1954 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
Encyclopedia
The 1954 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri
. The 17th annual NAIA
basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format . The Southwest Missouri State University
Bears were out to claim an unprecedented three straight national title. But Western Illinois
handed them an upset in the National Semifinals, and the Bears had to settle for 3rd place. This left the title open for a new champion. It was the first time two new teams met in the championship game since 1947
. The teams that played in the national championship game, were Western Illinois, and St. Benedict's (Kan.)
. St. Benedict's would defeat Western Illinois by a score of 62 to 56. It was the first time these two teams had played in tournament history.
Southwest Missouri State, now Missouri State and the previous two time champion would settle for a third place victory over Arkansas Tech
75 to 61.
The 1954 tournament would see the beginning of one of the best players the NAIA had ever seen. Jim Spivey of Southeastern Oklahoma would begin his journey to most all time free throws made, and 4th on the all time scoring list. It would also be the first year for the awarding of the Coach of the Year Award. This award goes to the best coach in the NAIA over the past year, which is not necessarily the tournament winning coach. The first award went to Sam Hindsman of Arkansas Tech.
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. The 17th annual NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format . The Southwest Missouri State University
Missouri State Bears
The Missouri State Bears and Lady Bears are the athletic teams representing Missouri State University. Missouri State athletics date back to 1908. Missouri State is in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, and most teams compete in the Missouri Valley Conference...
Bears were out to claim an unprecedented three straight national title. But Western Illinois
Western Illinois Leathernecks basketball
The Western Illinois Leathernecks men's basketball team represents Western Illinois University of Macomb, Illinois, in NCAA Division I men's college basketball competition....
handed them an upset in the National Semifinals, and the Bears had to settle for 3rd place. This left the title open for a new champion. It was the first time two new teams met in the championship game since 1947
1947 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1947 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 10th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format . It would be the first time since 1945 the NAIA Semifinalist would feature...
. The teams that played in the national championship game, were Western Illinois, and St. Benedict's (Kan.)
Benedictine College
Benedictine College is a co-educational university in Atchison, Kansas, founded in 1971 by the merger of St. Benedict's College for men and Mount St. Scholastica College for women. It is a Roman Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts, and residential college located on bluffs overlooking the...
. St. Benedict's would defeat Western Illinois by a score of 62 to 56. It was the first time these two teams had played in tournament history.
Southwest Missouri State, now Missouri State and the previous two time champion would settle for a third place victory over Arkansas Tech
Arkansas Tech University
Arkansas Tech University is a comprehensive regional institution located in Russellville, Arkansas, United States. The university offers programs at both baccalaureate and graduate levels in a range of fields. As of 2004, the University also operates a small satellite campus in the town of Ozark...
75 to 61.
The 1954 tournament would see the beginning of one of the best players the NAIA had ever seen. Jim Spivey of Southeastern Oklahoma would begin his journey to most all time free throws made, and 4th on the all time scoring list. It would also be the first year for the awarding of the Coach of the Year Award. This award goes to the best coach in the NAIA over the past year, which is not necessarily the tournament winning coach. The first award went to Sam Hindsman of Arkansas Tech.
Awards and honors
Many of the records set by the 1954 tournament have been broken, and many of the awards were established much later:- Leading scorer est. 1963
- Leading rebounder est. 1963
- Charles Stevenson Hustle Award est. 1958
- Player of the Year est. 1994
- Most free throws made; career: 120 free throws made by Jim Spivey of Southeastern Oklahoma State (1954,55,56,57). In 1954, Spivey began his four year trek to tournament record.
- Most tournament appearances: Georgetown (Ky.) 1954 would be the first of 28, as of 2009, appearances to the NAIA Tournament
- All-time scoring leader; first appearance: James Spivey, 4th Southeastern Oklahoma State (1954,55,56,57), 13 games, 133 field goals, 120 free throws, totaling 386 points, 29.7 average per game.
- All-time scoring leader; second appearance: James Miller, 18th, East Texas State (1953,54,55), 13 games, 103 field goals, 40 free throws, totaling 246 points, 18.9 average per game.
- All-time scoring leader; third appearance: E.C. O’Neal, 9th, Arkansas Tech (1952,53,54,55), 13 games, 122 field goals, 43 free throws, totaling 287 points, 22.1 average per game.
1954 NAIA bracket
- * denotes overtime.
3rd place game
The third place game featured the losing team from the national semifinalist to determine 3rd and 4th places in the tournament. This game was played until 1988.See also
- 1954 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament1954 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball TournamentThe 1954 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 24 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 8, 1954, and ended with the championship game on March 20 in Kansas City, Missouri...
- 1954 National Invitation Tournament1954 National Invitation TournamentThe 1954 National Invitation Tournament was the 1954 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition.-Selected teams:Below is a list of the 12 teams selected for the tournament.-Brackets/Results:Below is the tournament bracket....