By the 1962-63 season, the Frankies were weaker and decidedly smaller, and they looked to Sandy Williams to carry them, or certainly Dr. Hughes realized they must. Sandy Williams' arrival at Saint Francis was an instance of pure serendipity.  He had intended to go to Ohio University but at the last minute opted for Saint Francis, remembering he had received a letter from Hughes while in high school. Hughes welcomed him and he showed up on campus ready to play for the Frankies. As followers of Saint Francis basketball would soon learn, Sandy Williams, at only 6'5", was to become his team's go-to-guy anytime it had the ball.  

Basketball has always been far more of a game of all-around athletic skills than one of narrow specialization.  There are no parallels to designated hitters or place-kicking specialists in this game.  It was evident early Williams was an all-around talent and he finished his career as a double-digit scorer and rebounder. But if he excelled at anything specific, it was his jumping ability. Few fans understood what Williams' jumping ability really meant.  An opponent would have a clear shot on the baseline and upon releasing it see Williams – from a standing position – rise up and knock it back or maybe into the stands.  

	SANDY WILLIAMS 1962-64 Standing no taller than 6'5", Sandy Williams was the focal point of Saint Francis College teams for the bulk of his college career.  A quiet, serious, reflective man off the court, he was a ferocious competitor on it.  READ MORE
	GENE DeBERARDINIS 1962-64 Gene DeBerardinis had the rare gift of being in the right place at the right time and that goes far in identifying his success on the basketball court.  He, along with Sandy Williams, were the face of Saint Francis basketball for the years 1962-64, but his role was a bit different than his celebrated teammate. READ MORE

"He was explosive," recalled Don Appleman, who played alongside Williams for two seasons, "and could jump straight up with no preparation."

But individual brilliance does not translate directly into team invincibility and sometimes even works against it.           

"We weren't very good and everybody ganged up on him," Appleman remembered, "and he still scored in double figures and got his rebounds. He did more for our team than you can imagine."  

On the night of December 28, 1963, Williams exploded for 42 points in a game against Kent State.   It was to be one of many explosive games for Williams who, sadly enough, would only play on one winning team at Saint Francis.       

These were difficult seasons for Saint Francis who found itself playing an odd mix of local colleges, small college powers Kentucky Wesleyan (winner of eight Division II national championships) and Westminster (Pa.) (1962 small college champions), and major college powers Xavier, Seton Hall, Louisville, Providence (with Jimmy Walker and MIke Riordan no less) and Villanova (with the likes of Bill Melchionni).    

Williams could count on help from fellow forward Gene DeBerardinis along with Jerry Friedrich and Jack Fitzhenry but as the 1960s wore on players came and went off the roster with some rapidity, some transferring out of Saint Francis.  While Williams and his game attracted a major part of the defensive attention, DeBerardinis worked inside where his instincts for moving without the ball helped him break free and he came close to leading the nation in field goal percentage one season.  His  61.9 mark ranked among the nation's leaders during the 1963-64 campaign.

"Once he got the the ball close in, he was real good at finishing," said Appleman.  "He made almost everything if he was anywhere close to the basket."  

There were other highlights: Jim Mogan's 39 points in a loss to Kentucky Wesleyan among them but they were few and far between.  

With the graduation of Williams and DeBerardinis, the constant comings and goings of players persisted over the next couple of years continually necessitating the shuffling of lineups and the teams never jelled.  This was a period where the rosters were forever young as key veterans did not stay around long enough to continue the program's winning legacy.  Whatever the mitigating circumstances, it seemed sad that, having won so much in the past, the 1960s had begun with some promise but were continuing with a bit of rancor and disappointment.

What is The Golden Era?
From the late 1940s to the early 1970s, Saint Francis College ranked among the upper tier of the nation's college basketball programs. Between 1947 and 1971, SFC teams turned in 19 winning seasons, six 20-win campaigns and were selected to participate in the elite National Invitational Tournament on three occasions.

The Golden Era Series
The Golden Era series is a 12-part narrative of the history of the Saint Francis University men's basketball program.  The first eight parts are a chronological overview of the program's heyday, which spanned from the late 1940s to the early 1970s.  The last four parts detail themes or events that are woven through the mid-century Saint Francis teams.

PART I: Eastern Roots (6/26/13)
PART II: Stokes Sets The Standard (6/27/13)
PART III: A Most Complete Team (7/3/13)
PART IV: Gold Medal Guard Play (7/10/13)
PART V: Simply Sandy (7/18/13)
PART VI: Stormin' Norman In Control
PART VII: Porter's Pulse
PART VIII: A Changing Game, A Changing Environment

The Meaning of Fellowship: Saint Francis vs. Jim Crow
The Jaffa Mosque: "Home of the Frankies"
The Rivalry: Saint Francis vs. Duquesne
The 'Spirit' That Was Saint Francis