The second UBC team to win the men's Canadian basketball championship, it won 12 of 14 playoff games on its way to capturing the B.C., Western Canadian and Canadian championships. In defeating Windsor in the Canadian final it defeated the team that had won Olympic silver the previous summer. Campus heros in '37, the team featured five UBC Hall of Famers including coach Maury Van Vliet. Team Members: Jim Bardsley, George Pringle, Art Willoughby, Bill Swan, Ed Armstrong, Ralph (Hunk) Henderson, Rann Matthison, Frank Turner, Bill Hudson, Jack Davis, Frank Mitchell, Coach: Maury Van Vliet, Manager: Art Eastham, Manager: Art Clarke.
"Hoop Stars Return, Prospects Are Bright" read the September 1936 Ubyssey headline and as it turned out, the story in a nutshell as far as UBC's basketball team was concerned. Two members of UBC's league champion 1934 team, two who were considered among the best players in the city, Jim Bardsley and Art Willoughby, were returning, as was Bill Swan, Hunk Henderson and a star lacrosse player from New Westminster, Rann Matthison. They would join outstanding two-way veteran George Pringle along with Frank Turner, Frank Mitchell, Bill Hudson, Ed Armstrong and Jack Davis.
Following the Christmas break, coach Maury Van Vliet and his "Varsity cagers" caught fire in the local city league, a league that had produced several Canadian champion teams. The Blue and Gold, led by the starting five, Bardsley, Willoughby, Henderson, Matthison and Pringle, were on the move, even coming within three points of the famous Globetrotters in a January '37 game.
By February, UBC was in first place with an 11-3 record in the tough city league, moving into this position with an impressive 52-39 victory over defending champion Vancouver Province. Team speed and the scoring of Swan, Willoughby and captain Bardsley sank the Bob Osborne led "Newsies".
In the first round of the league playoffs UBC disposed of the Forsts team in two straight, outscoring them 101 to 68. Speed with passes and breaks along with the scoring of Matthison and Bardsley were too much for Forsts. UBC was now set for the league final against powerful Vancouver Province.
Osborne and the Newsies won game one 36-25 but Varsity, led by Hunk Henderson, came back with a 36-22 victory in game two.
Before 1500 "wild-eyed fans" UBC " . . . outplayed Province all the way" defeating Vancouver 32-30 to win the Inter-City League title. George Pringle's defensive work and a well-balanced offensive, especially from the starting five, lead the way for UBC.
"Varsity To Clash With Dominoes Tonight", exclaimed the Ubyssey headline as UBC was now set to face the famed Victoria Dominos for the B.C. championship. This series would "prove a lot of things" as ticket sales were "humming".
"Varsity Trounces Domino Five", shouted the Sun headline following game one. Jim Bardsley was the hero as UBC defeated Victoria 42-22. The starting five were all hot, playing without substitution for all but nine minutes of the game.
"Matthison, Pringle Lead Students to Another Victory", as the "Davids" knocked off the "Goliaths" 34-22 in game two.
"Varsity Takes Third Game and Title" exclaimed the Sun headline as UBC won the right to represent BC in the quest for the national title with a convincing 44-25 victory in Victoria. Pringle and Matthison were the sparkplugs for the Blue and Gold who had put on one of the most impressive displays of basketball seen in a long time.
UBC was now set to face the Raymond Union Jacks, Alberta champions seven years in a row, to determine the Western Canadian champion. In the series' first game at the PNE Forum, UBC swamped Raymond 44-22, working well as a unit and passing well.
Recording their 9th playoff win in 10 games, UBC disposed of Raymond 42-32 to win the series in two straight, vaulting them into the Canadian championship against the Eastern and defending Canadian champion, Windsor Fords. Windsor had represented Canada at the '36 Olympics and to this day is the only Canadian basketball team to achieve an Olympic medal, finishing second and a silver. As it happened, Van Vliet's Birds had an easy time with the Alberta champions, playing substitutes with "great abandon". It would be a much tougher challenge however against the highly rated and confident champions from the east.
"Take a bow Rann Matthison, you're just too marvelous for words . . . "read the Sun lead after game one. UBC on Matthison's last second basket had defeated Windsor 31-29 before 2500 fans at the Forum. It was a great come from behind victory for Varsity, up against a "smooth machine".
Game two of the best of five was even closer. It went into overtime before it was Art Willoughby's turn to be a hero, scoring at the buzzer to give UBC the 31-30 victory – their 9th consecutive playoff win and 11th in the 12 games.
"5000 See Windsor Stop Varsity 28-23" rang the Sun headline of May 1st, 1937. Windsor was definitely still in the series.
"Varsity Captures Dominion Basketball Title", met readers of the May 2nd Sun. "Checked to a standstill", Windsor had lost it's Canadian crown to "Varsity's amazing young basketball team" three games to one as UBC won the final game 23-20.
At the closing buzzer many of the 4000 fans swarmed onto the floor in a scene of wild delight as the Point Grey school had won it's second Canadian Basketball Championship. Only one thing took the edge off the jubilant evening – the over-confident Windsor club had failed to bring the Dominion trophy with them to turn over the collegians.
Researched and written by Fred Hume, UBC Athletics Historian
