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Happy Birthday, Coach Stowell
- Thread starter 64NIT
- Start date
tomahawk chop
Well-known member
I miss talking basketball with him. He will always be on of Bradleys best supporters. Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas coach.
Scoretable
Member
Happy Birthday Joe Stowell. Your playing and coaching career for Bradley Basketball was special and shines in history. Also, the years you served as WMBD radio basketball analyst along side Dave Snell helped set a high bar.
Sincerely,
Bradley Alum and always a Brave
Sincerely,
Bradley Alum and always a Brave
PhiAlphaBoy
Active member
PhiAlphaBoy
Active member
Scoretable
Member
A page in Joe Stowell’s history as shared by Frank Gladson. I was in the same office with Frank at Caterpillar in the
1970s.
Frank Gladson was a team member of Caterpillar Diesels ( National Industrial Basketball League ) in 1952.
Joe Stowell was a member of Bradley Basketball in 1952.
As both teams played home games in Peoria, Illinois, scrimmages were common.
Frank’s favorite story paraphrased: Joe was often unnoticed grabbing my jersey to slow me down.
BTW: In the year 1952, Caterpillar Diesels became World Wide known. They sent 5 players to Helsinki, Finland,
as members of the USA Olympic Team. USA won the Gold Metal.
1970s.
Frank Gladson was a team member of Caterpillar Diesels ( National Industrial Basketball League ) in 1952.
Joe Stowell was a member of Bradley Basketball in 1952.
As both teams played home games in Peoria, Illinois, scrimmages were common.
Frank’s favorite story paraphrased: Joe was often unnoticed grabbing my jersey to slow me down.
BTW: In the year 1952, Caterpillar Diesels became World Wide known. They sent 5 players to Helsinki, Finland,
as members of the USA Olympic Team. USA won the Gold Metal.
Thanks for the memories, Scoretable.A page in Joe Stowell’s history as shared by Frank Gladson. I was in the same office with Frank at Caterpillar in the
1970s.
Frank Gladson was a team member of Caterpillar Diesels ( National Industrial Basketball League ) in 1952.
Joe Stowell was a member of Bradley Basketball in 1952.
As both teams played home games in Peoria, Illinois, scrimmages were common.
Frank’s favorite story paraphrased: Joe was often unnoticed grabbing my jersey to slow me down.
BTW: In the year 1952, Caterpillar Diesels became World Wide known. They sent 5 players to Helsinki, Finland,
as members of the USA Olympic Team. USA won the Gold Metal.
Here is more info about that 1952 US Olympic basketball team that won the Gold Medal in Helsinki.-
1952 United States men's Olympic basketball team - Wikipedia
As the Wikipedia article shows, five of the 1952 Olympic team members were members of the 1952 AAU Champion Peoria Caterpillars.
There were also seven members from the University of Kansas, who were the NCAA Champions in 1952 under legendary coach Phog Allen. They finished runner-up to the Peoria Cats in the 1952 AAU Tournament.
One of the Kansas players on the 1952 Olympic team was Dean Kelley, who settled in Morton, Illinois after his career at Kansas was done, and he went to work for Caterpillar and played for the Peoria Caterpillars. And his younger brother Al Kelley, was also a star at Kansas, and he also went to work at Caterpillar and played for the Peoria Cats. Al Kelley won a Gold Medal in the 1954 World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as well as winning the 1960 Olympic Gold Medal in Rome. He also lived in Morton, as did another 1952 Gold Medalist, Ron Bontemps. Incredible that for a long time, Morton, Illinois was the home to 3 Olympic Gold Medal basketball players.
Scoretable
Member
Da Coach. Thanks for your history recall. It is always a quality post! 
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I actually had the chance to meet Dean Kelly and talk to him about his Olympic and Peoria Caterpillar experiences. He and his brother were long-time Morton, Illinois residents.Da Coach. Thanks for your history recall. It is always a quality post!
I visited Ron Bontemps at his home in Morton,
He had his Gold Medal proudly displayed in his living room.
Unlike the gaudy ones nowadays, in 1952 they were comparatively small & plain
In 2008, PJStar visited Ron & did a story - also another in 2015
The ‘52 Helsinki medal is a little bigger than a silver dollar- whereas nowadays they’re as big as a Burger King Whopper - LINK
He had his Gold Medal proudly displayed in his living room.
Unlike the gaudy ones nowadays, in 1952 they were comparatively small & plain
In 2008, PJStar visited Ron & did a story - also another in 2015
The ‘52 Helsinki medal is a little bigger than a silver dollar- whereas nowadays they’re as big as a Burger King Whopper - LINK