Frederick J. Nachman

My father, a proud University of Illinois alum, began taking my brother Frank and me to Illinois football and basketball games at Northwestern University in the late 1950s. Our most memorable was January 14, 1963, when the #3-ranked Fighting Illini battled the Wildcats at McGaw Hall.

Back then, Illinois – Northwestern matchups brought packed houses, estimated at 7,200 by Time, which reported on the game. We settled into $2.00 seats in Row 31 on the Illinois side. Northwestern – 3-9 at the time – refused to wilt; the game was tied 76-76 with just a few seconds left in regulation and Illinois’ ball at its end of the court. Following a timeout, sophomore guard Tal Brody zipped the inbounds pass to team captain Bob Starnes, who would end up only the team’s #4 scorer, a few feet short of the midcourt line at the right. The Gage Park High School graduate launched a high-arcing one-hander that Northwestern coach Bill Rohr swore curved into the basket, giving Illinois the 78-76 victory (no 3-point line then), increasing their record to 12-1. The Illinois side erupted in elated disbelief; Northwestern fans sat in stone silence. Illinois would advance to the NCAA tournament, losing to eventual champion Loyola of Chicago in the second round, 79-64, and setting up the Ramblers’ historic game vs. Mississippi State.

Tal Brody became an All-American in 1965 and was drafted in the second round (15th overall) by the Baltimore Bullets (now Washington Wizards). After being granted permission to play in the Maccabi Games in Israel before the Bullets’ preseason, Brody elected to pass on the NBA and remain in Israel, where he become the country’s acknowledged father of basketball, playing  for Maccabi Tel Aviv and coaching for several years. As a goodwill ambassador for the State of Israel, Brody visited Chicago often and, after missing him a few times, I met him on the basketball court at the Standard Club. I gave him the ticket stub – he knew its significance – and Tal handed it back. I told him, “You keep it and show it to your grandchildren.”