1955 NAIA Men's Basketball Tournament

The 1955 NAIA Men's Basketball Tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 18th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.[1] The 1955 tournament was one for the record books. It featured four of the all-time leading scorers, two single-game best tournament performances, and most free throws made in tournament history.

1955 (1955) NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
Teams32
ChampionsEast Texas State
(1st title, 1st title game,
2nd Fab Four)
Runner-UpSoutheastern Oklahoma State
(2nd title game,
2nd Fab Four)
SemifinalistsWestern Illinois
Arkansas Tech
Coach of the YearLeroy Morley
(Western Illinois)
Chuck Taylor MVPJim Miller
(East Texas State)

The championship game featured East Texas State University (now Texas A&M-Commerce) and Southeastern Oklahoma State University. East Texas State defeated SEOSU by a score of 71 to 54. The other teams in the NAIA Semifinals were Western Illinois University and Arkansas Tech. The Leathernecks defeated the Wonder Boys for the 3rd place title by a score of 77 to 74.

Awards and honors

Many of the records set by the 1955 tournament have been broken, and many of the awards were established much later:

  • Leading scorer est. 1963
  • Leading rebounder est. 1963
  • Charles Stevenson Hustle Award est. 1958
  • Player of the Year est. 1994
  • Most free throws made; single game: 24 free throws made by Joe Miller of Alderson-Broaddus (W.Va.) in a game verses Quincy (Ill.).
  • Most free throws made; career: 120 free throws made by Jim Spivey of Southeastern Oklahoma State (1954,55,56,57).
  • All-time single game performances: 5th Joe Miller of Alderson-Broaddus (W.Va.) vs. Quincy (Ill.). Miller scored 12 field goals and 24 free throws, totaling 48 points.
  • All-time single game performances: 12th Paul Brownlee of Steubenville (Ohio) vs. Southeastern Oklahoma. Brownlee scored 16 field goals and 14 free throws, totaling 46 points.
  • All-time scoring leader; first appearance: Bennie Swain 6th, Texas Southern (1955,56,57,58), 15 games, 119 field goals, 64 free throws, totaling 302 points, 20.1 average per game.
  • All-time scoring leader; second appearance: James Spivey, 4th Southeastern Oklahoma State (1954,55,56,57), 13 games, 133 field goals, 120 free throws, totaling 386 points, 29.7 average per game.
  • All-time scoring leaders; final appearance: E.C. O’Neal, 9th, Arkansas Tech (1952,53,54,55), 13 games, 122 field goals, 43 free throws, totaling 287 points, 22.1 average per game; James Miller, 18th, East Texas State (1953,54,55), 13 games, 103 field goals, 40 free throws, totaling 246 points, 18.9 average per game.[2]

1955 NAIA bracket
First Round
March 8 		Second Round Elite Eight NAIA National Semifinals NAIA National Championship
               
- Western Illinois State 76
- Regis (Colo.) 60
- Western Illinois State 86
- Northeast Missouri State 85
- Northeast Missouri State 82
- Georgetown (Ky.) 70
- Western Illinois State 50
TOP TIER
- Gustavus Adolphus 49
- Texas Southern 102
- Adrian (Mich.) 83
- Texas Southern 55
- Gustavus Adolphus 67
- Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) 78
- Wayland (Texas) 58
- Western Illinois State 61
- Southeastern Oklahoma State 68
- Steubenville (Ohio) 79
- Mississippi Southern 62
- Steubenville 90
- Louisiana Tech 65
- Louisiana Tech 94
- Coe (Iowa) 65
- Southeastern Oklahoma State 96
TOP TIER
- Steubenville 77
- Southeastern Oklahoma State 120
- Middle Tennessee State 67
- Southeastern Oklahoma State 106
- Nebraska Wesleyan 69
- Nebraska Wesleyan 86
- Geneva (Pa.) 80*
- Southeastern Oklahoma State 54
- East Texas State 71
- Southwestern (Kan.) 83
- Loyola (Calif.) 79
- Southwestern (Kan.) 78
- East Texas State 94
- East Texas State 68
- Portland State (Ore.) 55
- East Texas State 66
BOTTOM TIER
- Beloit 57
- Florida State 93
- Montana State 84
- Florida State 88
- Beloit 110
- Beloit (Wis.) 88
- Whitworth (Wash.) 75
- East Texas State 81
- Arkansas Tech 66
- Quincy (Ill.) 84
- St. Francis (N.Y.) 82
- Quincy 84
- Alderson-Broaddus 88
- Alderson-Broaddus (W.Va.) 100
- Minot State (N.D.) 72
- Arkansas Tech 93
BOTTOM TIER
- Alderson-Broaddus 74
- Arkansas Tech 96
- New Haven State (Conn.) 71
- Arkansas Tech 93
- Atlantic Christian 74
- Atlantic Christian (N.C.) 95
- Evansville (Ind.) 88
  •  * denotes overtime.

3rd place game

The third place game featured the losing teams from the national semifinalist to determine 3rd and 4th places in the tournament. This game was played until 1988.

NAIA Third Place Game
   
- Western Illinois State 77
- Arkansas Tech 74

References
  1. "NAIA.org". Archived from the original on 2009-05-05. Retrieved 2020-05-16.
  2. NAIA Championship History Archived 2008-05-15 at the Wayback Machine
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