1. Home
  2. Sports
  3. Basketball

NCAA Champions and Final Four Teams: 1939 - 1963
From the 1939 Oregon Ducks to the 1963 Loyola Ramblers

by Charlie Zegers
for About.com

The 1939 NCAA Tournament would look strange to today's hoops fans... the champion Oregon Ducks sported a frontcourt of 6'8" center "Slim" Wintermute and two 6'4" forwards -- and they were one of the nation's biggest teams.

Still, the Ducks deserve credit for starting something. As do the 1963 Loyola Ramblers. Don Haskins and Texas Western get a great deal of credit, but Loyola and coach George Ireland played a significant role in the integration of college hoops.

For each year since the NCAA Tournament's inception in 1939, we've listed the teams that reached the Final Four and the tournament runner-up. The champion is listed in bold.

NCAA Champions and Final Four Teams, 1939 - 1963
1963DukeOregon StateCincinnatiLoyola (IL)
1962Wake ForestUCLAOhio StateCincinnati
1961St. Joseph's (PA)UtahOhio StateCincinnati
1960CincinnatiNYUCaliforniaOhio State
1959CincinnatiLouisvilleWest VirginiaCalifornia
1958TempleKansas StateSeattleKentucky
1957San FranciscoMichigan StateKansasNorth Carolina
1956TempleSMUIowaSan Francisco
1955ColoradoIowaLaSalleSan Francisco
1954Penn StateUSCBradleyLaSalle
1953WashingtonLSUKansasIndiana
1952IllinoisSanta ClaraSt. John'sKansas
1951IllinoisOklahoma StateKansas StateKentucky
1950North Carolina StateBaylorBradleyCCNY
1949IllinoisOregon StateOklahoma StateKentucky
1948Holy CrossKansas StateBaylorKentucky
1947TexasCCNYOklahomaHoly Cross
1946Ohio StateCaliforniaNorth CarolinaOklahoma State
1945ArkansasOhio StateNYUOklahoma State
1944Iowa StateOhio StateDartmouthUtah
1943DePaulTexasGeorgetownWyoming
1942ColoradoKentuckyDartmouthStanford
1941ArkansasPittsburghWashington StateWisconsin
1940DuquesneUSCKansasIndiana
1939Oklahoma StateVillanovaOhio StateOregon
Explore Basketball
By Category
About.com Special Features

Strike out the competition with these step-by-step pictorials. More >

Learning Pilates fundamentals can help you get the most out of your exercise regime. More >

  1. Home
  2. Sports
  3. Basketball
  4. College Basketball
  5. NCAA Tournament
  6. NCAA Tournament Champions
  7. NCAA Champions and Final Four Teams: 1939 - 1963>

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.