A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.
On March 2, 1962, Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks. The game, played in Hershey, Pennsylvania, in front of about 4,000 fans, didn’t get the hoopla it probably deserved. In fact, it was not even mentioned in the Deseret News on March 3 or 4.
Here in Utah, basketball-crazy Utahns had other things to focus on.
Specifically, the All-Church tournament finals.
More on that later.
Chamberlain by the numbers
According to Deseret News articles, on Wilt’s big night, Harvey Pollack was at the game. Because he was the statistician, PR man and reporter for two wire services and the Philadelphia Inquirer, he had a lot of postgame duties. Still, he knew the event needed some sort of photo. Pollack said he told the only Associated Press photographer he needed something to show Chamberlain’s milestone.
But what?
They grabbed a notepad, wrote a big 100, and gave to Chamberlain to pose with. The rest is history.
The closest anyone has been to matching Wilt’s 100-point game is Kobe Bryant’s 81-point outburst in 2006.
At 7-foot-1, Chamberlain was larger than life, and one of the NBA’s all-time greats. The Pro Basketball Hall of Famer died in 1999 at age 63.
Now about church ball, and the All-Church tournament
From 1922 to 1970, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sponsored an All-Church basketball tournament that drew ward teams from all over the West to compete in the real “March Madness” event.
Coverage on March 3, 1962, in the Deseret News was not about Chamberlain’s 100-point game the night before, but about the showdown battle between the Ogden 12th Ward and the USU 2nd Ward.
According to the report, the Ogden squad won 64-62 in a game played in front of 3,000 fans at the University of Utah fieldhouse. The crowd was almost as big as the crowd that watched Chamberlain’s milestone game.
According to Deseret News stories, the annual tournament was billed as “The World’s Largest Basketball Tournament,” and drew teams from as far as California, Canada and Mexico during its Golden Age in the 1950s and ‘60s. Even World War II failed to stop the tournament, though it limited the number of teams that participated.
The tournament started in the Salt Lake Valley, then grew to include teams from Utah, Idaho and Arizona. Some believe the church’s inclusion of basketball courts into meetinghouses helped foster the tournaments.
According to historians, All-Church tournaments in volleyball, basketball and softball existed for two decades following World War II.
Here are some stories from Deseret News archives about Wilt Chamberlain, NBA milestones and the Latter-day Saint All-Church basketball tournaments:
“Wilt and his famous photo-op”
“Fond memories of Chamberlain: Hot Rod Hundley, Lou Hudson look back on Wilt’s life”
“Wilt’s feat a figure they will never top”
“King James rocks, but Wilt ruled”
“Kobe-Wilt comparisons continue”
“Wilt still in shape 29 years after 100-point game”
“Wilt Chamberlain career highlights”