Fifty-two years ago this fall – weeks after anti-war protests roiled U.S. campuses and 18 years after a basketball scandal tarnished Bradley’s image – the university returned to the country’s spotlight by becoming the first undefeated school in the 1969 season of NBC-TV’s “GE College Bowl.”

At a Nov. 17 welcome-home event in BU’s Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse, Student Senate President Jim Gitz said, “Much of the clamor that has revolved around Bradley University in recent times will be met with a like commemoration of this positive action,” and BU President Talman Van Arsdale commented that the wins “changed the image of the University nationally, [so] we shall enjoy the support of alumni and friends of Bradley wherever they reside.”

Quiz shows had suffered their own scandals, with several shows implicated in fixing results over six months in 1958-59, but “College Bowl” was a respected question/answer program with roots in radio starting in 1953, continuing on CBS-TV before NBC. Even this summer, NBC’s “Capital One College Bowl” reboot retained or gained followers (despite brothers Peyton Manning and Cooper Manning delivering cringeworthy performances as hosts.)

There had been a few other undefeated colleges in the early 1960s during CBS’ run, according to “College Bowl” records, but Bradley’s success was an upset. (In fact, some participants remember overhearing Johns Hopkins University’s team the night before the fifth and final match laughing about “hayseeds from Peoria.”)

The road to victory started that spring when BU speech professor Larry Norton learned that Bradley was picked to compete in the nationally televised show in New York City that fall. Norton sent an urgent memo to colleagues saying, “Time is our problem. We must select 16–20 of our best students immediately.”

The “starting four” became Paul Remack (’71) of Berwyn, Ill.; Gene Sidler (’71) of Lansing, Ill., Gary Roberts (’70) of Rochester, Minn., and captain Ed Wehrli (’71) of Roanoke, Ill. (Roberts became Bradley president from 2016-2020.) Six alternates were Rick Cloyd (’70) of Peoria, Linda Brady Fish (’70) of Springfield, Laura Johnson (’71) of Kirkwood, Mo., Tom Murphy (’71) of Riverside, Ill., Mike Kienzler (’70) of Springfield, and Eric Arnold (’70) of Peoria.

It continued to be a sophisticated scramble. Future broadcaster Frank Bussone, then working in BU’s Alumni office, coached the team in a mock TV studio with stage lights and buzzers.

“The 10 of us traveled to Peoria all that summer of ’69, practicing and auditioning to make the final four,” recalled Kienzler, recently retired from Springfield’s State Journal Register.

“Several of us were in contention for the fourth spot on the TV team – Ed, Paul and Gene were gimmes – but none of us had any gripes when Gary got the last spot,” he said. “Because of all that summer teamwork and bonding, I think we all felt we had a share in the five-time championship. And we WERE tight: GE gave the team money for first-class air fare for the TV team and one faculty member, but BU used it instead to pay coach fares for the ENTIRE team.”

Bradley’s five victories in successive weeks were impressive: They beat George Washington University 195-175 on Oct. 18, the University of Minnesota/Morris 270-50 Oct. 25, Cleveland State 220-115 Nov. 1, Beloit College 250-130 Nov. 8, and Johns Hopkins University 205-180 Nov. 15.

The returning team was greeted at the noontime ceremony by congratulatory telegrams and news of phone calls from throughout the nation. Announcing that the university’s Board of Trustees was matching the $19,500 in winnings, Van Arsdale added, “Your efforts will never be forgotten. Your efforts may bring the possibility and probability of higher education to those who succeed you here at Bradley.”

A clip of the exciting final four minutes of Bradley’s victory over Johns Hopkins is online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWsZB862ESE.