1961 Basketball Team Free Soil Pirates - MCSHOF Inductee - 2011

On the 50th anniversary year of its Class D state runnerup season, the 1961 Free Soil High boys basketball team went 25-1 and finished second in the state. Called "Carey's Comets," the team won its first 25 games, most by wide margins, before losing to Marquette Pierce, 68-61, in the Class D State championship game. Led by Jim Jackoviak (20.9 points per game), Norm Clausen (17.9), and Mel Carey (15.7), Free Soil averaged 76.5 points per game while holding opponents to 44.2. The other two starters were Jim Carey and Dan Malkowski. The Pirates' closest games during the regular season were by eight and 18 points against archrival Mason County Eastern, and four times the Pirates scored over a hundred points in a game. Free Soil won league, district, and regional championships en route to the state finals. Members were: Coach Max Carey, assistant coach Stanley Schilling, Jim Jackoviak, Dan Malkowski, Jim Carey, Mel Carey, Norm Clausen, Pat Hurd, Tom Maue, Tony Gajeski, Warren Reynolds, Fred Woebbeking, Fred Thomas, Carl Hasenbank (deceased), and David Hurd.