The excitement that surrounded the Marian basketball program 50 years ago, when the Colts won their first-ever state championship, was something to behold.

Bob Fulton, who graduated in 1955 from St. Gabe’s High in Hazleton and went on to become a Little All American at King’s College, Wilkes-Barre, had returned to his roots to build one of the most successful and admired cage programs this area had ever seen.

Promoting the program was his priority, and as he began his first season in 1969-70, Fulton had a marketing vision that created a brand of basketball that was previously not the norm in this region. Stressing man-to-man defense, the Colts quickly elevated their game, and with talented players primarily from the local CYO leagues, Marian quickly became one of the most respected programs around.

But there was more, much more. Fulton asked for and received the support of school officials, the legendary Men of Marian organization that raised funds for all of the school’s programs, players, parents and, of course, fans, and Marian games became known to be sold-out or played before capacity crowds.

The Colts also became known for their pregame Harlem Globetrotter routine; there were place mats and coasters promoting the “Exciting World of Basketball at Marian”; the players had closed locker quarters, known as the Blue Room; and pictures of the players hung in the school and in game programs.

The Colts backed up the fanfare surrounding them, going 25-4 in the 70-71 campaign, winning the PCIAA Class B State Championship, the first athletic crown in the school’s rich athletic history.

On the eve of the golden anniversary of that title game, Fulton recalled, “We brought a man-to-man, in-your-face style of defense to Colt Country, where every player on the floor had their own responsibilities.” He said the result of the tenacity his players showed on the floor collectively made a huge difference in winning games, noting, “If you’re going to make a difference … if they were willing to do their part, the entire team benefits.”

Ahead of his time

Under Fulton’s watch, the Colt program took off immeasurably. In their first year, the Colts set several records in Marian basketball history - best record, most wins, first wins against Mahanoy Area, St. Gabe’s and Panther Valley, and for the first time became ranked among the top teams among media circles. Of course, a year later, the state title marked new heights for Marian.

Fulton’s players will tell you their young mentor, then 32, was “ahead of his time.” Most importantly, they loved his intensity, positivity and demand for greatness, all of which promoted an “all-in” approach from not only his players, but the Marian administration, fans and, most especially, Men of Marian, the school’s unique fundraising organization.

“I can’t think of anything I asked of the Men of Marian that they weren’t willing to do,” Fulton said. “And the faculty was so supportive. The Marian community was tremendously supportive … Father (Edward) Sacks (principal), Mr. Malarkey (vice principal) and Father (Bill) Handges were fantastic.

“The kids never hesitated to ‘buy in’ to our philosophy, and, best of all, combined with the support of the Men of Marian we set out to sell the school, to sell Marian and to sell the basketball program.”

Coaching tree

Frank Yusella, a co-captain on the state title team, offered his perspective on what he and his 16- and 17-year-old teammates went through 50 years ago, saying, “In addition to all of the different things we were doing, winning was the big thing. Later in my coaching career (successful stints at Northwestern Lehigh and Wilson West Lawn), I realized how difficult it is to win a state championship, and the fact that we were able to do so was even more meaningful to me as we grew older. Sure, there has to be a little bit of luck involved, but you have to work hard at it, and we did.”

Yusella said the style of play Fulton brought with him from Westfield, New Jersey, was new to the area.

“There were so many different things we never saw before, but you have to be able to back it up by winning,” he said. “We were fortunate to be able to do so.”

Yusella still has many fond memories from that time in his life.

“It was just an exciting time. I remember things like going over to Panther Valley and when the bus pulled in, there were lines of people waiting a block long to get into the games, and that happened at a lot of places.”

Bob Schlosser, who was a junior on the state title team, remembered the frenzy around the program on a regular basis.

“Early in the season, there were good crowds and good support,” he recalled. “But as we got deeper into the playoffs, when games were more meaningful, the excitement became more intense.

“We hadn’t ever experienced what was happening. It was a bigger stage; the competition was good; and there was more intensity and the excitement was ‘amped up. It was a surreal experience when we got off the bus that was hard to explain. We almost didn’t know how to respond to it.”

Like Yusella, Schlosser went on to a successful career in coaching, becoming Marian’s head coach in 1979 and guiding the Colts to a 50-15 record through 1981 before taking over at Allentown Central Catholic, where he coached the Vikings to a 204-73 record over nine seasons, including PIAA AAA state championships in 1984 and 1986, and a runner-up finish in 1989. He moved on to Elizabethtown College where he coached for 27 years before retiring with a record of 364-322. His teams there won three conference championships, and in 2002 played in the NCAA Division 3 national championship game.

He said Fulton left an impression on him that directed his career.

“There’s no question, he touched all of us in a pretty special way,” Schlosser said. “When you’re young, you aren’t sure of your goals. For me, basketball was it. I had a dream of coming back to coach at Marian. I was blessed to be able to come back and do that … and then life takes you to a new level, and I was able to do that at Allentown Central, and then in college coaching (Elizabethtown).

“All of those goals and thoughts originated from Coach Fulton. He taught us to set goals and to continue to reach for higher goals. He lit the fire in me.”

In 2019, Schlosser was invited by the National Association of Basketball Coaches to accept an award at the NCAA Division 1 Final Four playoffs being played in San Antonio, TX. “I made it a point to get into coaching because Coach Fulton inspired me, and before I made that trip, I called him because I wanted him to know the reason why I was getting this award was because he planted that seed in me. I told him, ‘you’re the reason why.’”

Tremendous support

Joe Balascik, the Colts’ 6-4 center who played a prominent role in a two-year run during which the Colts went 49-9, said, “One of the things that stands out to me was the tremendous support we had. I remember what seemed to be like about 100 guys dressed in suits in the cafeteria at Men of Marian meetings, where they raised funds to support us in many ways - sweaters, cards with our pictures on them, the blue room.

“It was unbelievable and amazing how the fans followed us. As a kid, we probably couldn’t understand that, so to remember it now is special.”

About Fulton, Balascik said, “He had an idea to sell the program, to market it, and everyone bought into that. It was magnificent ... I’m not sure you could create that experience again today.”

Balascik said as the state title season progressed, “people were so hyped up ... it was like we were on an escalator and it just went up.”

But it wasn’t just on the basketball court where Balascik saw Fulton make his mark.

“It was more than basketball, he said, “Coach Fulton mentored young men and young women, anyone he touched. He taught us other things, like manners, courtesy, integrity. It was a learning experience that helped all of us to grow and mature.”

Balascik said one of the things he remembers about the post-title (celebrations) came as he exited the team bus at Marian.

“A woman with a young daughter came up to me as I was getting off the bus and asked if her daughter could kiss me. There I was, with this little girl wanting to kiss me on the cheek. I thought, ‘Oh my God, how can this be happening. How can people be so engrossed with us.’”

Like almost all championship teams, the Colts had tremendous chemistry. From the starters, to the reserves, to the coaching staff, and the team managers, everyone bought into Fulton’s concepts.

Besides Yusella, Schlosser and Balascik, other members of the 1970-71 Colt team were: Bob Crampsie, John Knox, Thad Kosciolek, Mike Makara, Terry McElmoyle, Joe Prekopa, Mike Prekopa, Richard Segilia, Jerry Sengler, John Teprovich and Wally Yext.

Fulton’s assistant coaches were John Tominosky and Joe Arieta, with Joseph Tinninis serving as a senior student coach. Ron Gerlach was the trainer and Barry Gray was the student trainer.

Stan Krutsick, John Rodgers, George Evancho, Bob O’Gurek and Gary Porambo were the team managers, while Bruce Herman served as the team statistician.

“We also had some talented players,” said Yusella. “There were many guys on the bench who would have started on other teams throughout the area.”

Fulton, now a resident of Eagle Rock in Luzerne County, likened the success of the program to “a puzzle in which all of its pieces came together.”

“It was special. It was kind of a perfect time when all that could go right came together at one time,” recalled Fulton. “The players were extremely special. They were open to working as hard as any kids or team that I ever had. When you combine that kind of willingness with the support we had from everyone in the school, and even those on the outside, it was just great.

“I can’t say enough about what a special time it was. Everyone played a role in making the season a memorable one.”