MU2012/101 a: VHS tape -  Inside - Behind the Scenes with a National Contender - Manchester College Spartans - NCAA Division III  - 1994 and 1995. Baseline Productions, a Jeff Shafer and Rob Nichols video production. Radio play-by-play from WBKE 89.5 FM Billy Quesenberry.  Illinois Wesleyan game footage courtesy of Telecable of Bloomington, IL. 1994 Illinois Wesleyan video by Al Celestin.  1994 final four footage by Rob Nichols. Newspaper articles from Wabash Plain Dealer, North Manchester News Journal, Fort Wayne News Sentinel, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis News, The Pentagraph. Special thanks to Steve Alford, Kenny Cox, Steve Lynch, Virginia Keller, Manchester College Athletic Department. Post production at Manchester College Commication Studies Department.

 This footage also contains the 1994 altercation when the Manchester College Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference (ICAC) champs were hosting Illinois Wesleyan U. in the  NCAA Division 3 tournament.

MU2012/101 b: DVD - digitized copy of MU2012/101a.

For additional copeis contact: Manchester College Sports Information Office, Manchester College, North Manchester, Indiana.

Memories of the 1994 altercation

Our 1994 Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference (ICAC) champs were hosting Illinois Wesleyan U. in the NCAA Division 3 tournament.  Even though extra bleachers were added at both ends of the court and even upstairs in the southwest corner, there were not going to be enough tickets.  They went on sale earlier in the week – first come, first served.  Somebody from Timbercrest showed up early and bought handfuls for his friends.  I arrived too late and didn’t get a ticket.  The day before the game, athletic director Tom Jarman found out, and, since I was the chair of the athletic committee, got me tickets from his supply.  The game was very exciting.  My seat was at the end of the east bleachers, almost in line with the basket.  At the end of the game, with the scored tied 77-77, an IWU player got the ball in the corner, right down in front of us, with about a second remaining.  The crowd noise was terrific, and he shot at about the same time as the buzzer sounded.  It went in and all was bedlam.  The IWU fans in our area were sure the ball left his hand before the buzzer.  We were just as sure the buzzer came first.  The referees ruled that it would count and IWU wins.  Their players, of course, were celebrating.  One of them not too wisely raised his arms and ran around the other end of the court, taunting the guys with no shirts.  Reports were that he was punched by one of our students.  Their coach was mad.  The NCAA wanted a report.  Subsequent replay of the video from (I believe) Ft. Wayne television news showed what really happened.  One of the shirt-less guys in the 2^nd or 3^rd row pushed a guy in first row out onto the floor, colliding with the IWU player. 

The next year, we travelled to IWU and beat them on their court, earning the trip to Buffalo for the final two games. 

Rob Gratz, Summer of 2012.      

Stan Pittman's group digitized the VHS tape during the Spring of 2013 out of the interest of preservation.  Digital copy on DVD made by David Sollenberger for preservation purposes. Description prepared 16 October 2012 by Jeanine M. Wine and updated 17 March 2019 by Jeanine Wine.