Team Members
Front Row (L-R): Jack Russell, Rolla Anderson, Dave Radcliffe, Ray Melton, Mort Harris, Head Coach C.P. Harris
Back Row (L-R): Vernon Landgraf, Jack Klosterman, Carl "Ben" Bidewell, Bill Gohen, Don Richardson, Jack Behrens
1943 Men's Basketball Team - NAIA National Champions
Under the direction of coach C.P. Harris, the 1943 Indians claimed the school’s first-ever athletics national championship with a 34-32 victory over fellow MIAA Conference opponent Northwest Missouri State in the NAIB finals (Kansas City, Mo.). Southeast had defeated Northwest in its previous two regular-season meetings that season to clinch the MIAA title. The third meeting between the two schools proved to be most exciting, as the Indians pulled away in the game’s final seconds. Southeast junior guard Jack Behrens drained a shot at the top of the key with seven seconds remaining, giving the Indians a narrow victory and national championship. The come-from-behind win in the national championship game capped a comeback season for the Indians. Southeast lost its first four games of the 1942-43 campaign before winning 19 of its last 21 contests. The Indians also went 8-0 in MIAA conference play during that stretch. On the way to their national crown, the Indians dropped some of the nation’s top small colleges of the era with wins over Dakota Wesleyan, Westminster College, East Washington State and Murray State. Southeast also boasted a 10.6 margin of victory throughout the postseason. All five of Southeast’s starters were named either first or second-team all-conference. Behrens, Jack Russell and Carl “Ben” Bidewell garnered first-team honors, while Rolla Anderson and Jack Klosterman were named second-team for the 19-6 national champion Indians.
