As part of the buildup to the 75th Anniversary celebration for Claremont McKenna College (visit CMC's 75th Anniversary Countdown Page to learn more), we are reliving many of the great moments from CMS athletic department history over the 75-day countdown from April 17 to July 1. If you were a part of one of these great moments and would like to add to the memories, or if you would like to submit your memories of your own favorite CMS Athletics moment, fill out the form on our main 75th Anniversary page.
Great Moments from this Story
1985 Volleyball: Athenas Have 20-Win Improvement to Earn NCAA Bid
1991 Men's Basketball: Stags Win SCIAC Playoff for NCAA Berth
2001 Women's Basketball: Athenas Defeat Whittier in Overtime for SCIAC Title
CLAREMONT, Calif. - As the 1950s progressed, Claremont Men's College was well on its way to separating from Pomona College and forming its own athletic department. In 1957, the college took a big step forward in that direction when it opened its own gymnasium, which would serve as the central hub for athletics on campus for the next 57 years.
The gymnasium doors opening provided the home for the Claremont-Mudd men's basketball team, which would play its first games as part of the new athletic department in 1958-59. Over the years, the facility also hosted varsity events in men's wrestling, women's volleyball and women's basketball, not to mention countless club, intramural, and recreation activities.
In 1974, the CMC Gymnasium was re-named Ducey Gymnasium in honor of Ted Ducey, who coached the basketball team from 1959-74 and also coached tennis. Ducey Gymnasium closed in 2014, when construction began on Roberts Pavilion, but the original gymnasium was used in some capacity by six decades worth of Athenas and Stags.
One of the first big wins in the gymnasium's history came in 1959-60, which was Ducey's first season after joining Claremont-Mudd Athletics that summer. After playing as an independent in 1958-59, the Stags won their first-ever SCIAC game in 1959-60, which came over their former teammates from Pomona, taking a 66-47 win after the Sagehens won the first meeting 73-41.
The CMC Gymnasium served as the home for many successful Stag and Athena teams over the years. The 1985 volleyball team took a huge step forward, improving from four wins to 24 and earning the program's first-ever NCAA bid.
"We were very close on and off the court," said Julia Hodgkins of that breakthrough team. "We had really strong team chemistry and we had fun. It was just fun playing, and the joy of playing contributed to the success. I loved that team, I really loved that team."
The 1991 men's basketball team finished 22-5 and won a SCIAC playoff game over La Verne to determine the NCAA bid after tying the Leopards for the league title, which required a must-win at Ducey after losing the first matchup by a big margin.
"We had the rematch with La Verne at Ducey," said Chris Greene, SCIAC Player of the Year. "Having lost by 20 to them, we were completely locked in. A lot of La Verne fans came over, and Ducey was packed like a Pomona game. I had best game I ever played - a lot of points, like 35 or so, and I think 3-4 dunks, and we wire-to-win it to split the series and set up the playoff game."
The 2001 women's basketball team earned a SCIAC title at home in their gymnasium on the final day, defeating co-leader Whittier in overtime in a winner-take-all battle for an NCAA bid, achieving that level of success despite the handicap of a small roster size.
"We had nine players, not even enough to play 5-on-5 at practice, said Felicia Davis, SCIAC Player of the Year. "But the small size of the team made every single team member so incredibly important. I just remember that we were an incredibly tight unit, played for each other, and had so much fun doing it."
That little CMC gymnasium first constructed in 1957 ended up producing almost 60 years worth of those type of memories.
