This winter marks the 40th anniversary of the last time Galion won a league championship in boys’ basketball.
The 1974-75 Tigers was a record-setting squad in many regards. The 18 victories and .818 winning percentage are program standards four decades later. A per-game points differential of 10.59 over opponents is also best, as is an average victory margin of 12.33.
The starting five were seniors Chuck Roser, Bill Fox and Jeff Fischer; junior Scott Reynolds, and sophomore point guard Mike Nicholls. All five would play basketball at the collegiate level.
Roser – a Second Team Class AAA All-Ohioan – led the league champions in scoring, averaging 17.9 points an outing.
Fox dropped 15.5 points per contest and Fischer added 13.7. Reynolds stood 6 foot 6 inches in the paint and averaged 6.3 points. Nicholls was a deft ball-handler with spectacular quickness who scored at a 5.0 clip.
The talent didn’t stop with the five starters. Jim Dankowski, Sam Keesey, Rusty Bennett, Jon Bradford, Rick Fox, Bob Kent, Dave Lucas and Ed Sickmiller also contributed.
Head coach Jim Kirk walked the sidelines and remains Galion’s winningest (143 victories) and longest tenured (14 seasons) head coach.
“Coach Kirk was one of the most influential people in my life, and we learned about not only basketball and competing, but he taught us about life as well. His preparation, focus, and leadership allowed us to excel on and off the floor,” said Fischer.
“He recognized the talent he had, and did a great job of knowing when to control that talent and when to let it blossom on its own. It was a pleasure to play under him.”
The season couldn’t start fast enough for the Orange and Blue. Expectations were high coming off a co-NOL championship season in the preceding season. The team returned three all-league players from 1973-74 and their top three scorers.
“We knew we would probably be pre-season favorites to win the NOL again. Our off-season and summer were spent preparing and playing together as much as possible, to continue to improve and blend as a team,” said Fischer.
Reynolds stated, “I think the best part about that team was everybody knew their role. We knew it was Chuck, Bill and Jeff ‘s team. and if Mike and I did what we were supposed to do, we were going to win. We had guys sitting on the bench that could’ve started for any other team in the NOL, and I think we also had the confidence that when someone came in the game, we didn’t lose much. The talent that was sitting on bench was one of the big reasons we were successful, not to mention two great coaches (Kirk and assistant Jim Erf).
“What great complements and additions he (Reynolds) and Nick (Nicholls) were to the team,” Fischer added. “Perfect teammates, and both learned so well. Two unselfish guys who contributed to a totally unselfish team.”
Teammate Sam Keesey echoed that sentiment.
“It was one of those seasons that was amazing,“ Keesey said. “Everybody knew their role and did their role. As a team, we played hard because I think we all had a goal in mind – we wanted to win, we expected to win, and we worked at winning. The coaches prepared us to win.
And win they did. Losing just four times, the hipsters also claimed a sectional crown. After topping Defiance 60-48 in the district semifinals, Galion fell 62-52 to Lima in the district title game.
The season was over. But interestingly enough, several players would play together at the next level.
Roser and Fox went on to team up at Grove City University in Pennsylvania. Fox led GC in scoring three of four seasons and was the school’s top rebounder all four. In 2013 he was inducted into the school’s athletics hall of fame.
Fischer and Reynolds were teammates at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. Fischer racked up more than 900 points in three varsity campaigns. Reynolds holds the program record for most field goals in a game (17).
Nicholls went on to letter at Ashland University, where he continued to be a play-maker. As a senior at GHS, who was accorded Northwest District Player of the Year honors.
But even as the squad moved on, their time together is etched permanently in the history books of the Galion program and in the memories of that special squad.
“It was a group of guys that acted like they had won before and worked to keep winning,” said Keesey. “We had the support of the school and community. It is something that I will cherish forever.”
