March 29, 1945: College Basketball's 1st "Game of the Century"

Cappy Lane, game timekeeper at the old Madison Square Garden,

flanked by Bob Kurland (left) and George Mikan

March 29, 1945: College basketball has its 1st "Game of the Century." It's a benefit for the Red Cross at Madison Square Garden, between the 2 main claimants for the National Championship. NCAA Tournament Champion Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State), coached by Henry Iba, defeats NIT Champion DePaul, coached by Ray Meyer, 52-44. Sadly, there appears to be no surviving footage.

It's also basketball's 1st real "battle of the big men," with Oklahoma State's 7-foot-even Bob Kurland getting the better of DePaul's 6-foot-10 George Mikan. Iba and Kurland would make it back-to-back NCAA titles in 1946.

But while "Foothills" Kurland would only play semipro ball, Mikan would dominate the early NBA, winning 6 league titles in 7 years with the Minneapolis Lakers, from 1948 to 1954.

Both men were among the earliest players elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame, Mikan with the 1st class of inductees in 1959, Kurland in 1961. Mikan lived until 2005, Kurland until 2013. Iba was elected to the Hall in 1969, Meyer in 1979 -- both men while still coaching at their respective schools. In fact, the year he was elected, Meyer finally got to the NCAA Final Four for the 1st time since 1941. He finally retired in 1984. Iba lived until 1993, Meyer until 2006.

*

March 29, 1945 was a Thursday. This was a big day in basketball for another reason, although it wouldn't be known for many years: New York Knicks Hall-of-Famer Walt Frazier was born.

Baseball was in Spring Training. Football was out of season. There was no NBA yet, not for another year and a half.

Both Stanley Cup Semifinals contested their Game 5s that night. The Montreal Canadiens beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 10-3 at the Montreal Forum. Maurice "the Rocket" Richard, having finished the 1st-ever 50-goal regular season, scored 4 in this game. But the Leafs came back to win the series in Game 6.

And the Detroit Red Wings beat the Boston Bruins, 3-2 at the Olympia Stadium in Detroit. Mud Bruneteau, whose 6th-overtime goal had won the NHL's longest game ever, 9 years earlier, won this one as well, with 2 minutes and 48 seconds left in the 1st overtime. The Wings would need 7 games to win this series, and the Leafs beat them for the Cup.