Orono, Maine -- In the mid-1950s, there were sometimes more fans at University of Maine men's basketball freshman games than watched the varsity contests at Memorial Gym.
By the end of the decade, there wasn't an empty seat in the house for the Black Bears' home games at "The Pit."
Spearheaded by high-scoring guard Thomas "Skip" Chappelle of Old Town, savvy point guard Wayne Champeon of Greenville, versatile forward Larry Schiner of Scituate, Massachusetts, gritty forward Don Sturgeon of Old Town and rugged center Jon Ingalls of Bangor, the 1959-60 Black Bears put together a season to remember.
Coach Brian McCall's ballclub posted a 19-4 record, which remains the program's standard for highest winning percentage at .826. UMaine piled up 14 consecutive victories while playing in front of sellout home crowds. Their efforts have been immortalized with their induction into the UMaine Sports Hall of Fame.
"It was special. Those were good times," Chappelle said of the season put together by the squad.
The team featured numerous players from Maine and a handful of talented local products, which helped generate enthusiasm among fans in the community.
The team's resurgence was so noteworthy, and the fan support so incredible, that "Sports Illustrated" in December of 1960 included a feature article on the team, which became a prized keepsake still found in the homes of several team members.
The Black Bears also finished as the runners-up in the Yankee Conference and won the State Series with an unbeaten 9-0 record.
"I think the key to the team was the competitiveness of each individual in there, the feeling that you're going to do whatever you have to do to win," Don Sturgeon said.
Chappelle and Sturgeon each earned All-America Honorable Mention status. Chappelle, a sophomore that season, claimed the first of three consecutive Yankee Conference scoring titles while averaging 20.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. He also was a three-time, all-YanCon first-team selection.
Classmate Sturgeon, a 6-foot-2 forward, posted 12.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per game per contest while Schiner registered a season double-double, putting up 15.7 points and 10.0 rebounds.
Champeon handled the point guard duties, averaging 10.8 points, and the 6-foot-5 Ingalls pulled down 9.6 rebounds per game.
"I was a sophomore and I just idolized those guys," said Don Harnum of Brewer.
Other players on the UMaine roster included co-captains Dick Sturgeon of Old Town, who suffered a career-ending injury early in the season, and Maury Dore of Skowhegan, Bill Livesey of Brewster, Massachusetts, Len MacPhee of South Portland, Randy Furbish of Topsham and Bob Morin of Bangor.
"It was the beginning of getting Maine basketball back into a respectable position," Don Sturgeon said of the season's importance in program history.
McCall had arrived at UMaine the previous season and guided the team to a 15-7 mark, the program's best in nine years. Don Sturgeon said their coach knew his stuff and was a good motivator.
"He was very knowledgeable, but he also was a taskmaster," Don Sturgeon said. "He expected a lot out of you and he got a lot. It was a good team and we had good chemistry."
The Black Bears, who were significantly smaller than most of their Yankee Conference counterparts, employed a fast-paced offensive approach sparked by Champeon and Chappelle.
"It was get the ball and run and hope that you can beat them down to the end of the court before they get a chance to set up a defense," Don Sturgeon said. "With our size, the more that we could fast break, the better off we were."
Don Sturgeon said that perhaps the most rewarding victory of the season, both as a team and for him personally, came against Connecticut in Orono. Sturgeon sank two free throws with 30 seconds to play, giving UMaine the margin of victory in a 75-74 verdict.
"You always dream of being in that position where you can win an important game, be a part of it," Don Sturgeon said. "A lot of energy was expended that night."
The undersized Black Bears had battled hard throughout while overcoming a physically superior conference opponent. It was UMaine's first victory over the Huskies since 1945, 15 years earlier.
"It was a wonderful show of human effort on the part of our kids," McCall told the Bangor Daily News. "I couldn't be happier over our performance."
In addition to their contributions for the Black Bears, no fewer than seven players from the 1959-60 squad went on to become a college head coach. That group included Chappelle (Maine), MacPhee (UMaine-Farmington), Livesey (Maine), Harnum (Delaware), Leroy Chipman (Pittsburgh), Dick Sturgeon (Southern Maine) and Schiner (Jersey City State). Don Sturgeon (Madison) and Champeon (Edward Little, Foxcroft Academy) were successful high school coaches and Ingalls coached at Waterville.
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The 2023 UMaine Sports Hall of Fame class will be officially inducted at a banquet held at Jeff's Catering on Friday, Sept. 29. For more details on this year's class, please click here.
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