Gonzaga Athletic Hall of Fame
World War II and the U.S. Navy combined to bring an unusual group of young men together at Gonzaga University. They were assigned as students and members of the Navy’s V-12 program to be trained as naval officers. Most of them came from the west and from Catholic universities, and, as it turned out, many of them were fine basketball players. The Gonzaga basketball team of 1943-44 had a 24-2 record which included a one-sided win over the University of Washington. Gonzaga was ranked first in the west and sixth in the nation, joining such powers as DePaul, Kentucky and Iowa. The team was coached by Charles “Chuck” Henry, formerly of Michigan State, and it employed a fast-break offense and a tenacious defense. The starters included Wally McGovern of Santa Clara University, Jim Baker and Earl Strader of St. Mary’s College, Bob Gaston from St. Martin’s College, and Paul O’Toole from the University of Portland, plus swingman Jack Hafner from the University of San Francisco. Other team members were George Ball, Bob Barbagelata, Bill Barry, Ed Barulich, Doug Burton, Jack Coates, Howard Cullen, Paul Greiwe, Ed Hoene, Gerald McFaul, Archie Peterson, Jim Rafferty and Charles Tobin.
