1964

1964 was the year of the Beatles. Don't let anybody tell you any different. 

But, it's also true that the Minnesota Gopher baseball team won its third NCAA title under coach Dick Siebert, beating Missouri 5-1 in the championship final. Meanwhile, the Twins slumped but Tony Oliva won the batting title and Rookie of the Year honors. 

#7 Coach

#9 Dynasty

Gopher Baseball and Coach Dick “Chief” Siebert Win Their Third NCAA Title

Dick Siebert grew up in Cass Lake and St. Paul, MN, and played eleven years of major league baseball, with a career batting average of .282. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Gophers didn’t even field a baseball team in the early days of the Big 10 and only won their first conference titles in 1933 and 1935 under coach Frank McCormick. Siebert took over in 1947. It was a red-letter day for baseball in Minnesota. He didn’t win his first conference title until 1956, but by 1978 he had won 12 of them with just three losing seasons.

His 1956 team did not only win his first Big 10 title at 11-2, they swept four of five regional games to get to the College World Series at 28-8. There, they beat Wyoming, Arizona, Mississippi and Bradley, then lost to Arizona 10-4 for their first loss of the double elimination format. In the rubber game, they demolished Arizona 12-1. Bill Horning led the Gophers with four hits, including two home runs, and five RBI. And, he got married to following Saturday. Jerry Kindall hit .440 and was named all-American, while pitcher Jerry Thomas was both all-American and the MVP of the CWS.

The Gophers repeated as Big 10 champions in 1958, 1959 and 1960. In 1960, the Gophers were 12-2 in the Big 10, then swept three straight in the regionals to advance to the CWS at 29-6-1. After winning a pair of games, they beat Southern Cal 12-11. USC then emerged from the loser’s bracket to beat the Gophers 4-2. In the rubber match, the Gophers again won 2-1 on a tenth-inning, bases-loaded walk to pinch-hitter Tom Moe. Second baseman (2B) John Erickson was the CWS MVP, while shortstop Dave Pflepson and third baseman Carl Roloff also made the all-tournament team. Larry Bertelsen and Wayne Knapp also won all-America honors.

The next Big 10 title came in 1964. They were 11-3 in the conference, then swept Kent State in the regionals to advance to the CWS at 27-11. After winning two games, they again drew USC and again prevailed by one run, 6-5. They lost to Missouri 4-1 to set up the final showdown with the Tigers. The Gophers scored four unearned runs to beat Missouri 5-1 as Joe Pollack threw a four-hitter with seven strikeouts. Pollack and catcher Ron Wojciak were named first team all-Americans, while basketball star Bill Davis made all-CWS. 

Siebert coached the Gophers right up to the time of his death in 1978. His final tally was 754 wins, 361 losses and six ties for a.676 winning percentage. Four months after his death, the Gophers baseball stadium was named Siebert Field in his honor.

#22 Athlete

Tony Oliva

Pedro “Tony” Oliva emigrated from Cuba to the U.S. in 1961, just before the Castro regime shut off such opportunities for Cuban ballplayers. He used his younger brother’s birth certificate to convince major league scouts that he was 18 when in fact he was really 21. His name was Pedro. His brother’s name was Tony. But, Tony stuck and he later changed his legal name to Tony. He hit .410 and .350 in two minor league seasons and hit .444 in 1962 in his first shot at the bigs. He spent most of 1963 in the minors, however, but hit .429 in his second “cup of coffee” in the major leagues. 

Now, he was a big leaguer to stay. He hit .323 to become the first rookie ever to win the AL batting title, as he won 19 of 20 first place votes for the rookie honor. But, after 90-win seasons in 1962 and 1963, the Twins tumbled to 79-83. But, then, in Oliva’s second year in the majors, he again won the AL batting title at .321 and the Twins ran away with the American League title. Oliva finished second to teammate Zoilo Versalles in the MVP voting.

In 1966, Oliva was leading the league at .328 but he slumped down the stretch to finish at .307. He led the league in hits for the third straight year and finished sixth in the MVP vote. His average slipped in 1967 and 1968, though he led the league in doubles in 1967. In 1969, he returned to form, going 24-101-.309 while leading the league in hits and doubles. In 1970, he was 23-107-.325 while again leading the league in hits and doubles. He finished second in the MVP voting to Baltimore’s Boog Powell. In 1971, he led the league at .337 and in slugging percentage at .546. Due to severe knee injuries, however, these turned out to be his last productive seasons. With just eight productive seasons in the bigs, Oliva has not been honored by baseball’s Hall of Fame, but many regard him as among the best players who have not been so honored. On top of all of that, Oliva was always adored by Twins fans and fellow players for an unfailingly cheerful demeanor.

• The Minnesota Vikings improved to 8-5-1 in their fourth year, beating the Green Bay Packers for the first time after six losses. Fullback Bill Brown and center Mick Tingelhoff made all-pro, but it was quarterback Fran Tarkenton who electrified Vikings fans with his scrambling. He ended up as the MVP of the Pro Bowl. 

• Concordia (Moorhead) and coach John Christopherson tied Sam Houston State 7-7 in the Champion Bowl and shared the NAIA football title.

• St. Paul bowler Jean Havlish won the WIBC and state championships. Ten years earlier she had been known as a slick-fielding shortstop for the Fort Wayne Daisies of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

Year	Athlete of the Year	Team of the Year	Coach of the Year	Event of the Year
1964	1. Tony Oliva, Minnesota Twins, RF 2. Jean Havlish, bowling (state and WIBC champion) 3. Frank Tarkenton, Minnesota Vikings, QB	1. Minnesota Gopher baseball (31-12, Big 10 and NCAA champion) 2. Minnesota Vikings (8-5-1) 2. Concordia (Moorhead) football (MIAC champion, NAIA co-champion)	1. Siebert 2. John Christopherson, Concordia (Moorhead) football 3. Van Brocklin	1. Tony Oliva won the AL batting title in his rookie season. 2. The Gopher baseball team wins the NCAA title, defeating Missouri 5-1 . 3. Minnesota Vikings beat Green Bay Packers for the first time after 6 losses, 24-23, in Green Bay.