Western Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame
The 1963 Men's Basketball Team
On the 40th anniversary of the 1962-63 men's basketball season. That team, under the leadership of Hall of Fame coach Jim Gudger, posted a 28-7 record, won the Carolinas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament and NAIA District title. Western then ran off wins on consecutive days versus Eastern Montana, Miles, Lewis & Clark and Fort Hayes State before falling in NAIA championship game to Texas-Pan American. The '63 team featured All-Americans Mel Gibson and Tommy Lavelle, who rank second and 19th on the WCU all-time scoring list, as well as Danny Tharpe, who ranks ninth among the school's all-time scorers, and Charlie McConnell, who scored 1,018 career leaders for rebounds in Darrell Murray (third), Gaston Seal (sixth) and John Brittnall (ninth).
