***With the halting of all sports during the Coronavirus crisis, McNeese Athletics will dive into the archives and run stories from past accomplishments. Today we take a look at the Cowboys' NAIA National Championship game victory***
 
Story ran in the Lake Charles American Press on Sunday, March 18, 1956 and written by Truman Stacey
 
McNEESE CHECKS SOUTHERN FOR NAIA CROWN, 60-55
 
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The "old pros" on the club – Bill Reigel and Dudley Carver – pulled the Cowboys over the last steep hill here Saturday night, and McNeese's basketball team now wears the proud title of "National Champion."
 
The Cowboys overtook the terrific Texas Southern Tigers in a fiery second half, and won a 60-55 victory that must go down as the finest athletic achievement in all McNeese history.
 
I was not an easy victory. The Texas Southern club was jammed with talent. McNeese was on the disadvantage in height, in speed, and in bench strength.
 
McNeese's strategy proved to be superior, however, and when the chips were down the "old pros" delivered.
 
McNeese trailed as the second half opened, 35-34, but six minutes later forward Frank Glenn scored on a two-hand push shot off the post to put the Pokes out in front for the first time, 44-42.
 
Reigel and Ruble Scarborough added a pair of driving field goals, boosting the Poke margin to 48-43, and McNeese was never behind thereafter.
 
The towering Tigers were just as determined as McNeese, however, and on three occasions drove within three points to knotting the count. Each time, McNeese was steady enough to stave off the threat.
 
The Cowboys started their familiar delayed pattern with seven minutes to play, owning a 50-43 edge. The Tigers tried hard, but were not able to solve the riddle often enough to riddle the Cowboy lead.
 
The Poke tactics were simple. They played possession ball in the forecourt until the Tigers came out of their zone defense in an effort to grab the ball. Then the Pokes drove in for layups.
 
The last four baskets came in this fashion with Reigel and Carver each collecting a pair.
 
Reigel picked up his last one with two minutes to play, making the count at that time, 58-52.
 
Guard Robert Babbitt, the most dangerous jump shot artist on the Tiger team, almost ruined the Pokes in the closing minutes by dunking three field goals at long range.
 
That cut the Cowboy margin to 58-53, and when Jesse Perry missed a pair of free tries that Poke rooters began to gnaw their fingers.
 
The Tigers raced down court, tried a long shot, however, but the Pokes came up with the rebound and zipped a long pass to Carver who was all alone under the nets.
 
Carver dunked the two-pointer and the game ended seconds later, to the cheers of a crowd of 10,000 fans at Municipal Auditorium.
 
For a long time during the first half, the Poke cause looked worthless.
 
Swain, a sophomore who is certain to develop into one of basketball's outstanding performers, posed a problem the Pokes couldn't answer early in the game. Swain hit 10 points in the first half, all of them on tip-ins. His control of the ball was phenomenal, since he jumps well, and has big enough to palm a basketball.
 
With Swain hitting consistently, Texas Southern rolled up a 12-4 lead in the first half. The Poke defense shifted in an effort to keep the huge Swain out from under the nets, but when that happened, Bobbitt and Freddie Mauro, the Texans' long-range specialists, wheeled into action and kept the scene mounting.
 
Meanwhile, the Tigers, playing on the theory that only Reigel could light the nets, were using a tight zone, concentrating against bullet Bill.
 
Charley Decker took advantage of that fact to hit three long shots from the corner, and the Tiger zone loosened a bit.
 
That helped Reigel and Glenn to find running room, and Reigel finally hit one under the nets with 3:14 to play that put the Pokes in front at 29-28.
 
The lead switched several times before the half, with Horn dunking two buckets for the Tigers, and Reigel adding one, plus a free try. Just before the half, Willie Taylor dropped in two free tries, leaving Texas Southern with a 35-34 edge at the half.
 
Then came the second half drive, during which the Pokes were able to outsmart the Texans. As a result, what one coach described as "the smallest, the scrawniest and the most under-nourished-looking team in the tournament" became the champion of the nation.
 
McNeese Scoring
                        fga      fgm     fta       ftm      r          pf        tp
Reigel              21       9          6          3          8          4          21
Glenn              9          4          8          6          17       5          14
Perry              1          1          2          0          4          1          2
Carver            10       5          2          1          11       0          11
Scarborough  4          1          0          0          2          0          2
McNabb          2          1          0          0          3          3          2 Totals              55       25       18       10       46       14       60
 
Texas Southern Scoring
                        fga      fgm     fta       ftm      r          pf        tp Totals             81       19       24       17       48       13       55
 
 
REIGEL CHOSEN OUTSTANDING NAIA PLAYER
 
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Bill Reigel, McNeese State college's marvelous forward, was named the Outstanding Player of the 18^th annual NAIA basketball tournament here Saturday night.
 
Reigel, who led the Cowboys to the national title, was a unanimous choice for the honor, and received the Chuck Taylor Award, which annually goes to the top player here.
 
Reigel and Dudley Carver, McNeese center, won places on the all-tournament first team and forward Frank Glenn named to the second all-tourney five.
 
The other members of the all-tourney squad were: first team, Bennie Swain of Texas Southern; Bruce Palmer of Pittsburg State; and Don Anderson of Wheaton.
 
On the second team with Glenn were Ed Cain of Pittsburgh State, O'Neal Weaver of Midwestern, Wilbert Mosby of Texas Southern, and Jerry Miller of Wheaton.
 
Reigel, who scored 21 points in his tourney finale against Texas Southern, wound up the five-game tourney by scoring 158-points, an all-time total. Former tourney scoring record was 143, set by Cotty Steagall of Millikin University in 1951.