upstate, elston

By the time the 1965-66 season rolled around it had been 30 years since a Red Devil team had won a Regional. Make no mistake, Elston had always fielded good teams - they had won 14 straight Sectional titles starting in 1952;  but advancing to the next rounds of the state tourney by way of East Chicago had proved difficult.  1965-66 would change all of that.  After overcoming early season injuries the Red Devils rolled to a 26-3 record (with a 21 point average margin of victory) and a State Championship victory over Indianapolis Tech 63-52.  With the help of our friend & author Matt Werner ("How Sweet It Is - the 1966 Elston Red Devils") we were able to gather some members of that squad in the old Elston Field House on a warm June afternoon 50 years after their historic championship.  Except for the loss of Elston red adorning the gym not much has changed for these Red Devils - yes, they are older, but they still embody the word "team" and this game that brought them together all those years ago lives on within them.  Pictured in our photo is Harold Kennedy, Terry Morse, Jim Cadwell, cheerleader Nancy (Bobinski) White, Principal Warren Jones, Nate Gipson (class of '64), O'Neil Simmons, Larry Gipson, Rob McFarland and Assistant Coach Al Whitlow.  CGS.