A few old basketball photos

8,591 Views | 45 Replies | Last: 2 yr ago by war hymn aggie
twk
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In order to celebrate the fact that Texags is now hosting images, I went back through the old yearbooks online looking mostly for pictures of A&M facilities in the past that I hadn't seen on the internet. Here are a few basketball related images.

The first basketball games at A&M would have been played outdoors. Sometime in the teens, a wooden gymnasium was built about where Downs Natatorium was later constructed. You can see it in the background of this photo of a baseball game in 1923. The baseball grandstand served both baseball and track in the early '20s:


Deware Field House was built in 1924.




Unfortunately, due to the limitations of photography at the time, all game action photos that I've seen were take with a flash that only illuminated the action in close proximity and didn't give you a look at the surroundings, and then only a limited view. For that reason, for a number of years after Deware opened, the yearbook staged some photos during the daytime at practice, such as this one in 1938.


G Rollie White Coliseum opened in 1954, and there are a lot of photos of G Rollie floating around the internet, but there were a couple of photos that showed the broader layout that I usually don't see in a search, so I thought I would include those, the first from 1973, and the second from 1975.


bingram1230
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Are these old enough?

expresswrittenconsent
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Very cool twk. Love the color photos.

Can you share more about them playing outdoors? Was it not always a winter sport?
twk
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expresswrittenconsent said:

Very cool twk. Love the color photos.

Can you share more about them playing outdoors? Was it not always a winter sport?
Yes, it was a winter sport, but they just didn't have the buildings for it. If you look at photos of the campus prior to the 20s, it was really primitive. Even the wooden gym was such a rudimentary structure that they didn't take any indoor shots or mention it as something to brag about. You can see a few photos of individual players, outdoors, in front of backboards.

My grandmother attended North Texas in that era and their yearbook actually had some photos of outdoor games.
_lefraud_
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The first Olympics with basketball was played outside in 1936.
expresswrittenconsent
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_lefraud_ said:

The first Olympics with basketball was played outside in 1936.

Thx, didn't know this. 19-8 final per wiki.


Quote:

1936 was the first year that basketball was an official medal sport (it had been a demonstration sport in 1904). The U.S. won the first gold medal, defeating Canada, 198, in a gold medal match played outdoors on a clay and sand court in the rain.

MMantle
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As a student in the late 60s, my favorite times were games at G. Rollie, great memories, thanks, RP, Fendley, Billy Bob.

RR
miller0926
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I wanna play.




bingram1230
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I'm jealous you got to go to the kennel. That place is on my bucket list
alamoaggie64
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I used to know exactly how many panes of glass were in those windows of DeWare Field House. We had a couple of monsoons that send us inside. In lieu of drill we had lectures from AF brass. They were so boring that I had to find something to do so I counted the window panes.
alamoaggie64
West Point Aggie
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I know this won't be a popular statement here but G Rollie was an awful place...like a goiter on Kyles NE side.
Let’s Go Brandon!
rwtxag83
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West Point Aggie said:

I know this won't be a popular statement here but G Rollie was an awful place...like a goiter on Kyles NE side.
Speak for yourself bubba. I LOVED G Rollie. It may not have been pretty, but the atmosphere there for Aggie Hoops was unmatched. It was loud, the crowd was right up against the court, and it worked well for over 40 years for A&M for Hoops, Aggie Muster, commissioning ceremonies, concerts, and every graduation for decades, including mine. It truly made me sad when they knocked it down. So many memories from that place.

When it was built, it was state of the art, and exacty what A&M needed at the time. It was a very appropriate tribute to the man G. Rollie White, Class of 1895, himself. Very famous and successful cattleman from Brady Texas who rode to Brady area as a baby with his parents in a covered wagon in 1876. He was a HUGE influence on the success and growth of Texas A&M. He was on the Board of Directors of A&M for 29 years and passed away in 1965.

CDub06
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If you want truly iconic, here is a picture of me rushing the court with my flip phone after Acie hit The Shot.
Biz Ag
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Man, Turgeon would've gone off the rails over that crowd.

twk
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expresswrittenconsent said:

Very cool twk. Love the color photos.

Can you share more about them playing outdoors? Was it not always a winter sport?
Well, I may have been wrong about A&M playing outdoors--from what I read in the 1913 and 1914 yearbooks, it looks like we may not have played until we got an indoor facility, but that wasn't the case everywhere.

Here is the 1913 team photo, indoors

Here is what the 1916 yearbook had to say about our refusal to play a certain school on their outdoor court

To square that up, here's a Tweet with some information on when the sips first played indoors



Seems that we were, for a while, a step ahead of the sips on facilities, playing indoors four years before they did, building Deware in 1924 (Greg Gym was built in 1930), then building G. Rollie in 1954.

West Point Aggie
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So the sips were arrogant and giant ******s even way back then...

#notsurprising
Let’s Go Brandon!
oklacityag75
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Pictured are the 1948-1949 team which included: Front Row: Syndon Hrachovy, Wallace Moon, Truett Mobley, Sam Jenkins, Gene Schrickel, Jack Miller, Jewell McDowell and Bill Batey. Back Row: Jim O'Connell, manager, Marvin Martin, John DeWitt, Ben Evans, Jim Kirkland, Bill Turnbow, and Marty Karow, coach;



Sometime in the 1940's



1963-1964 SWC Champions



Bennie Lenox and John Beasley TAMU All-Americans



All-American Sonny Parker. Led Aggies to their first 20 win season in 1975-1976

greg.w.h
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Regarding "Jolly" Rollie: that wall was what made it unique. But the seating was largely why it had to go.

I'll repeat something I've said before, though: A&M is bad at timely improvements to buildings. In the case of the ones with asbestos that is fully understandable. But still bad in general in a way that largely isn't excusable. Capital investment spend requires meaningful upgrades.

The Quad, though, proves they can do it right. Those were truly amazing refits from what I heard.
swc93
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oklacityag75 said:




Which one is Jean Grey?
_lefraud_
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I laughed
expresswrittenconsent
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Those "X" ones are so bad. The shorts look extremely uncomfortable. Are the jerseys black? The main color looks darker than the lettering.
greg.w.h
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Yeah...proud to have never seen that photo before. Which way is the eye bleach???
oklacityag75
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oklacityag75
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swc93 said:

oklacityag75 said:




Which one is Jean Grey?
DUH !!! Jean is the photographer
RhodeAg
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i played much basketball at Deware in the late-1960s. My grades reflected it.

I remember Curly Hallman and Edd Hargett playing there. Hargett was immensely coordinated...a marvel of an athlete. Hallman was relentless. Both were great guys.

Billy Bob Barnett was there frequently...but he was an angry man. Not good to get him mad.

Those were my favorite days...basketball mid-to-late afternoon each day...just manage to get to Sbisa in time for dinner.
Don't take life too seriously...no one gets out alive.
DDowl44
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Growing up an Aggie, I never went to a single ball game at G. Rollie White. From the videos and pictures I've seen however, and stories I've heard, I honestly wish there was a way to simulate the closeness and volume that the Holler House had because as special my memories are of Reed (Acie Law, D Sloan era Aggie) I always want Reed to be the loudest arena similar to the feel for Kyle. I think in the 30 years when they design a new arena or renovate the way the seating occurs I hope they make the student section closer to the basketball court.
----------------------------------------------------
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Titan 20
GalvestonAg74
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rwtxag83 said:

West Point Aggie said:

I know this won't be a popular statement here but G Rollie was an awful place...like a goiter on Kyles NE side.
Speak for yourself bubba. I LOVED G Rollie. It may not have been pretty, but the atmosphere there for Aggie Hoops was unmatched. It was loud, the crowd was right up against the court, and it worked well for over 40 years for A&M for Hoops, Aggie Muster, commissioning ceremonies, concerts, and every graduation for decades, including mine. It truly made me sad when they knocked it down. So many memories from that place.

When it was built, it was state of the art, and exacty what A&M needed at the time. It was a very appropriate tribute to the man G. Rollie White, Class of 1895, himself. Very famous and successful cattleman from Brady Texas who rode to Brady area as a baby with his parents in a covered wagon in 1876. He was a HUGE influence on the success and growth of Texas A&M. He was on the Board of Directors of A&M for 29 years and passed away in 1965.


I met my wife there at a game in Feb. 1974 !
Stone44
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RhodeAg said:

i played much basketball at Deware in the late-1960s. My grades reflected it.

I remember Curly Hallman and Edd Hargett playing there. Hargett was immensely coordinated...a marvel of an athlete. Hallman was relentless. Both were great guys.

Billy Bob Barnett was there frequently...but he was an angry man. Not good to get him mad.

Those were my favorite days...basketball mid-to-late afternoon each day...just manage to get to Sbisa in time for dinner.
You brought back some memories when you mentioned Billy Bob. My roommate and I were playing at Deware one afternoon and we were on one end of the court while Billy Bob Barnett was at the other end playing with some other people. He walked down the court and said he was going to play a full court game and we would have to leave, but one of us was going to have to stay and play to make the teams even. My roommate said it's all yours. Billy Bob told me that I better not shoot the ball , and if I get my hands on it to pass it to him. He was 6 feet seven and about 250 and had one eye going north east and one going south west so I just looked at his nose so I wouldn't piss him off. I was kind of a gunner in those days and played almost no defense, so telling me not to shoot I was like telling Johnny football not to party. I was doing pretty well until I had about an open 15 footer with nobody around and I took it. Billy Bob screamed " I told you not to...." and then it went in. I was so thankful that the shot went in, but I never took another one.
rwtxag83
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Stone44 said:

RhodeAg said:

i played much basketball at Deware in the late-1960s. My grades reflected it.

I remember Curly Hallman and Edd Hargett playing there. Hargett was immensely coordinated...a marvel of an athlete. Hallman was relentless. Both were great guys.

Billy Bob Barnett was there frequently...but he was an angry man. Not good to get him mad.

Those were my favorite days...basketball mid-to-late afternoon each day...just manage to get to Sbisa in time for dinner.
You brought back some memories when you mentioned Billy Bob. My roommate and I were playing at Deware one afternoon and we were on one end of the court while Billy Bob Barnett was at the other end playing with some other people. He walked down the court and said he was going to play a full court game and we would have to leave, but one of us was going to have to stay and play to make the teams even. My roommate said it's all yours. Billy Bob told me that I better not shoot the ball , and if I get my hands on it to pass it to him. He was 6 feet seven and about 250 and had one eye going north east and one going south west so I just looked at his nose so I wouldn't piss him off. I was kind of a gunner in those days and played almost no defense, so telling me not to shoot I was like telling Johnny football not to party. I was doing pretty well until I had about an open 15 footer with nobody around and I took it. Billy Bob screamed " I told you not to...." and then it went in. I was so thankful that the shot went in, but I never took another one.


AWESOME!!!
Greater love hath no man than this....
TyperWoods
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G Rollie was an awesome dump.
DukeMu
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TyperWoods said:

G Rollie was an awesome dump.
It had some amazing dead spots in the wood for the special home court advantage.

DeangeloVickers
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G Rollie was way better than Reed

Little Rock Ag
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I spent some time working out under the bleachers in DeWare back in the early '90s; I still can't believe we went from that dark, cramped, sweatpit to what the students have now.
alamoaggie64
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I know this won't be a popular statement here but G Rollie was an awful place...like a goiter on Kyles NE side.


Disagree, West Point. Great place to play and great place to watch. You think Kyle Field was loud last week? Nothing like what G. Rollie could be. In those days the full Aggie Band was there and it was wild. I have never liked Reed; a shame Ann Richards kept us from having one that would have been nicer than the Dean Dome at UNC,
Padre_Island_Ag
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I registered for classes in Deware, attended games and graduated in jollie Rollie, and very much remember the Grove.

People who complain about Reed really suck!

Gig 'em!
Let's go Brandon!


Soli Deo Gloria
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