From Jim Salscheider:
In '64, our opening two games were Colo State and Colorado. We beat
Colorado -I think- 9-8 over a team that was established and had several
previous seasons, whereas Colo State had just started. It had snowed heavily the night before the Colorado game. So heavy was the snow,
that the field had to be plowed. Boomer was informed that if we wanted to
play , we had to play half. I believe we were talking about $350 -we
couldn't have raised that short of an auction. I'll never forget Boomer's
response "loser pays". That added a little pressure to the game!
Being a member of the Lacrosse Club was the high point of my ND days and
among my favorite memories. I transferred to ND as a sophmore and having
missed the freshman quad, did not have many close friends. My ND life
changed when I saw that notice on the wall in the Huddle in the spring of my
sophmore year inviting anyone interested in playing lacrosse -- whatever
that was -- to attend a meeting. Having played hockey in high school and
having nothing to do at ND, I jumped at the chance.
I played on the the '64 and '65 teams. I was on the second attack line and
managed to get in most of the games -- usually when Finley or Salleri was
tired. My job was mostly "chaser" -- try to grab the errant shots before
they went out of bounds and avoid getting whacked long enough to try and hit
Salscheider coming down the middle screaming for the ball. I don't think I
ever weighed more than 140 lbs. I can look at the scars on my legs today and
almost recall when I got them. I was certainly no star and was just glad to
be part of it. My only claim to fame is that my goal is the "1" in the 8 to
1 loss to Ohio Wesleyn in '64. I didn't even see it as I was flattened as I
made the shot. I didn't even know it went in until I had Tom Moran dragging
me to my feet and yelling in my face. I didn't score another goal again
until the last game of '65 against the Chicago Lacrosse Club when I got two.
I was no threat to Salcheider's scoring record.
Moran was one of my heroes. Talk about smooth. The guy was Robert Redford
before we knew who that was. The guy was the essence of cool, complete with
the Austin Healy. Boomer Jack Tate though was the heart and soul of that
team. He was also a big enough guy to realize that Bill Joseph -- ie.
"Billy Joe Sieve" -- was the right guy to play goal. Speaking of Bill, I
remember how great his parents were -- coming to the Ohio games. I also
remember being taken home for a real meal. Great people. I've always taken
comfort in knowing that if I ever got in a jam in Zanesville Ohio, I knew
where I could find the right lawyer. Jack Tate was the only guy who could
have kept the egos under control and make sure everybody felt like they were
part of the team -- from those of us who were mostly cannon fodder for Percy
and the Frog to beat up in practice -- to the guys like Salscheider and
Moran who were the main men.
The road shows were the best. My favorite was Dennison. I remember going
down there the first time for a Saturday game. They asked us when we were
coming and we said "Thusday". They did not realize that their beer and
women -- which they took for granted -- was our primary motivation in
winning a spot on the travel team. I also remember Kenyon. They were
already in the late sixties in '64, complete with the long hair, the granny
glasses and the blank stare. As an attack guy, I spent a lot of time
standing on the line watching our defense fight for their lives. This
usually gave me a lot of time to exchange life stories with the defenseman
standing next to me. Not at Kenyon. The guy never said a word. I think he
was already way beyond the beer that was our main fuel. After the
hospitality of their fraternity houses, women and beer, it was always a
little embarrassing to have them for a home game. We'd show them a real ND
Saturday night -- Guiseppe's and a night cap at Frankies'. Or if we were
really in luck -- a "party" at Percy and Fred's complete with no women.
Then there were the nicknames. We had Boomer Jack, Billy the Sieve, Jack
"Bearcat" Stutz, Stork Lennon and the best -- Percy Hunderfund and Fred the
Frog Ragusso. Percy and Fred were great friends and two very tough guys. I
don't recall ever having to face anyone tougher in a game than I did facing
them in practice. I can still hear Fred yelling for the ball from Jim "...
Percy! Percy! Gimme the ball". Did Percy really dye his hair? What ever
happened to Ron Kirtly -- The Chipmunk? He's not even in the ND Alumni
Book. Since I had gone to Junior PLC in my junior year summer, I became The
Gyrene for the '65 year. There could be worse nicknames. Believe me, after
months of lacrosse practice -- beginning in February with running laps in
the stadium and nights in the fieldhouse, and then Boomer's "hitting
drills" -- PLC was nothing.
I remember our first road show -- out to Colorado to play Colorado State and
Colorado University. It was a great trip. We played Colorado State in a
blizzard. I remember the game day sitting in the student union with our
brand new girl friends that we had met the night before and looking out at
the blue sky when a cloud appeared over the mountain. By game time, the
temperature had dropped 30 degrees and the field was ice. We were all
begging to get in the game just to stay warm.
From there were went down to Boulder. I remember standing with Boomer Jack
when the captain of their team said he had agreed to play us to "... give
his guys a warmup for their west coast trip". Talk about throwing gas on a
bonfire. We not only won that game, but I think Percy, Fred, Boomer Jack et
al, took the edge off the spring trip. I don't think I ever enjoyed playing
in a game as much as that one. I even got an assist on one of Salscheider's
goals.
I could go on and on with this, but you get the idea. I can't thank you
enough for tracking me down and allowing me the trip down memory lane.
Please add my thoughts to those being compiled and give my best regards to
the old Lacrosse Club guys of '64 and '65. I know they are as proud of
being part of it as I am.
Recollections of the 1964 Season
From Pat McDonnell: