Genesee-Statewide County MI Archives News.....Foundation for Mott Community College's reputation as national power was laid by 1950 Flint Junior College team November 25, 2011 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Kelly Diamond Wernette http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00030.html#0007483 April 15, 2012, 12:49 pm Flint Journal November 25, 2011 Foundation for Mott Community College’s reputation as a national power was laid by 1950 Flint Junior College Team By: Brenden Savage / Flint Journal FLINT, Michigan – Playing in the national tournament has almost become an annual event for the Mott Community College basketball team. The Bears, who are ranked No. 1 in the nation in this year’s Division II junior college poll, have won three national championships since 2003 while appearing in the final four seven times. They’re a true national power. But it wasn’t always that way. A little thing called World War II shut down the entire program and when the Bears – whose team was known back then as Flint Junior College –finally returned to the court in 1946, it took them just four years for them to put flint on the junior college map. The 1949-50 Bears paved the way for the type of success MCC enjoys today by reaching the national tournament for the first time in school history. And that accomplishment was earned them a spot in the Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame. When FJC decided to put a team back on the court after WWII ended, the first thing it need was a coach. So school officials dipped into the faculty pool and persuaded chemistry instructor John Bojcun to take the job. Bojcun appealed to FJC administrators after he turned Flint Technical high into a Class B prep power with an 86-27 record beginning in 1940. Success came slowly. FJC was 5-14 during Bejcun’s first season of 1946-47 and followed that by posting a combined record of 21-19 the next two seasons. It was after the 48=49 campaign that assistant coach Don Jarrard decided the Bears needed some additional help to keep surging forward. Taking advantage of relaxed eligibility requirements, Jarrard dove into Flint’s talent-rich City Basketball League and lured former Flint Northern star Don Kelly and ex-Flint Central standout Lee Middleton into playing for JCC. It worked. In 1949-50, Kelly led the Michigan Junior College Athletic Conference in scoring at 21.9 points per game while Middleton was second at 15.8. They helped the Bears win the MJCAC Championship with a 13-1 record in an overall mark of 14-2. FJC clinched the MJCAA title with a 92-91 double overtime victory over Benton Harbor, erasing a five –point deficit in the final 17 seconds of the first OT to force another extra session. The Bears won it when Bill Hackett stole the ball and fed Middleton for the winning bucket with three seconds left in double overtime. The ended the regular season with an 84-49 rout over Jackson JC as Kelly scored 28 points, Middleton bagged 17, Bob Lambert had 11 and Oscar Ingram 10. Because there was no regional that season, the Bears advanced directly to the 16-team national tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas. After funding the trip with $1,315 raised through events like benefit dance and sales of baked goods, hot dogs, ice cream, and soda. FJC headed west for a first round matchup with City College of San Francisco. The 10 man team Bojcun and Jarrard took to Hutchinson also include Glenn Bagnall, Johnny Howe, Bill Hackett, Lloyd Callahan, Al Laski and Bill Snyder. After scoring just 17 points in the first half, they trailed San Francisco by 14 at intermission and never recovered en route to a 64-52 loss. Scoring depth was the difference. While San Francisco had eight players score five or more points, FJC had just three tally more than four. Kelly led the way with 18, Middleton scored 18, Ingram 11 and two of the Bears managed just one point. That sent FJC into the consolation division, where the Bears next game was closer but the result was the same as they lost 64-60 to Jacksonville, Fla., team that was 21-2 during the regular season and ended up finishing atop the losers bracket. After being tied 33-33 at intermission, Jacksonville took control with an 8-0 run to start the second half before sending FJC home with a final record of 14- 4. The 6-foot-2 Middleton gave the Bears something special to remember, however, as he scored a tournament record 32 points in the loss. That was also a career-high for Middleton, who was honorable mention on the all-tournament team. “We didn’t play the ball we are capable of,” said assistant coach Jarrard, an individual member of the GFASHOF for his golfing exploits. “The paper in Hutchinson referred to us after our first loss as the Polar Bears in the first half and the Grizzly Bears in the second. That indicates we were very cold.” Middleton, who would go on to star for the Bears again the following year, was also voted the Most Valuable Player of the MJCAC in addition to being honorary captain of the all-conference team. Additional Comments: Two time All State Northern High player Don Kelly played extremely well for Flint Junior College during the 1949-50 season and post season. After averaging 21.9 points per game for the season he went on to play for Central Michigan University for the next two seasons where he led the team in rebounding and scoring. His 26 rebounds against Northern Illinois is still a school record (tied with two others) for a single game. Don would lead CMU to victory over the University of Michigan in 1952 game dedicating the then new Finch Field House. Don would remain friends with many of the names mentioned in this article. He played golf with many of them over the years after B- ball. Don would teach school for 35 years at Pontiac's George Washington Junior High School. Don also served two tours of duty in the US Army. One during the World War II era and one tour during the Korean War era. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/genesee/newspapers/foundati155nnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/mifiles/ File size: 6.3 Kb