Bevo Francis

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University
Bevo Francis Basketball Team Documentary


2008-10-28



Pictured: Bevo Francis & Coach Newt OliverA new documentary on the legendary Bevo Francis basketball teams from the University of Rio Grande will be shown on PBS television and at two special screenings on campus in November.

“They Could Really Play The Game,” is a new historical documentary made by WOSU-TV in collaboration with Painted Rock Productions and the College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The film tells the true story of the men’s basketball teams at Rio Grande from 1952 through 1954 and includes interviews with many of the players and coaches. The team was among the best teams in the country, receiving national attention and setting records that still stand today.

The documentary will be shown on WOSU-TV on Monday, Nov. 10 at 9 p.m. and on Sunday, Nov. 16 at noon. It will also be shown on WBPO-TV at the same time on Nov. 10, and will be shown on other PBS stations as well.

On campus, the film will be screened twice during the weekend of the annual Bevo Francis Basketball tournament. The film will be shown on campus on Friday, Nov. 14 at 4 p.m., in Bob Evans Farms Hall. On Saturday, Nov. 15, it will be shown at noon in Bob Evans Farms Hall and will be followed by the Rio Grande Women’s Basketball team playing in the tournament at 3 p.m. and the Rio Grande Men’s Basketball Team playing at 5 p.m.

Many of the players from the legendary teams come back to campus every year for the tournament, and Francis, Head Coach Newt Oliver and players such as Roy Moses are expected to be on campus for the tournament again this year.

Moses, who still lives near Rio Grande, said he has been impressed with the parts of the documentary he has seen so far. “It’s very, very interesting,” Moses said. “It tells a lot of the history of the whole team. It’s not only about Bevo, but about the team members and the school.” Previous documentaries such as the ESPN documentary focused on the records that Francis set and his highlights on the court. This documentary includes interviews with several of the team members and information about Rio Grande, while also telling the amazing story of everything Bevo and the whole team accomplished.

“What we saw last year of the documentary, we were very happy,” Moses said. “I think it will be very interesting for people to see what happened a long time ago.”

Moses said he is also impressed with the work Bernard McCoy did producing the film.

“We were very impressed with his whole handling of the subject and the ease with which we could talk to him,” Moses said.

Francis said McCoy had written about the Rio Grande team before, and added that he is happy with the parts of the film he has seen so far.

“From what I saw at this time last year, it looks pretty good,” Francis said.

University of Rio Grande President Greg Sojka, Ph.D., said he is pleased to have this documentary being shown on PBS.

“It’s a wonderful story to tell, and the more times the story gets told, the more impressive and the more amazing the actual performance and phenomena becomes,” Sojka said.

He explained that Francis insisted that the filmmakers talk to other members of the team. Sojka said the film shows what the experience was like for the players and for the university.

“It’s a once in a lifetime story. It’s David versus Goliath, and it’s a story that needs to be told,” Sojka said.

Rio Grande Athletic Director Jeff Lanham said he is also very impressed with the work McCoy did on the film.

“I think he has a passion for this group, and it shows in the film,” Lanham said. “It’s really nice.”

The Bevo Francis tournament always features outstanding basketball all weekend, and this year the showing of the documentary will add to the weekend and help tell the story of the Rio Grande basketball team to those who may not have heard it before.

“We want to continue to tell this phenomenal story,” Lanham said. The Rio Grande men’s basketball team changed college basketball in the 1950s, and the records that Francis and the team set still stand today.

The film tells the story of how the basketball team helped to save the struggling college, how the team brought national attention to Rio Grande, how Francis scored more than 100 points in a game, how the team played some of the biggest and best college basketball teams in the country and how the team had to overcome physical and mental challenges, poverty, prejudice and discrimination.

For more information on the film or on the legendary basketball team, call the Rio Grande Athletic Department at 1-800-282-7201.