That was Bob Cain….voice of the Ships…on the final seconds of Manitowoc Lincoln’s State title clinching win over Beloit at UW-Fieldhouse 50-years ago today. The Shipbuilders completed a perfect 26-and-oh record in 1967-’68 under Head Coach Ed Fleener.
Pete Hansen, a 6-7 center on the state champs, echoed his coach on the closeness of the players during their state championship run.
Fleener, who now resides in Green Bay, pointed out that Beloit Memorial was his alma mater.
Pat Walsh reflected that after losing to Kaukauna early in the tournament the year before players like himself & Bill Sepnafski vowed not to go through that again.
Another Ships player, Dick Rosinsky, recalled that on the way home from Madison the 3-team-‘vans’ stopped in Fond du lac and got quite a surprise.
(Pete) Hansen recalls Coach Fleener had the players do so-called ‘bench jumps’ before practice that year, and those ‘time-honored’ wind sprints afterwards.
(Pat) Walsh said a ‘summer camp’ many of the players attended before their senior year helped reinforce that you don’t win as an individual you win as a team.
Rosinsky & Walsh..on the ‘lasting lessons’ from their coach (Ed Fleener).
The players and their coach still have a reunion every five years. As a point of pride, (Pete) Hansen said not only did Manitowoc take home ‘a gold ball’ 50-years ago today, but the school also received the ‘Sportsmanship trophy’ for conduct of the Manty fans the 1st time that had ever happened before. You can listen to a replay of the 1968 championship game in its’ entirety on womtradio.com. The broadcast includes all the play-by-play, coaches interviews & classic commercials from the 1968 WOMT broadcast.
