Editor’s note: For more than six decades, the UA has been college baseball royalty, making 17 College World Series appearances and winning four national championships. The Star is reliving each of the team’s trips to Omaha.
1966: USC sinks Cats yet again
What went down: USC scored twice in the first inning and added four runs in the sixth, and the Trojans eliminated the Wildcats 8-4 — sending Arizona home and continuing a run of success against the UA in Omaha. Gale Kennedy started on the mound for Arizona, his first appearance in more than a month, and took the loss. Arizona opened with a loss to Texas, then beat Northeastern before falling to USC.
From the archives: The Star’s Abe Chanin wrote that a trio of problems combined to sink Arizona’s season. He wrote:
The combination of Southern California, Texas and rain — all fearsome to the Wildcats — helped Arizona to a quick trip home from the 1966 College World Series. Texas started the Wildcats on the way to the airport with a 5-1 victory in the first round. It was the 14th time in 20 NCAA tournament games that the Tejanos had hung it on Arizona. And yesterday the Trojans of Southern California continued to handle their country cousins like poor relations. This was the fifth straight time in world series competition Southern Cal has whipped Arizona teams.
Ohio State, led by ace Steve Arlin, beat Oklahoma State to win the CWS championship. Arlin pitched two complete games in Omaha.
He said — OK, wrote — it: “Ron McMackin.” Arizona coach Frank Sancet mistakenly wrote the name of McMackin instead of starter Neil McNevin onto Arizona’s lineup card — an important distinction given that McMackin was at home in Tucson, ineligible. USC coach Rod Dedeaux pointed out the mistake during the game, but said later that he “wasn’t going to make an issue over it.” “They were wrong,” he said, “but I love Frank Sancet and the University of Arizona.”
Said Sancet: “I guess I’m just getting foggy.”
After Omaha: Arizona star shortstop Eddie Leon left Omaha for summer ball with hopes of joining the Chicago Cubs organization.
The team had selected him third overall in that year’s secondary draft. Leon wanted $50,000 to sign; when he and the Cubs couldn’t come to terms, he returned to the UA for the 1967 season.
The Indians drafted him the following June, and he signed.
Leon played eight years in the big leagues, playing regularly in 1970 and 1971 for the Indians and in 1973 for the White Sox.
The big number: 3:21. The game, slowed by rain, took 3 hours 21 minutes to play. It was, at the time, the longest game in the history of the College World Series. (Today, 3-hour-plus college baseball games are the norm.)
