When you think of the year 1941, the first thing that comes to mind is probably World War II and the attack on Pearl Harbor.

In Martins Ferry, however, a weekend in late March of that year became one that would “live in infamy” for another reason – a state championship!

When this year’s tournament begins (hopefully), it’ll mark the 80th anniversary of the Purple Riders’ ride to the 1941 boys’ basketball title.

Coached by legendary Floyd Baker, the Ferrians put together a fine regular season with only two losses, and then captured sectional and district titles to punch their ticket to the Ohio Class A State Tournament which took place at the Fairgrounds Coliseum in Columbus in March of ’41.

Members of the team included Bill Elias (the team captain), Lou Groza, Bill Young, Ed Joseph, Lou Bevilacqua, Joe Domyan, Bill Monios, Bob McIlvain, Bob Bowen, Armand Long and Ed Sterling.

Baker’s assistant was Harold Leffler and the school’s athletic director was Frank W. Bowen. Student managers of the team were Jack Litten and Bob Forsythe.

The Riders won four games in three days to claim the coveted championship and finish with a sparkling 27-2 record. The state title was part of a remarkable run of four state tournaments in five years (the Riders also reached Columbus in 1940, ’43 and ’44).

Here’s a quick recap of the Riders’ four state tourney victories:

• Ferry opened state tournament action against Lima Central, holding on for a narrow 33-32 win after leading 30-20 entering the fourth quarter. Bevilacqua led the Purple with 11 points followed by Joseph with nine, Groza with six, Elias with five and Young with two. Wayne Wells had 12 points for Lima Central.

• Next up was Canton McKinley, with the Riders prevailing by a 40-27 margin. Groza – Ferry’s only player who was over six-foot tall – was a “tower of strength” with 15 points while Elias netted nine, Bevilacqua tallied eight, Joseph had eight and Young and Monios each had two. Hooper led McKinley with nine.

• The semifinal against Xenia Central on Saturday afternoon featured game-ending drama, with Groza fouled at the buzzer and calmly draining both shots for a 36-34 victory. Fans mobbed the court and Groza – known in high school as “Chief” long before he landed the moniker of “The Toe” – was carried off the court on the shoulders of his teammates. Groza and Joseph both scored 10 points followed by Elias with eight, Young with four, and Bevilacqua and Domyan with two each. Wendell Cultice had 13 and Bob Winters 10 for Xenia Central.

• Later Saturday came the championship game against Lakewood played in front of 9,117 spectators, and Ferry finished off its championship run with a 37-30 victory which combined “aggressiveness, sheer guts, a lightning-fast offense and stubborn defense” according to the game report. Lakewood led 25-23 after three quarters, but the Riders finished strong with a 14-5 fourth quarter edge to claim the crown. Groza poured in 18 points to lead the charge while Bevilacqua scored eight, Joseph six and Elias five. Cliff Lewis and Ken Eichwald led Lakewood with 10 and eight, respectively.

CHAMPIONSHIP NOTEBOOK

• Groza and Elias earned first team all-tournament honors (known as the International News Service All-Ohio team) while Joseph was a second team selection.

• The team returned home to a heroes’ welcome, with the escort back to town starting at the Blaine viaduct where the Riders were met by the state patrol. In Aetnaville, every fire station in town joined throngs of Rider fans both in the parade and along the route, also accompanied by the 80-member MFHS marching band. There was a short ceremony near Central School and even the release of a half-dozen homing pigeons was part of the festivities!

•The ’41 team had more than its share of nicknames besides Groza: “Willie” Elias, “Half Pint” Joseph, “Jitterbug” Bevilacqua, “Frosty” Bowen and “Army” Long among them.

• Back then, there were only two classes in Ohio (A and B). That same year, old Smithfield High was a Class B qualifier, losing 51-41 to Glenford in the opening round.

•’41 was truly a banner year at Ferry High, as just eight months later, the Purple Riders’ football team would also be on top of the mountain – earning state co-championship after battling Toledo Libbey to a 14-14 tie in Toledo’s “Glass Bowl”. (More on that in the fall).

• Sophomore Eddie Sterling was noteworthy for putting team above self that season. After seeing action most of the year in place of an injured Domyan, Sterling gave up his roster spot for the state tournament to allow the senior to return to action.

•The squad is well-represented in the Martins Ferry Athletic Hall of Fame – first and foremost inducted as a team in 2015. Individually, Coach Baker, Groza, Elias, Sterling and Bowen are all HOFers.

•While Groza enjoyed a Pro Football Hall of Fame career as a tackle/placekicker with the Cleveland Browns, three members of the team went on to play college sports – Bowen (who was also a state high school doubles champion in tennis with partner Ken Kadar) played basketball at The Ohio State University, Sterling played basketball at West Virginia University and Elias played football at the University of Maryland.

• AD Bowen would become a “founding father” of the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference in 1943 and student manager Forsythe many years later was the principal architect of the original Pro Football Hall of Fame building in Canton.

• Coach Baker had come to Ferry after guiding neighboring Bridgeport to four straight state tournament appearances (1936-39). At Ferry, he posted a sparkling 159-21 record (including four trips to the state tournament, five 20-win seasons and a 33-game winning streak), giving him an overall mark of 277-77 combined with his years at Bridgeport.

• WWVA Radio was unable to broadcast the championship game live due to FCC regulations requiring the station to sign off at dusk, but they did put together an electronic transcription that was broadcast the next morning. It is believed to have been the first oral recording of a high school athletic event ever done.