Pittsburgh Press - December 21, 1966
Pittsburgh Post Gazette - December 22, 1966
Rutgers 1919-20 Basketball Team
Some of the pre-game articles in the Pittsburgh newspapers mention this was the first meeting between the two teams since 1920 - there's more than a little irony in that. Above is a picture of the 1919-20 Rutgers basketball team which I found in the University archives while researching the commemorative NIT booklet. The picture was taken shortly after they defeated Princeton by one point in overtime, the first Rutgers victory ever over Princeton in basketball and only the second Rutgers win over Princeton in any sport since the first football game in 1869. That Rutgers team defeated Pitt in the second half of a swimming - basketball doubleheader, just to show that such events like this year's wrestling - football doubleheader are nothing new. Admission to the swimming meet was 25 cents while tickets to the basketball game at Ballantine Gym cost $1.
The irony is that while it's often said the 1966-67 team was the first Rutgers basketball team to play in a post season tournament, that honor belongs to the 1919-20 team. Long before there was an NCAA tournament there was a national AAU tournament which included college and amateur teams. Rutgers was invited to the 1920 tournament played in Atlanta and proceeded to defeat Utah, Georgia, an AAU team from Detroit before losing to NYU (and Howard McCann) in the championship game - four games in four nights. Rutgers went to the tournament without its coach, Frank Hill because he couldn't get off from his day job (nor related to basketball). In addition to being the Rutgers coach, Hill was simultaneously the coach at Seton Hall.
Pittsburgh Post Gazette - December 23, 1966
Pittsburgh Post Gazette - December 23, 1966
Pittsburgh Press - December 23, 1966
Pittsburgh Press - December 23, 1966
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