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It was
considered “The Golden Years” of Carey High School basketball and for good
reason; the 1965-66 and 1966-67 squads combined to go 43-3,
including a perfect 18-0 regular season mark during the first year. The
Blue Devils eventually stretched their winning streak to 34 games over the
two-year span. Both marks have yet to be matched 50 years later.
The
1965-66 squad advanced all the way to the Class A district finals where
they lost to Rossford, which eventually finished as the state runner-up.
Carey won
two straight North Central Conference titles, sharing the second with
Pleasant, the team that halted the Blue Devils’ regular season streak with
a 72-58 victory at home.
All of those
numbers are amazing feats on their own but considering that CHS had a total
of nine wins over the two years prior to that, it is almost unbelievable.
The Blue Devils were well known for playing as a team.
Another
factor in the turnaround was the hiring of “The Quiet One,” Carroll Cooper,
as the team’s head coach. Carroll's impact on the program was felt
throughout the community as the attendance began to rise, coinciding with
the team’s winning. Carey fans were so interested in what the Blue Devils
were doing they would arrive at away games as early as 1:30 p.m. to stand
in line to purchase tickets.
Carroll
also did subtle things to help the overall school spirit like implementing
the high school pep club. The club started with 30 members and grew to more
than 100 following the undefeated season.
In most instances, there wasn't enough
room for all of the students to sit.
CHS earned a ranking as high as fifth in the Associated Press
poll and ninth in the United International poll during the 1965-66 season.
The following year, the Blue Devils crested at ninth in the AP but never
did enter the UPI poll.
Individually, Tom Myers
garnered first-team status in the NCC and earned all-district honors
following both seasons of the run while Keith Orians
was all-league, all-district and honorable mention at the state level after
the 1966-67 campaign. That same season saw Mike Jacoby get selected to the
second team and Larry Cole grab honorable mention in the NCC. Both Jacoby
and Cole also were honorable mention in the district.
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