In this Book
- The Perfect Season: A Memoir of the 1964-1965 Evansville College Purple Aces
- Book
- 2016
- Published by: Indiana University Press
In 1964, the Evansville College Purple Aces raced undefeated through the Indiana Collegiate Conference, posting a perfect 24–0 regular-season record and winning the College Division NCAA championship. The skeleton of this season exists in newspaper archives and in books that capture the on-court action, but the flesh and blood has never been written—until now. This is the story of Russell Grieger, a starting guard, and his observations, feelings, reactions, and struggles of that season. It provides a game-by-game look into the team, showcasing Grieger's teammates, Coach Arad McCutchan, and Evansville's love for the Aces. The Perfect Season is an insider's inspiring story of a team whose motto—"If you're going to go, go big time or don't go at all"—inspired them to achieve their dream.
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgements
- pp. ix-x
- Author's Note
- pp. xi-xii
- Part One: The Aces Get Ready
- 1. The Amory Days
- pp. 3-8
- 2. Carson Center Preparation
- pp. 9-19
- 3. The Iowa Hawkeyes
- pp. 20-28
- Part Two: The Ace Grows Up
- 4. The Beginnings
- pp. 31-40
- 5. From Bullpup to Bulldog
- pp. 41-52
- 6. Flailing and Falling
- pp. 53-62
- 8. St. Louis Blues
- pp. 74-86
- 9. Return to Evansville
- pp. 87-95
- 10. A Dream Comes True—Almost
- pp. 96-118
- Part Three: The Aces Succeed
- 11. Northwestern
- pp. 121-128
- 12. Notre Dame
- pp. 129-137
- 13. A Holiday Feast
- pp. 138-147
- 14. The Black Hills and the Badlands
- pp. 148-156
- 15. Larry, then the Holy Grail
- pp. 157-164
- 16. Fans into Redshirts
- pp. 165-174
- 17. Southern Illinois Surprise
- pp. 175-183
- 18. Depauw and More
- pp. 184-193
- 19. Five Games, Five Snapshots
- pp. 194-207
- 20. Southern Illinois Redux
- pp. 208-216
- Part Four: The Aces Triumph
- 21. The NCAA Regional
- pp. 219-230
- 22. The NCAA Finals
- pp. 231-246