Bill Russell during his days at the University of San Francisco.
The 2016 NCAA Tournament is in high gear as the teams celebrate their seasons by making the post-season. There has been plenty of action with upsets and game-winning shots.
Winning the tournament is the ultimate prize, but finishing the season undefeated is a rare feat that has been accomplished just seven times in the history of the event.
It was 70 years ago when the first unbeaten NCAA champion was crowned.
The University of San Francisco completed the run at 29-0. The Dons were also the first team with three African-Americans in the starting lineup in a title contest.
Bill Russell, K.C. Jones and Hal Perry were the trio that started most of the season for the Dons that season, but Gene Brown would become a prominent figure during the tourney.
Jones, who had missed all but one game in a previous season due to injury, was ruled ineligible for the tournament.
A reserve during the regular season, Brown replaced Jones and immediately had an impact with 23 points in a 72-61 win over UCLA. Russell was also dominant with 21 points and 23 rebounds.
The Dons followed with wins over Utah (92-77) and Southern Methodist (86-68) to reach the finale against Iowa.
Russell led the way with 26 points and 27 rebounds as the Dons won 83-71 over the Hawkeyes. Brown and Carl Boldt tossed in 16 points each, while Perry finished with 14.
It was the second straight title for the Dons, who also won in 1955 with a 28-1 record. In 1957, San Francisco was the first team to appear in the Final Four three straight years for coach Phil Woolpert.
The Dons lost in the semifinals, but they won the consolation affair to take third place as they ended up 22-7 overall. During the 1956-57 season, the Dons also had their record 60-game winning streak snapped early in the season. That mark would eventually be surpassed by UCLA, which won 88 contests in row in the early 1970s.
Other NCAA Unbeaten Champs
The other six teams with win the NCAA Tournament as an unbeaten champion are 1957 North Carolina (32-0), 1964 UCLA (30-0), 1967 UCLA (30-0), 1972 UCLA (30-0), 1973 UCLA (30-0), 1976 Indiana (32-0).
The 1956 Olympics
After finishing their careers at San Francisco, Russell and Jones became teammates on the 1956 United States Olympic team.
The USA (8-0) defeated the U.S.S.R. 89-55 to win the Gold Medal. Russell led the team in scoring at 14.1 points per game. Jones added 10.9.
NBA Legends
K.C. Jones with the Boston Celtics in 1960.
Five players from the 1956 championship team, Russell, Jones, Brown, Boldt and Mike Farmer would all be drafted by National Basketball Association teams.
Russell and Jones would become Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame inductees after legendary careers with the Boston Celtics.
A first-round pick by the St. Louis Hawks in 1956, Russell was acquired by the Celtics in a draft-day trade.
Playing for the Celtics from 1956-69 with numerous accolades, Russell won 11 NBA titles with the final two coming as a player-coach.
A second-round choice by the Celtics in 1956, Jones wouldn’t play for the Celtics until 1958 due to military service.
Jones won eight titles with the Celtics as a player before retiring in 1967. He added four more championships as a coach to give him a total of 12. He was an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1972 and the Celtics in 1981. His final championships came as the head coach with the Celtics in 1984 and 1986.
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