Believe it: Another Near-Miss and Then a Charmed Season of 1941

The Aztecs saw their NCAA basketball tournament run ended by Connecticut on Thursday, but they can take heart from history. Bitter disappointments can give way to beautiful success.

With a runner-up finish in the 1939 NAIA national tournament, the San Diego State College Aztecs became a clear favorite for the 1939-40 season.  

With seven of eight lettermen returning—including “Little [school] All-Americans” Milton “Milky” Phelps and Andy Echle—the expectations for the young squad pointed to a national title.

Morris Gross, athletic director and head basketball coach,  had moved the Aztecs into the new California Collegiate Athletic Association conference featuring the larger California state colleges (Fresno, San Diego, San Jose and Santa Barbara).

In addition to tougher league competition, Gross also kept up his practice of scheduling top quality nonconference opponents.  The Aztecs opened the season with a split of games with Pacific Coast Conference member UCLA.   

Harry Hodgetts remembering his challenging task of guarding the talented Bruin All-American guard Jackie Robinson, who seven years later broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball.

After two big road wins at Chico State in which Milky Phelps re-established himself as one of the top “sharpshooters” in the country with more than 30 points scored, the squad hit a bump in its road with a disappointing third-place finish in the California “State College” pre-season tournament.

In a 1976 interview with David Howard Fontius, Gross recalled his comments toward his talented team: “It proved what I had told the boys all year—a team can’t always come from behind to win. … We must get into the habit of going at top speed from the opening second.”

The team apparently responded well to Gross’ leadership, winning all of its remaining nonleague games except for a two-point loss to California—a game in which three starters were out due to sickness or injury.

Such injuries caused trouble during key league games, however.  Recurring injuries to stars Andy Echle and Milky Phelps saw the team only split with league rival Santa Barbara and finish with two disappointing regular-season-ending losses to San Jose.

This left the 18-5 Aztecs with a 3-3 league record and third-place conference finish.  

But their previous year’s performance and overall strong record garnered them a return invitation to the 1940 national tournament in Kansas City. 

A Spook-y Mascot and Another Near-Miss

Once again the student body helped raise the funds to send the team to Kansas City.  Harry Hodgetts clearly remembered the inexpensive, uncomfortable but memorable two-day, one-night train trips. 

Harry recalled, “It was a high-speed chair car rather than a sleeper because it was a lot cheaper. The trip took about 34 hours.  If you wanted to sleep, you just had to do it sitting up.”

But the train trips also inspired the creation of the team’s special mascot—“Spook.”

Hodgetts recalled that during the 1939 trip the team of young, imaginative and spunky Aztecs had began to “play mind games” with the train car porters.  When the porters asked what kind of mascot the Aztecs kept, the team informed the porters that their mascot was a Mexican hairless Chihuahua. 

After the porters reminded the team that no animals were allowed on the car, the players would act as if they were “hiding Spook” each time the porters entered.  When the exasperated porters inquired further, the team remarked that “Spook” was really there—but invisible.   Starting with the 1940 trip, the team brought a dog leash and empty harness for “Spook,” their ghostly mascot.

Spook was just one good-luck charm the team used to deal with their own superstitions.  Coach Gross reportedly would wear the same suit until a loss, then change to another.  Also manager Paul Fern would rub his lucky 1865 nickel on the heads of the five starters before each game.  A report in the State College Aztec noted that the team believed, “to fail to do this would invite disaster.”

Hodgetts recalled that the Kansas City press still made them a pre-tournament favorite due to their entertaining fast-break style and scrappy never-say-die effort—and State did not disappoint. 

The Aztecs opened with a36-35 victory over tall East Central State of Oklahoma.  They followed with a last second tip-in by Dick Mitchell to nip Pittsburgh State of Kansas 32-30.  Against Appalachian State of North Carolina, it would take a last-second midcourt shot by Milky Phelps to seal the 48-46 victory.

In the semifinal matchup with Delta College of Mississippi, the Aztecs fell seven points down with three minutes to go but rallied to set up Eddie Priesler’s last second hook-shot off the boards for a hard-fought 30-28 victory. 

In the championship game, a banged-up Aztec squad full of nagging injuries helped the hot-shooting Tarkio College of Missouri team pull out to an early lead.  Even a switch from their scarlet to white jerseys at halftime could not stop the 52-42 championship game win for the Owls.

Another near-miss at the national championship only cemented the team’s determination for the following year.  Coach Gross and the school held even higher expectations for nothing less than a tournament victory. 

Third Time is the Charm

A San Diego State preseason press brochure predicted that Gross’ vision for a national tournament victory in March 1941 would “wind up the greatest season in San Diego State casaba [basketball] history.” 

The Aztec confidence was led by the fact that the 1940-41 team once again returned seven lettermen.  The team also had significant senior leadership with Phelps, Hodgetts, Patterson, Echle, John Sellwood and Earl Allison along with a new set of transfers and “B” team hopefuls including highly touted Kenny Hale. 

Gross once again set up a tough nonleague schedule in order to test and challenge his squad.  The Aztecs opened with six straight victories over UCLA, New Mexico State, BYU and California before a loss to future Hall of Famer Hank Luisetti’s powerful Stanford squad.

Led by All-American Phelps’ rapid-fire scoring, the Aztecs opened with two league victories over Fresno.  But in the second game Phelps injured his knee and would be forced to miss most of the remaining CCAA league games.

The loss of their two-time All-American resulted in several tough losses as the Aztecs adapted to the absence of Milky’s sharpshooting.  Still the rest of the team’s talent kept them in the race against tough Santa Barbara and San Jose State teams.  Yet the Aztecs were dealt a difficult blow with two tough losses at San Jose, ending the season in a three-way tie for the conference crown.

Many Aztec fans were somewhat disappointed in the lost opportunity for the outright CCAA title, especially since Phelps had made his first appearances since his injury in those last two games. 

An editorial by State College Aztec editor Dick Thomas questioned the expense of sending the squad to Kansas City again—especially with three “crippled [injured] members” and the growing concerns of the European War (WWII) capturing headlines in spring 1941.

Still the NAIA tournament officials invited all three CCAA teams to Kansas City (San Jose voted not to accept).  Once again ASB and other campus organizations raised funds for the trip. 

Gross realized that the taxing schedule and disappointment of the season ending losses had taken a toll.  He gave his team an extra two days off from practice the week prior to the tournament.  The wise coach hoped to give his team some “healing time” to prepare and re-energize.

Gross and his top 10 players made the trip, including the still injured Phelps—along with team manager Jack Edwards and “Spook.” 

San Diego State was scheduled for the 1941 tournament’s opening night “featured” last game against Montana State.  The Aztec speed and pressing defense resulted in a solid 46-29 win. 

Their second game against Culver-Stockton College of Missouri was much tougher.  The game ended in a 41-41 tie and it took two baskets from young Kenny Hale, who had become the team’s top scorer during Phelps injury-riddled season, and a Harry Hodgetts free throw along with a tight defense, to get a 46-41 overtime victory. 

Awaiting was Texas Wesleyan, another highly rated opponent.  The game was tight all the way.  Andy Echle’s 13 points led the Aztecs.  Phelps, still struggling with his injured knee, played only two minutes.  Yet his only basket with 22 seconds to go proved to be the game winner in a 44-42 triumph.

The next challenge was a tall one—literally.  West Texas State featured a 6-foot-10 center and a team average height of nearly 6-6.  The Buffaloes were touted as tournament favorites.  

Andy Echle was San Diego’s tallest player at 6-4 followed by 6-1  Hodgetts and Dick Mitchell.  When Echle went down with an injury in the first minute of the game, Mitchell and Hodgetts were left to guard the 6-10 center Charles Halbert and 6-6 leading scorer Price Brookfield.  

Mitchell’s performance is legendary, holding Halbert to 13 points while scoring 14 himself before fouling out (only four fouls got you disqualified back then) with two minutes to go.  A woozy Andy Echle re-entered for the last two minutes after Mitchell’s departure.  Hodgetts’s defensive performance was just as impressive, holding Brookfield to 11 points while surviving with three personal fouls.

Gross’ strategy of using his team’s quickness paid off as they slowly pulled out to a 22-17 half time lead.  Phelps’ gutty performance in scoring 10 points in reduced and painful, minutes along with small speedsters Hale and  Patterson’s 9 and 7 points kept the “Texas giants” off-balance.  Late baskets by Phelps, Hale and Mitchell sealed the stunning 43-40 upset victory.

The Aztecs participation in their third straight championship game may have seemed anti-climatic.  Their opponent—Murray State of Kentucky—was a surprise finalist as well.  But the injuries to Phelps, Echle and a banged-up Mitchell put the result in doubt.

Gutty performances by Phelps (7 points) and Echle (9 points), both wrapped in bandages from their injuries, along with Hale’s 10 points, made up for semifinal game star Mitchell’s absence.  The scarlet-clad Aztecs raced out to a 20-14 halftime lead. But a 13-minute scoring drought resulted in Murray State tying the game with 3½ minutes left in regulation.

Here it was time for 5-9 forward Patterson, the team’s shortest starter, to make his mark on Aztec history.  Patterson slipped behind the Racers’ defense for a layup to pull ahead 30-28.  After reserve Jim Ahler made a free throw, Murray’s star center Bob Salmons closed the gap to 31-30 with 1:30 left. 

It was then that Phelps, the team’s best free throw shooter and sure ball-handler, was pressured.  He then deftly fed Patterson again to slip through for another basket.  Patterson repeated with another basket to give State a 35-30 lead with less than a minute to go.  Phelps added a free throw, his fifth of the game. 

Murray State added two meaningless baskets in the last few seconds, but it was too late as the Aztecs held on for the 36-34 victory—and the national championship.

Milky Phelps ended the season as the Aztecs’ leading scorer with 1,043 points in three injury riddled and preshot-clock seasons.  Phelps and Hale were named First Team “Little” All-Americans with Mitchell and Hodgetts were named second team.

Several thousand fans and students greeted the Aztecs and “Spook” upon their return to the Santa Fe Depot.  Phelps exited first with the championship trophy held high. 

He, followed by the others, were then lifted to the shoulders of admirers and carried to the temporary platform for a welcome from San Diego Mayor Percy Benbough, San Diego State President Walter Hepner and ASB representative J.O. Miller. Hailed as civic heroes, the Chamber of Commerce honored the Aztec “casaba-men” with a dinner banquet a few nights later.

As Hodgetts recalled, the team’s glory simmered down rather quickly.  The players got back to school, but all would soon be focused on the impact of world events that would affect the Class of 1941.  

World War II would soon be the focus.  All members of the 1940-41 team would end up in military.  This included Gross, who joined the Navy after the 1941-42 season—never to return as coach.

Only Milton “Milky” Phelps would not return.  Phelps was killed in a training flight accident in November 1942 as he prepared to become an Air Force pilot.

The State College Aztec announced the sad news:

“Milky” Phelps is dead, and with his death passes an age in San Diego State College athletic history.  An age in which by the ability and magnetism of one person ... gave rise to talents long hidden in them and pulled themselves to unscaled heights.

Within such a context it is not surprising that the story of Morrie Gross and his small but gutty national champion Aztecs has been lost to many.  

But it is a story that needs regular retelling.

Not just for Aztecs, and SDSU fans, but for all who strive to make hard work, determination and overcoming tall challenges the path for making dream’s come true. 

So do not lose faith, 2010-11 SDSU basketball fans.  Coach Fisher and the Sweet Sixteen Aztecs have set a foundation similar to that of their forebears.

Just keep believing—and that national championship can become reality.

It has before.