1953–54 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
![](../I/m/1953%E2%80%9354_Illinois_Fighting_Illini_men's_basketball_team.jpg)
"1953-54 Fighting Illini men's basketball team"
The 1953–54 Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball team represented the University of Illiniois.
Regular season
In his seventh year at Illinois, Harry Combes continued to offer the fans of the Fighting Illini a successful team that they could be follow across the country to record crowds. The 1953-54 team returned one of the most dominate players in the NCAA, Johnny "Red" Kerr. During the season, Kerr shattered Illinois’ single-season scoring record by tallying 556 points in his senior year. Kerr’s 1,299 career points in three seasons currently ranks 20th on the all-time Illinois scoring list. After his Illinois career came to an end, Kerr started a 12-year professional career followed by becoming the first head coach of the Chicago Bulls in 1966.
The 1954 team added twin brothers, Paul and Phil Judson from Hebron, Illinois, Bruce Brothers and Bill Ridley as sophomores. A youth movement that helped the Illini finish in a 3rd place tie in the Big Ten. Unfortunately the Illini would lose 5 total games with three of the five losses coming at the hands of ranked opponents. The starting lineup included captain John Kerr at the center position, Jim Wright and Paul Judson at guard and Bruce Brothers and Max Hooper at the forward slots. The team also included former University of Minnesota head coach Jim Dutcher.[1]
Roster
No. |
Player |
Position |
Height |
Weight |
Class |
Hometown |
High School |
7 |
Morris Sterneck |
Guard |
6–1 |
170 |
Junior |
Salem, Illinois |
Salem High School |
9 |
Elmer Plew |
Guard |
6-0 |
165 |
Junior |
Paris, Illinois |
Paris High School |
11 |
Bill Ridley |
Guard |
5–9 |
152 |
Sophomore |
Taylorville, Illinois |
Taylorville High School |
12 |
Warren Wilkinson |
Guard |
5–11 |
160 |
Sophomore |
West Frankfort, Illinois |
Frankfort Community High School |
14 |
Robert Leigh |
Guard |
6–1 |
170 |
Sophomore |
East Lynn, Illinois |
East Lynn High School |
15 |
Doyle Glass |
Guard |
5–11 |
180 |
Sophomore |
Pekin, Illinois |
Pekin High School |
16 |
Jim Wright |
Guard |
6–0 |
165 |
Senior |
Lawrenceville, Illinois |
Lawrenceville High School |
22 |
Johnny Kerr (captain) |
Center |
6–9 |
215 |
Senior |
Chicago, Illinois |
Tilden High School |
24 |
Ed Makovsky |
Forward |
6–5 |
205 |
Junior |
Cicero, Illinois |
Morton High School |
25 |
Robert Reitsch |
Forward |
6–3 |
185 |
Sophomore |
Rockford, Illinois |
Rockford West High School |
27 |
Jim Dutcher |
Forward |
6–3 |
188 |
Junior |
Downers Grove, Illinois |
Downers Grove High School |
30 |
Phil Judson |
Guard |
6-2 |
170 |
Sophomore |
Hebron, Illinois |
Alden-Hebron High School |
32 |
Bruce Brothers |
Forward |
6–5 |
200 |
Sophomore |
Quincy, Illinois |
Quincy Senior High School |
34 |
Paul Judson |
Guard |
6-3 |
195 |
Sophomore |
Hebron, Illinois |
Alden-Hebron High School |
47 |
Max Hooper |
Forward |
6–5 |
195 |
Senior |
Mt. Vernon, Illinois |
Mt. Vernon High School |
48 |
Earl Newman |
Forward |
6–3 |
220 |
Junior |
Chicago, Illinois |
Marshall High School |
Schedule
Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Location | Attendance |
December 1, 1953 | Ohio | 88–54 | Win | Champaign, IL | 6,913 |
December 5, 1953 | Oklahoma | 86–61 | Win | Norman, OK | 5,000 |
December 9, 1953 | Butler | 80–48 | Win | Champaign, IL | 6,913 |
December 12, 1953 | Alabama | 77–54 | Win | Champaign, IL | 6,410 |
December 19, 1953 | DePaul | 79–65 | Win | Champaign, IL | 2,719 |
December 21, 1953 | Oklahoma A&M (#7) | 60–65 | Loss | Champaign, IL | 4,234 |
December 29, 1953 | Utah State | 88–61 | Win | Champaign, IL | 2,649 |
January 1, 1954 | Minnesota (#6) | 72–84 | Loss | Champaign, IL | 6,193 |
January 4, 1954 | Northwestern | 66–65 | Win | Evanston, IL | 9,253 |
January 9, 1954 | Michigan State | 59–60 | Loss | East Lansing, MI | 9,002 |
January 11, 1954 | Ohio State | 90–76 | Win | Champaign, IL | 8,683 |
January 16, 1954 | Ohio State | 82–78 | Win | Columbus, OH | 8,683 |
January 18, 1954 | Iowa | 70–79 | Loss | Champaign, IL | 6,913 |
February 1, 1954 | DePaul | 71–61 | Win | Chicago, IL | 9,678 |
February 6, 1954 | Michigan | 87–68 | Win | Champaign, IL | 6,913 |
February 8, 1954 | Purdue | 89–55 | Win | Champaign, IL | 6,913 |
February 13, 1954 | Wisconsin | 70–64 | Win | Madison, WI | 13,000 |
February 20, 1954 | Iowa (#10) | 74–51 | Win | Iowa City, IA | 15,700 |
February 22, 1954 | Wisconsin | 66–64 | Win | Champaign, IL | 6,913 |
February 27, 1954 | Michigan | 79–61 | Win | Ann Arbor, MI | 4,500 |
March 1, 1954 | Northwestern | 84–82 | Win | Champaign, IL | 6,782 |
March 6, 1954 | Indiana (#2) | 64–67 | Loss | Bloomington, IN | 11,000 |
Bold Italic connotes conference game
Player stats
Player |
Games Played |
Field Goals |
Free Throws |
Points |
John Kerr | 22 | 210 | 136 | 556 |
Paul Judson | 22 | 92 | 62 | 246 |
Bruce Brothers | 22 | 64 | 59 | 187 |
Max Hooper | 22 | 67 | 34 | 168 |
Jim Wright | 22 | 59 | 45 | 163 |
Bill Ridley | 19 | 30 | 54 | 114 |
Jim Dutcher | 19 | 30 | 32 | 92 |
Ed Makovsky | 22 | 22 | 21 | 65 |
Morris Sterneck | 16 | 17 | 9 | 43 |
Elmer Plew | 13 | 7 | 6 | 20 |
Phil Judson | 9 | 4 | 5 | 13 |
Warren Wilkinson | 5 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
Robert Reitsch | 9 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Earl Newman | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
[3]
Awards and honors
Team players drafted into the NBA
[5]
References
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Helms and Premo-Porretta national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics |