Jim Krebs rewrote the Southwest Conference record book on Feb. 6, 1956 by scoring 50 points to power the SMU Mustangs past the Texas Longhorns 109-96.
Elmore “Doc” Hayes was hired in 1947 to breathe new life into the listless basketball program at Southern Methodist University. The pitiful Ponies had won a grand total of two SWC titles in 28 tries, the last exactly a decade earlier.
The new coach won one more game than he lost in his first eight years, an encouraging step in the right direction, but finished no higher than third in the annual seven-team scramble. Then along came Jim Krebs, the 6-foot 8-inch answer to Hayes’ prayers.
The big center from suburban St. Louis tallied more points in the 1954-55 season than any sophomore in conference history -- 282 in a dozen games for an average of 23.5. SMU lost on the road to TCU, Arkansas and Baylor, but passed the remaining nine tests to take the trophy and land a berth in the NCAA tournament.
Although Southern Methodist had come up nine points short in an early season bout with Bradley, 20 points from senior guard Art Barnes and 19 from Krebs kept the Ponies in contention. But they trailed by two at the final buzzer and dropped a one-point decision to Tulsa in the consolation game to conclude the campaign with 15 victories and 11 defeats.
The opponents Krebs had burned as a sophomore sensation were out for revenge his junior year. Night after night he foiled defenses custom-made to contain him sinking enough shots to average a fraction over 19 points an outing.
After taking their licks from the Iowa Hawkeyes, who would play for the national championship, and the Kansas Jayhawks, the Mustangs reeled off 19 victories in a row. They ran the table in the conference winning all 12 games by an average 16 points.
In his history-making rampage that February against Texas, Krebs hit 20 field goals and 10 of 11 free throws. His 50 points broke the old record of 49 shared by the Longhorns’ Slater Martin and Dick O’Neal of TCU.
Even though Krebs was again the top scorer and rebounder, the 1955-56 Ponies were by no means a one-man team. The other four starters all contributed in double figures: guard Bobby Miles 13.0 points per game, forward Joel Krog 12.0, forward Larry Showalter 11.0 and guard Ron Morris 10.2.
SMU finished the regular season at 23-2 and traveled to Manhattan, Kansas for the opening round of the NCAA showdown. The Texas Tech Red Raiders, two years away from SWC membership, gave the favorite fits, but Krebs and Krog combined for 41 points in the 68-67 squeaker.
The second-round clash with Missouri Valley champion Houston was over by half-time as the Mustangs stampeded to a 16-point lead. Krebs had the most points (27) and rebounds (14) in the 89-74 cakewalk.
Oklahoma City held the big center to just seven points but still lost by 21. With Krebs the main attraction, Krog and Shallowater shot the lights out for 22 and 20 points.
The mighty Mustangs advanced to the elite Final Four and took the floor against San Francisco on Mar. 23, 1956. Krebs outscored All-American Bill Russell but was no match on the boards for the future NBA Hall of Famer. Down by as much as 21, SMU reduced the deficit to six before the Dons pulled away 86-68.
Although their dream season ended on a disappointing note, the Mustangs had no reason to hang their heads. Their 26-4 record and impressive post-season showing turned a lot of heads and earned them a lofty sixth-place ranking in the final college poll.
Hayes lost Krog and Morris to graduation but filled the holes with talented underclassmen. As a result, the 1956-57 edition started out like a house afire stumbling only against Kentucky in 11 non-conference warmups.
Texas snapped SMU’s SWC win streak at 20, but no one else could hold a candle to Krebs and Company, who claimed their third consecutive championship. Big Jim scored at a 24-point clip and grabbed 12 rebounds a game, personal bests in both departments.
Following a first-round bye, Southern Methodist had the bad luck to draw Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain, the first seven-footer who was more than a redwood in sneakers. The Mustangs took Kansas to overtime in a bitter battle on their home court but fell behind after Krebs fouled out.
Krebs closed out his college career the next night with 33 points against St. Louis, as SMU added their 22nd triumph. The Ponies moved up two notches to fourth in the national rankings, and their star center was named a consensus All-American.
Krebs spent seven years in Minneapolis and Los Angeles with the NBA Lakers. Playing in the shadow of Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, he was relegated to rebounding.
In May 1965, a year after retiring from professional basketball, 30 year old Jim Krebs was killed in a freak accident. A tree he was helping a friend cut down fell the wrong way and crushed him to death.
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