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closeSunday, Sep. 21, 2008
Bond of Bombers: Richland's first state champion basketball team gathers for 50-year reunion
By Mark McKenna, Herald staff writer
RICHLAND -- Jim Castleberry is and always has been all about the green and gold. He's Mr. Bomber to all old-school Bombers, eager to chat about anything to do with Richland High School basketball.
Naturally, Castleberry couldn't resist when longtime pal Pat Crook called with a proposition: "We should all get together and talk about how great we used to be," he teased.
Castleberry took the ball and ran. He made some phone calls, sent some e-mails and before he knew it had accomplished his goal. He had reassembled the 1958 Richland state championship basketball team for a 50-year reunion.
The Bombers turned the Atomic City upside down with excitement during the 1957-58 season, winning the school's first state championship with a phenomenal run to and through the Class AA state championships.
The magical season was a once in a lifetime experience for the teammates, and the memories burn bright. That was obvious recently, when nine players and a team manager met over breakfast at a Richland diner to eat pancakes, drink coffee and tell tales of the glory days.
They relived growing up Bombers, the challenges and rewards of playing under legendary coach Art Dawald, and the four thrilling days at the University of Washington's Hec Edmundson Pavilion.
"It was neat to get together and share so many wonderful memories," said Castleberry, a retired teacher and longtime Richland assistant basketball coach. "We played with a lot of pride, refusing to ever give up. We had Bomber Pride. I think anybody who was ever a Bomber, whether you played sports or not, knows the feeling. And sitting at the table eating breakfast with the guys rekindled that feeling."
C.W. Brown, who was voted to the all-state team in 1958, called the two-hour gabfest a blast.
"To get most of us back together again after 50 years was incredible, just incredible," said Brown, of Richland. "Winning the state title was a big accomplishment for the players, the school and the whole community."
Castleberry and Brown were among five seniors in 1958, all of whom were on the '57 team that entered the state tournament undefeated but finished seventh.
Mix of talents
The '58 Bombers were not considered as talented, but they had senior John Meyers, a 6-foot-6, 230-pound bear of a center. Meyers, also an all-state football player, was widely recognized as the best athlete in the state.
"He was the strongest ballplayer I ever played with," Castleberry said. "He was just such a horse. And he had great skills. He was awesome defensively, and he had a beautiful turnaround jump shot."
Seniors Crook and Castleberry were the starting guards and team co-captains. Crook, a 5-9, 190-pounder whom newspaperman Charlie Van Sickel of the Columbia Basin News warmly referred to as "the chunky Crook," was an all-state football player with a blue-collar ethic.
"In my opinion, Pat is one of the best five athletes to ever come out of Richland," Castleberry said. "He doesn't get the credit he deserves as a basketball player. He was tough, smart, and boy could he shoot."
Castleberry, a slender 6-footer, was the Bombers' quiet leader.
"Jim liked to stay in the background, but the truth was he was a great all-around player," Crook said. "He could shoot, run the floor and handle the ball. And he was clutch. He always seemed to hit the big shot."
Brown was a 5-9 senior forward who could check taller opponents with his jumping ability and smaller ones with his quickness. Though listed as a forward, he was more like a guard. In fact, Castleberry said, most people thought "C-dub" was the best guard in the state.
"He could really do it all," Castleberry said. "There were nights when he was unstoppable."
Bob Frick was a rookie with crafty moves around the basket. The 6-2 sophomore forward was called up from the JV squad in mid-January and, as Castleberry said, "became the final piece of the puzzle."
The sixth man was junior Dick Nelson, a sharpshooter who often gave the Bombers a spark. Senior forward Bill Gill provided another big man off the bench, and Jim Warren, Bill Roe and Lee Roy Parchen provided depth.
Jim Walton and Mike McKeown were sophomores who were called up to the varsity for the district tournament but were not on the state roster. Jerry Yates and Bill Porter were the team managers. Gill, Walton and Yates could not attend the reunion.
"We were a true team," Castleberry said. "Every single player and both managers were critical to our success."
Legendary coach
Then there was Dawald. He came to Richland in 1947 after winning two Class B championships at Colfax, and by the time he hung up his whistle at Richland in 1970, he had compiled a record of 406-149 and directed the Bombers to 15 state appearances.
Dawald was a fiery, demanding coach. His charges were expected to play hard and smart, and to handle themselves with dignity at all times. If prospects didn't buy into his philosophy, they were out the door. And he could be intimidating. He regularly sat four or five rows up in the stands during practice and shouted instructions, usually with a colorful vocabulary.
Dawald also was innovative for the time. He believed in fast-break basketball in an era when a controlled game was the norm. Teamwork and hard-nosed man-to-man defense also were Bomber traits.
"Art was a taskmaster," Castleberry said. "He challenged us at every practice. He wanted things done his way, but he still allowed you the freedom to be somewhat creative with your game."
Brown said Dawald's No. 1 rule was simple: Be in shape. "We would run, run and run some more," Brown said.
Dawald's assistant coach and confidant was Ray Juricich, who also was football coach Fran Rish's right-hand man. Juricich coached the junior varsity team, which at that time had only sophomores. He taught the Dawald system, so when the kids graduated to varsity, they could hit the court running.
"Ray did all the little things that needed to be done so Art could concentrate on basketball," Castleberry said. "And yes, he was demanding, too. He would get on you if you had it coming."
Tournament time
The Bombers were off to the Emerald City, where they were anything but strangers. Richland was making its sixth consecutive appearance and eighth state trip in nine years.
But a state title had remained elusive, and 1958 was not expected to be the year the Bombers hoisted the big trophy. They blitzed through the Yakima Valley AA (the predecessor to the Big Nine Conference) undefeated and showed up in Seattle ranked third in the state with a 20-2 record and winners of 19 straight.
Still, they were considered underdogs.
Anacortes (22-1) was the state's top-ranked team and Lincoln was No. 2, despite the fact that the Lynx were the two-time defending champs, had beaten Anacortes in the last two state title games and entered the tournament on a 37-game winning streak.
Dawald was quoted as saying it didn't matter who the Bombers drew in the opener: "You have to play the tough ones sooner or later if you want to win the championship," he said.
And they got one. Richland tipped off against Anacortes and its star center, 6-5 senior Gary Keister, on the afternoon of Wednesday, March 12. If the Bombers were intimidated by playing No. 1 before a crowd of nearly 12,000, it never showed.
They hung tough for three quarters, then outscored the Seahawks 22-9 in the fourth to rally for a 64-59 victory. Meyers led the way with 17 points and 22 rebounds while holding Keister to 16 points, and Castleberry added 14 points as all five starters scored in double figures.
"Everything just came together for us. It was the best quarter we played all year," Castleberry said.
That set up a showdown with Lincoln, which had run its win streak to 38 with a 78-54 victory over Stadium in the opening round.
Most "expert basketball observers," as the local newspaper reported, figured Lincoln would win by double figures. The Lynx featured 6-5 senior center Roger Niva, who entered the tournament with a state-best 24-point scoring average.
Again, somebody forgot to clue in the Bombers, who took control in the second half and held on for a convincing 58-49 victory. Frick had 16 points and 13 rebounds, Brown had 14 points and Castleberry chipped in 13. The key, however, was Meyers holding Niva to 16 points.
Dropped a bomb
Van Sickel wrote a colorful summary of the game: "The high-flying Richland Bombers dropped a king-sized hydrogen bomb in Edmundson Pavilion on Thursday night, scattering the pieces of defending two-time champion Lincoln's 38-game win streak in all directions."
Next up was West Bremerton, which brought a 23-2 mark to the semifinals after beating Moses Lake 56-44 in the second round. Meyers overpowered the the Tigers for 19 points and 19 rebounds, and the Bombers were in control throughout the 57-48 victory.
That set the stage for an all-East final. The Bombers took on Lewis & Clark (16-4), guided by famed coach Squinty Hunter.
By then, the Tri-Cities -- not just Richland -- had Bomber mania.
"In cafes, snack bars and taverns, at parties and the like, all ears seemed tuned to radio. In bowling alleys, theater lobbies and along the streets, everybody was pulling for Richland," reported the Columbia Basin Herald.
Once again, the green and gold had to contend with another superstar in Dwight Damon, the Tigers' 6-3 forward. He scored 24 points and ended up the tournament's leading scorer, but the Bombers were just too strong in a 58-52 victory.
Meyers battled foul trouble but managed 20 points and 16 rebounds, and Brown scored 14 points. Both were named to the all-state first team. Castleberry was a second-team selection, and Frick and Crook received honorable-mention recognition.
"I remember we celebrated for a few minutes in the locker room, then we just took our showers and changed our clothes," Castleberry said. "We were just so darn tired."
The triumphant teens were greeted by their ecstatic hometown fans. There was a rally at the Bomber Bowl, where a crowd of 2,500 and a several town dignitaries paid tribute.
Finally, the Bombers were champions.
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