Algoma won back-to-back basketball championships

The current 2024-25 basketball season represents the 60th anniversary of the Algoma High School boys’ two consecutive conference championships. The 1963-64 squad posted a perfect 14-0 record while the 1964-65 team compiled a 13-1 mark for an outstanding two-season 27-1 record. Further, the former squad posted a perfect 18-0 regular season record. No Algoma basketball team, before or since, has duplicated this amazing accomplishment.

Algoma won these back-to-back titles competing with the smallest enrollment (392 in 1963-64 and 417 in 1964-65) against the following schools in the old Northeastern Wisconsin Conference: Preble (967 students), Pulaski (661), Seymour (617), De Pere (568), Sturgeon (540), Oconto Falls (528), West De Pere (514), Kewaunee (498) and Oconto (481).

As Algoma’s wins piled up, fans began flocking to games at the old gym on the corner of Sixth and Cleveland, with standing-room-only crowds approaching or exceeding 1,000 in the 765-seat gym becoming the norm.

With their near perfect record, Algoma became the most hated team in the conference. Following a one-point road win over De Pere in February 1964, De Pere fans stormed the Algoma team bus, necessitating a police escort out of the city. After a road victory over Pulaski a month earlier, some fans attempted to put sugar in the gas tank of the team bus. Fortunately, bus driver Ron Leist, the grandfather of current Algoma basketball players Carson and Braeden Leist, apprehended them before they completed their dastardly deed.

Stars of these championship teams included Jim Pavlick, the team’s playmaking guard; Mark Wautlet, who won the conference scoring title in 1963-64 while placing third the following season; John Fett, the second leading scorer in the conference during the 1964-65 season and burly center Larry VanLanen. With 1,232 career points, Wautlet became Algoma’s all-time leading scorer and held this record for 57 years until Carter Zimmerman surpassed it in 2022.

Coach of the undefeated 1963-64 team was 26-year old Tom VanEgeren. His official title was “interim coach” as head coach LeRoy Sroda was given a one-year leave of absence to pursue his master’s degree at the University of Michigan. Upon Sroda’s return for the 1964-65 season, VanEgeren’s reward for his undefeated season was a return to his assistant coaching position.

Following Sroda’s departure a year later, Tom became the head basketball coach and held the position through the 1972-73 season. His 1966-67 team won the conference title.