1937 Melrose Shamrocks: The Championship Season
   

 “They can only put five out there at one time.
  Let them show their best and we will show our best.”

....Coach Ad Hlubek

 

  
 


Team Captain, Walt O'Connor and Author, Jimmy Anderson

 The story of the 1937 Melrose High School basketball team is the story of how David beat Goliath.  In telling this story, this independent study describes the team and its coach, the rules of basketball throughout its history, the team’s amazing season, the history of the State Tournament, and how the championship affected the tiny town of Melrose.  Along the way, there are plenty of laughs as the small-town team struggled to win a championship during the Depression.  With 420 people in the town of Melrose in 1937, and 66 students enrolled in the school, Melrose took on the big schools and won.   
 


Melrose became the smallest team to ever win the state championship and the first team to go undefeated.  Against these odds, Melrose had a simple philosophy, as stated by Coach Ad Hlubek:  “They can only put five out there at one time.  Let them show their best and we will show our best.”   This is what happened when Melrose showed their best.

  
     
       
 

 March Madness: Iowa Style (First Time? Start Here)  
       
   The Cast Of Characters: The Players and Coach  
       
   Melrose Streaks To The Sweet Sixteen  
       
   Melrose Advances To The Finals  
       
   The Championship  
       
   After The Championship  
       
   Miscellaneous  
 

Email Jimmy At keammc@lucasco.net

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