http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/c...d/8512237/
Sandy Koufax's phenomenal fastball as an 18-year-old at the University of Cincinnati has never been forgotten.
And neither has the class which he exhibited to his UC teammates during that 1954 season and then after his career with the Dodgers.
Ike Misali, 81, was the UC captain as a right fielder his senior season in 1954. The Indian Hill resident noticed the big league star potential in Koufax, a Brooklyn native who earned a basketball scholarship with the Bearcats in 1953.
"Hell, yeah," said Misali, a 1950 Withrow graduate. "All he needed was somebody to teach him control. A kid his age throwing 90 miles an hour – this was 1954 we were talking about. He was strong. He wasn't at all cocky - just a nice guy."
Even 60 years after Koufax pitched his one and only season with UC, his teammates remember how fast the left-hander threw even if his craft was often raw.
Related: Koufax's uniform number at UC a mystery
"The main thing I remember is he was damn wild," Joe Miller said. "He couldn't get the ball over the plate…with consistency."
Sandy Koufax speaks to UC's then baseball team. At far right is then-Bearcat Kevin Youkilis. (Photo: Dottie Stover/University of Cincinnati)
Miller, 83, was a sophomore catcher in 1954. The Anderson Township resident remembers how Koufax was "built like a superhuman" on the mound.
Ike Misali, 1954 UC baseball captain, discusses when Sandy Koufax decided to pitch for the Bearcats.
"That poor batter – it was something to behold," Miller said.
In 1954, the UC baseball team played adjacent to Nippert Stadium on the southeast side (near the closed end of the stadium). The baseball field did not encroach on the football field, according to UC Archivist Kevin Grace.
Misali watched history unfold when Koufax decided to pitch for the Bearcats - even before UC officially took to the field that spring.
Misali was in coach Ed Jucker's office before the season planning for an upcoming trip to New Orleans that would coincide with the UC tennis team and star Tony Trabert playing a match against Tulane.
When Koufax arrived between classes to greet Jucker, who was the Bearcats' freshman basketball coach and varsity baseball coach, Koufax heard about the trip and raised his left hand to say he pitched, according to Misali. Jucker directed Koufax to a workout in the gym.
Koufax told The Enquirer in an interview last week he remembers wanting to visit New Orleans.
"When Jucker saw him pitch he said to him 'You are going to New Orleans,'" Misali said. "Here is Sandy from Brooklyn going to down to the warm weather of New Orleans; he loved it."
Koufax told The Enquirer he didn't have a specific strategy on the mound at UC. "Just throw as hard and as long as you could," Koufax said.
And what an unbelievable break he had on his curve ball, Miller said.
"But the blazing fastball I will never forget," Miller said. "You couldn't hit it."
Dan Gilbert still has the catcher's mitt he used to catch Koufax.
Gilbert, who turns 79 on June 17, was a freshman catcher at UC that spring.
Gilbert, who lives in his hometown of Minford, Ohio, remembers using a sponge inside the mitt to help absorb the shock of the ball because it was difficult to catch Koufax in the webbing.
"He was strong," Gilbert said. "He could throw hard. He was very wild. We didn't enjoy batting him against in batting practice. If he hit you, he didn't mean to. …He wasn't a pitcher per se at the time, he was a thrower."
Koufax and Gilbert were friends in 1954 – after both played on the UC freshman basketball team for Jucker.
In his 1966 autobiography, Koufax, who was a Lafayette High School basketball standout, said he had some interest from the city colleges and brief contact with the University of South Carolina – but nothing definitive.
"How I got interested in the University of Cincinnati is a puzzlement to me," Koufax wrote. "It seems ridiculous, I know, that the details could be that hazy, but they are. Somebody who was recruiting for the university – officially or unofficially – talked to me, of course, but for the life of me I can't remember who it was or where I was talked to."
Koufax enrolled as a liberal arts major at UC with some idea of transferring to the school of architecture.
Gilbert cherishes the photo he got enlarged of the two together in a camera booth when they hung out at Coney Island in Cincinnati. Koufax autographed the photo in February 2000 when he returned to the UC campus for Jucker's induction into the UC Athletics Hall of Fame.
"It was fun to be back to see all my friends," Koufax said of his most recent trip to Cincinnati.
Jucker, who died in 2002, enjoyed seeing his former southpaw during the induction weekend.
"Koufax handled himself with class and dignity and was gracious in giving autographs," Jucker wrote Misali in a letter dated March 8, 2000.
UC had a 10-7 record in 1954 and The News Record that June 5 lauded Jucker for leading the "best Bearcat baseball team in seven years" in his first year as the "diamond mentor."
Referred to as the "Cats' fire-balling freshman sensation" by The News Record on May 20, Koufax won his final game as a Bearcat in an 8-5 win Lockbourne AFB May 14 at UC.
Koufax finished with a 3-1 record with a 2.81 ERA. He led the staff with 51 strikeouts in 32 innings. His only loss was to Xavier, according to Misali.
Koufax signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in December and made his Major League debut in 1955. Brooklyn won the World Series in 1955.
Koufax, who will be 79 on Dec. 30, won the earned-run average title five consecutive seasons from 1962-66 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Koufax had four no-hitters in four years, including a perfect game against the Cubs on Sept. 9, 1965 at Dodger Stadium. He struck out 382 in 1965 – setting a modern-day National League record for most strikeouts in a single season.
Koufax won the Cy Young Award in 1963, 1965 and 1966. He had a 0.95 ERA in four career World Series as the Dodgers won titles in 1959, 1963 and 1965.
Gilbert marveled at what his friend accomplished.
"I knew in my mind he could do that – once he got his control," Gilbert said. "He was an outstanding pitcher. It made me feel good that I was part of catching him."
Koufax remains the youngest player ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was 36 when he was elected on Jan. 19, 1972.
Gilbert hasn't contacted Koufax in a while, but he would enjoy sharing an upcoming milestone they will share in 2015.
"When we turn 80 I may call him or do something on our 80th birthdays," Gilbert said.
Said Koufax: "Tell him he's older than I am."