 18-8, against a variety of strong national opponents was enough to elevate them into Division I of the NCAA. (Photograph from box 12, folder 8, UW-Milwaukee Photographs Collection)

An unidentified Panther is airborne in this breakaway play in 1975. Dunking was considered unsportsmanlike and ungentlemanly, and actually made illegal in the NCAA from 1967 to 1977. In that year, the breakaway rim was introduced and made an appearance in the 1978 NCAA tournament. (Photograph from box 12, folder 9, UW-Milwaukee Photographs Collection) Dexter Riesch (#20) with ball and Bob Beyer (#24) guarding his man. (Photograph from box 12, folder 6, UW-Milwaukee Photographs Collection)


One of the Panthers' early games at the newly opened Klotsche Center in 1977. The Men's team would play here until 1992. (Photograph from Box 12, folder 9, UW-Milwaukee Photographs Collection) A UWM player wins a rebound against a Robert Morris Colonial on February 26, 1977. UWM would win the game, 84-77. The Panthers ended the season 19-8, going 14-1 on their new home court. (Photograph from box 13, folder 1, UW-Milwaukee Photographs Collection)

UWM Panther #52, Al Walker and a University of Minnesota Duluth player fight for the jump ball in 1976. Until 1982, jump balls were used at the start of every quarter and after some penalties. (Photograph from box 13, folder 1, UW-Milwaukee Photographs Collection) In 1989 the UW Milwaukee team, coached by Steve Antrim, made it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division II tournament. Milwaukee did not belong to a conference, but qualified for the tournament based on its 22-6 record, including a 14 game win streak. They beat Augustana 99-95 in the first round, and N. Colorado 89-88 in OT.  The Panthers would lose to South East Missouri St, 93-84, ending their most successful tournament berth. (Men's Basketball Media Guide 2010-2011, p. 62)


Dylan Page #15 in the 2003 NCAA tournament versus Notre Dame.  After a narrow loss to Butler in the regular season, the Panthers got its revenge in a 69-52 Horizon League Tournament win. This qualified the Panthers to their first ever NCAA Division I tournament, and met Notre Dame in the first round. UW-Milwaukee would lose by a single point, 70-69.  (Men's Basketball Media Guide 2010-2011, p. 49) #13 Joah Tucker dunking in the 2006 NCAA tournament. Tucker, along with teammates Boo Davis and Adrian Tigert were honored on the Horizon All-League Teams. UW-Milwaukee won their second straight Horizon League Tournament, which sent them to the NCAA tournament for the third time in four seasons. After an 82-74 point win over Oklahoma, the Panthers lost to Florida, the National Champions, 82-60. (Men's Basketball Media Guide 2010-2011, p. 68)

2005 Horizon League Champions. Milwaukee won a close contest with Detroit in the Horizon League Tournament, winning with a single free throw in the last 4.2 seconds of the game, 59-58. This led the Panthers to their second NCAA Division I tournament, an exciting contest that brought Milwaukee into the Sweet Sixteen.Their first game was in Cleveland against Alabama, where the Panthers won 83-73. The second round, against Big East Champions Boston College, Panthers won 83-75. The Milwaukee team was finally defeated by eventual runner-ups Illinois, 77-63. Milwaukee ended the season ranked 23rd in the nation. (Men's Basketball Media Guide 2010-2011, p. 58)