Seen here is the 1939-1940 Illinois State Normal “A” or varsity squad, which would go on to finish the season 21-5 and champions (two years running) of the “Little Nineteen” athletic conference.The boys in red-and-white were led by captain Charles “Buss” Beck (believed to be the one holding “the rock” in the first row), and leading scorer John Scott (# 30 in the first row). And that’s Head Coach Joe Cogdal in the middle of the back row. Back in 1939 players were sometimes referred to as “cagers” or “tossers,” and the ISNU team as “the Cogdalmen.”
