The Feb. 7 edition of the Cordova Times contains a tribute to Martin “Skooky” Parsons, who passed away on Jan. 11. It mentions he was a standout basketball player for a Cordova High School (CHS) squad that lost to Nome in the 1956 state finals. It what was one of the most infamous tournament disasters ever to befall the Boys in Blue.
The cycles of success and talent in Alaska small-town basketball are legendary, and it just happened that in the 1955-56 season CHS had a team that electrified the entire community.
For years, come playoff time, Cordova had been dogged by losses to schools from Nome, Eielson AFB, Wasilla and Kodiak.
This was going to be their year.
Led by a trio of sharpshooters named Teddy (Siemion), Skooky (Parsons) and Carl (Arvidson), CHS blazed through the opening rounds of the Class B tournament, setting up a double elimination matchup with longtime nemesis Nome.
Wolverine fever was at such a pitch that CHS canceled classes, because almost the entire student body was in Anchorage. Merle Smith’s Cordova Airlines DC-3 was hauling plane-loads of fans at a special tournament fare of $12 for a round trip, so why not?
Cordova and Nome played a tense first game, with CHS gradually pulling away to win, 58-53.
A victory in either of the next two games would give them their first Class B title.
Things looked bright as the Wolverines jumped to a 20-point lead in the first half of the second game.
In fact, they were so far ahead that Coach C.L. “Barney” Anderson started running in reserves prior to the end of the half to give them some playing time.
Big mistake.
The Nanooks whittled away at the lead and gained confidence. Back came the Cordova starters, yet they could not regain the momentum, and Nome edged away to win by a heartbreaking two-point margin, 58-56.
To this day Carl Fenner remembers the pass from Skooky that set him up for a final shot from the corner that did not go in.
When game three came around, CHS had lost its mojo. Nome led the whole game, winning by a big margin.
The Cordova Times, which had run bold-headlined front-page stories about the first two games, ended up sadly reporting the disastrous third game without even listing the final score.
I found it in the March 12, 1956 Nome Nugget newspaper: Nome 56, Cordova 32. A 24-point loss. The pain lingered for years.
More than once, decades later, while shopping at A.C., I would run into David Glasen – a strong young talent for that CHS squad. He would retell the same frustrating story about “a big guy that couldn’t even tie his shoelaces” suddenly making every shot.
His description rarely ended before the ice cream in his cart had started melting, with other shoppers skirting by as he became increasingly animated.
Glasen passed away in Cordova in 2010, at the age of 71. He was unhappy about that final score for 54 years. Skooky lived to 87, so he had more time to think about it.
Ah, the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat.
Skooky is gone. So are Carl Arvidson and David Glasen.
At times I find myself thinking of the dazzling play by the backcourt trio of Teddy, Skooky, and Carl in what is now Bidarki gym. They were a blue and white blur, always wowing the home crowd – including this 12-year-old. They devastated visitors with a unique midcourt trapping defense that lead to steals and breakaway laying-ins that had a packed gym roaring.
And for aging Wolverines, their legacy lives on.
