As Hiram College displays a commemorative plaque in the William H. Hollinger Hall of Fame celebrating the 1983-84 Presidents’ Athletic Conference title team, alumni Russ and Rod Swartz have fond memories of that season.
“It is hard to believe that it was 42 years ago now,” Russ told The Weekly Villager on June 12. “It doesn’t seem like it was 42 years ago, it seems like it was a lot shorter period than that.”
The Swartz brothers, graduates of Mogadore High School, joined forces with fellow Wildcats’ alum Tom Pollock to lead the Terriers to a 14-8 (12-2) record en route to the PAC title, dethroning reigning champion John Carroll University and earned a berth in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III tournament.
The Mogadore trio joined forces as Russ transferred to Hiram College from Muskingham University after his sophomore year to reunite with Pollock, who was already on the team and Rod had just graduated from Mogadore and was sifting through his collegiate offers, ultimately deciding to reunite with his older brother and Pollock.
According to Rod, a 1987 graduate, having the chance to play again with Russ and Pollock was an opportunity he could not pass up.
The trio’s time on the court together was limited at the beginning of the season, as the Swartz brothers received very few minutes of playing time in the first game of the season against Wooster College.
After the first game, Russ was inserted into the starting lineup while Rod remained on the bench.
Throughout the season, Rod began earning more minutes and the trust of the coaching staff, as whenever he was on the floor, he scored points.
As Rod’s minutes increased, the trio received more playing time together.
According to Rod, Coach Bill Hollinger noticed the chemistry of the Mogadore trio was something special and began playing them more frequently as time went on.
“I think Coach Hollinger finally saw that we were very productive with us three on the floor at the same time,” noted Rod, a 1999 inductee into the William H. Hollinger Hall of Fame. “I think he may have been reluctant early on to play three guards, but he realized that we knew how to play together and that we spread the floor well.”
Rod acknowledged that three-guard line-ups were uncommon during that era but although the Mogadore trio lacked size, they still played stout defense, consistently and successfully defending against bigger players.
Russ, a 1986 graduate, said that the trio’s familiarity with each other helped unlock a different dimension of offense for the Terriers.
“We understood the game, we were unselfish, and we could score the basketball,” added Russ, a 1998 inductee into the William H. Hollinger Hall of fame. “We did not at that time play with a three-point line, but we were fundamentally sound. We could pass, dribble and shoot with being good decision makers, we understood each other as well as the game itself so when you are 6-foot or 6-foot-1, you have to be good at all of those things in order to offset size.”
By the time Hiram started league play, the Mogadore trio had become the driving force of the Hiram offense, as Rod became a starter and helped run a spread offense to space the floor and constantly pushed the tempo.
“We liked to run, and the other thing is we were very good defensively,” Rod noted. “We played good defense. We made easy scoring opportunities at times, so we got a lot of quick transition baskets.”
Hiram made a statement at the beginning of its league schedule when they defeated the Blue Streaks decisively in a road game.
Russ said that the victory against John Carroll sent a message throughout the locker room that the Terriers were on the brink of a historic season.
Hiram dominated the rest of the PAC that season, eventually clinching the league title by defeating the Blue Streaks in a rematch with a dominant second half after entering the break with the score tied.
Rod said that as sweet as it was to capture the PAC title, it was more rewarding to do it for Hollinger, who was nearing the end of his collegiate coaching career.
Hiram’s league title earned them a bid in the NCAA Division III tournament and faced a one-loss Framingham State in the first round and were defeated 94-76.
The Terriers received one more opportunity to capture a victory in the tournament, as the rules allowed for a consolation game where teams could finish as high as third place in their region. Hiram scored a 105-103 victory against Norwich to secure only the third tournament victory in program history.
Ultimately, the 1983-84 season has been a great source of inspiration for the Swartz brothers in their everyday lives and their coaching careers.
“We knew what it takes to be successful, we have lived it, we have won championships as a player and as a coach, so it is nice to be able to reference those type of things.” said Russ.
