1959 NAIA Men's Basketball Tournament

The 1959 NAIA Men's Basketball Tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 22nd annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.[1] The 1959 Tournament is the first tournament to use the 16-seed system, which was used until the 2015.

1959 (1959) NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
Teams32
ChampionsTennessee State
(3rd title, 3rd title game,
3rd Fab Four)
Runner-UpPacific Lutheran
(1st title game,
2nd Fab Four)
SemifinalistsSouthwest Texas State
Fort Hays State
Coach of the YearBob Davis
(Georgetown (Ky.))
Chuck Taylor MVPDick Barnett
(Tennessee State)
Charles Stevenson
Hustle Award
Roger Iverson
(Pacific Lutheran (Wash.))

The championship game again featured Tennessee State University. The Tigers defeated the Lutes of Pacific Lutheran University. It would be the first time any school would win three consecutive tournaments; a feat only repeated once, by Kentucky State, in 1970, 1971, and 1972. It was also the first tournament that didn't feature an upset in the championship game and first time a "true" number 1 seed won the tournament since seeding began in 1957.

Awards and honors

Many of the records set by the 1959 tournament have been broken, and many of the awards were established much later:

  • Leading scorer est. 1963
  • Leading rebounder est. 1963
  • Player of the Year est. 1994
  • Most consecutive tournament victories; continues: 18 overall; 5 in 1959, Tennessee State, 1957-58-59-60
  • Most rebounds: 32, Ken Remley, West Virginia Wesleyan vs. Whittier (Calif.)
  • All-time leading scorer; second appearance: Charles Sharp, 5th Southwest Texas State (1957,59,60) 12 games, 118 field goals, 69 free throws, 305 total points, 25.4 average per game
  • All-time leading scorers; final appearance: Dick Barnett, 3rd, Tennessee State (1956,57,58,59) 18 games, 186 field goals, 79 free throws, 451 total points 25.1 average per game, Charles Curtis, 8th, Pacific Lutheran (Wash.) (1956,57,58,59) 14 games 101 field goals, 85 free throws, 287 total points, 20.5 average per game, Roger Iverson, 20th, Pacific Lutheran (1956,57,58,59) 14 games, 109 field goals, 23 free throws, 241 total points, 17.2 average per game, and John Barnhill, 21st, Tennessee State (1956,57,58,59) 17 games, 104 field goals, 27 free throws, 235 total points, 13.8 average per game.[2]

1959 NAIA bracket
First Round Second Round Elite Eight NAIA National Semifinals NAIA National Championship
               
1 Tennessee State 75
- Nebraska Wesleyan 57
1 Tennessee State 89
9 Youngstown 80
9 Youngstown (Ohio) 85
- Northern State (S.D.) 76
1 Tennessee State 131
TOP TIER
8 Illinois State Normal 74
13 Culver-Stockton (Mo.) 66
- Farleigh Dickinson (N.J.) 77
- Farleigh-Dickinson 64
8 Illinois State Normal 68
- Troy State (Ala.) 50
8 Illinois State Normal 98
1 Tennessee State 64
5 Southwest Texas State 62
5 Southwest Texas State 93
- Linfield (Ore.) 61
5 Southwest Texas State 61
12 Westminster (Pa.) 58
- Connecticut Teachers 76
12 Westminster (Pa.) 79
5 Southwest Texas State 80
TOP TIER
16 Lenoir-Rhyne 78
- Northern Michigan 67
16 Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) 90
16 Lenoir-Rhyne 88
4 Grambling State 78
- Christian Brothers (Tenn.) 70
4 Grambling State (La.) 81
1 Tennessee State 97
3 Pacific Lutheran 87
3 Pacific Lutheran (Wash.) 78
- Western Montana 60
3 Pacific Lutheran 68
14 Central State (Okla.) 57
- Kentucky State 65
14 Central State (Okla.) 72
3 Pacific Lutheran 97
BOTTOM TIER
- Georgia Teachers 65
11 Platteville State (Wis.) 84
- Georgia Teachers 91
- Georgia Teachers 73
6 Indiana State 70
- Morningside (Iowa) 67
6 Indiana State 87
3 Pacific Lutheran 80
15 Fort Hays State 71
15 Fort Hays State (Kan.) 73
- Westminster (Utah) 60
15 Fort Hays State 59
- Arkansas State Teachers 48
7 Pikeville (Ky.) 67
- Arkansas State Teachers 70
15 Fort Hays State 98
BOTTOM TIER
2 West Virginia Wesleyan 83
- Austin (Texas) 79
10 Minnesota-Duluth 87
10 Minnesota-Duluth 75
2 West Virginia Wesleyan 90
- Whittier (Calif.) 64
2 West Virginia Wesleyan 84

3rd place game

The third place game featured the losing teams from the national semifinalist to determine 3rd and 4th places in the tournament. This game was played until 1988.

NAIA Third Place Game
   
5 Southwest Texas State 87
15 Fort Hays State 80
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References
  1. "NAIA.org". Archived from the original on 2009-05-05. Retrieved 2020-05-16.
  2. NAIA Championship History Archived 2008-05-15 at the Wayback Machine
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