Moment: 1961 Team Tips Off "Rouge Week'
April 13, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Nearly 70 years after its first championship, the River Rouge boys basketball program remains the standard at the Finals level of its sport with 20 appearances in MHSAA championship games and 14 titles.
From 1960-69, Rouge appeared in Finals seven times and won six championships – and photos and video from those six title games will make up this “Rouge Week” as part of our MHSAA Moments series.
We tip off with these from the 79-44 Class B title win over Holland Christian in 1961. The championship was the fourth of 12 earned under legendary coach Lofton Greene, following those won in 1954, 1955 and 1959.
The Panthers' 21-8 second-quarter run, keyed by 6-foot-5 freshman Willie Betts, sent them into halftime up 39-21. For the game, four players scored in double figures for River Rouge led by Jon Roman (No. 11 above and below) with 17 points. The Panthers finished 23-2 and also included Ken Wilburn (No. 25 below), who went on to play professionally for four NBA and ABA franchises.
(Photos courtesy of The Associated Press.)
State Champs! Michigan: Hangtime 2-10-23
February 10, 2023
Join Lorne Plant, TJ Kelley and Scott Burnstein for the sixth episode this season of STATE CHAMPS! Hangtime.
0:00 – Open
1:21 – Detroit Northwestern’s Cartier Woods passes away
3:07 - Grand Rapids West Catholic’s Gabe Aughdahl with rare tumor
4:33 – OLSM player eligibility update
6:40 – Game recaps
7:38 – Grand Rapids Northview drops game to East Grand Rapids
8:48 – North Farmington beats Muskegon
9:26 – South Lyon East vs Milford, Scott gives props to the Lakes Valley Conference
10:25 – Grand Rapids Christian took down Warren Michigan Collegiate in double OT
12:30 - BCAM Chalk Talk with Warren Lincoln Head Coach Wydell Henry
14:09 – The guy’s talk about the season Warren Lincoln is having
17:58 – TJ’s rankings! New number one, some move up, some move down
18:56 – Detroit Public School District playoffs start soon
20:24 – Scheduling games, benefits of 22 games
22:18 – Two showcases to check out this weekend
25:13 - Close