Vic Rouse

Who is Vic Rouse?

W. Victor Rouse was an American college basketball player. He was an All-American at Loyola University of Chicago and is best remembered for hitting the game-winning shot as time expired in the 1963 NCAA championship game.

Rouse, a 6'7" forward from Pearl High School in Nashville, Tennessee, played college basketball at Loyola University Chicago for coach George Ireland. He, along with high school teammate Les Hunter, joined the Ramblers and helped them become the first NCAA champion to feature four African-American starters in his junior year. Rouse anchored the middle, leading the team in rebounding as a sophomore and junior. In the championship season of 1962–63, Rouse averaged 13.5 points. Rouse is best known for following Les Hunter's miss as time expired to defeat Cincinnati and spoil their bid to win a third straight NCAA title. The shot gave Loyola their first, and so far only, NCAA basketball championship.

In his senior year, Loyola returned four starters and had eyes on repeating as champions. Rouse upped his averages to 15.6 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. However, he dislocated his shoulder early in the season, hampering his effectiveness. Rouse was still named an honorable mention All-American at the close of the season. Rouse scored 1,169 points and grabbed 982 rebounds in his Loyola career. His #40 jersey was retired in 1993.