1963 Sisseton Redmen

BR- Chuck Schwahn-Asst Coach – Bob Brewster – Myron Moen-Simon Schloe-Jack Theeler-Robert Hull- Tom Hruby- Coach Jack Theeler.  FR – L-R Jim Anderson-Mgr – Richard Lucas-Marlowe Samson-Myron Williams-Tony Barker – Doug Brewster- Owen Hillberg.

1963 Sisseton Redmen

Team of Excellence

2011 South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame

The South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame is honoring one of the outstanding teams in South Dakota basketball history.  The 1963 Sisseton Redmen are being recognized as the “Team of Excellence”, forty eight years after capturing the 1963 State A Championship.  Finishing a perfect season with a 25-0 record, it was only the third time in SD basketball history that a team had gone undefeated in the “A” ranks.

At the time, the Eastern South Dakota (ESD) conference consisted of eight teams, including Sioux Falls Washington.  The eight team Black Hills Conference (BHC) included Rapid City Central.  The other sixteen teams in Class A were dubbed “orphan schools”.  The Sisseton team ended two decades of “big school” dominance by winning the ’63 State A championship.

During their undefeated season, the Redmen won the Rapid City Holiday Tournament by defeating then number one ranked Custer and Rapid City Central. They also won the Northeast Conference title.  Regular season non-conference wins were over Fargo Shanley and Wahpeton, North Dakota, Ada, Minnesota (at Concordia College), Flandreau and Watertown (at Watertown).  Sisseton ended the regular season with a win over undefeated Mobridge 80-46.  The Redmen then defeated Milbank and Watertown to win the Sectional Tournament held at the new Watertown Civic Arena.

The Redmen defeated Gregory (65-37), Sioux Falls Washington (42-33) and defending champion Brookings (58-42) to win the 1963 championship at the first State A Tournament played in the Sioux Falls Arena.

The team roster included Myron Moen, Jack Theeler, Simon Schloe, Bob Hull, Bob Brewster, Tony Barker, Tom Hruby, Marlowe Samson, Owen Hillberg, Doug Brewster, Myron Williams and Richard Lucas.  Student managers were Jim Anderson and Wayne Lotz.  The five starters, Moen, Theeler, Schloe, Hull and Bob Brewster, all went on to play college basketball.  The 1963 Redmen were later named “Team of the Decade”.

First year Sisseton coach, Jack Theeler, Sr., was assisted by Chuck Schwahn.   Coach Theeler passed away in 1998.  He was inducted into the South Dakota Basketball Coaches Hall of Shrine in 2002 and the South Dakota High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2004.