Today in Chicago History: Loyola wins NCAA championship

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Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on March 23, according to the Tribune’s archives.

Is an important event missing from this date? Email us.

Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago)

  • High temperature: 80 degrees (1907)
  • Low temperature: 9 degrees (1940)
  • Precipitation: 1.25 inches (2012)
  • Snowfall: 5.6 inches (2015)
President John F. Kennedy, left, dedicates O’Hare International Airport on March 23, 1963. Kennedy was joined by Sen. Paul Douglas, from left, Gov. Otto Kerner and Mayor Richard J. Daley. At right are nephews of the airport’s namesake, Lt. Edward “Butch” O’Hare, who was a U.S. Navy pilot and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient who died during World War II. (Chicago Tribune archive)
  • 1963: President John F. Kennedy arrived in Chicago not only to dedicate O’Hare International Airport, but also to stump for Mayor Richard J. Daley’s election for a third term. Kennedy was assassinated eight months later.
The Loyola Ramblers beat two-time defending national champion Cincinnati 60-58 in overtime on March 23, 1963, to win the 1963 NCAA championship. (Chicago Tribune)
The Loyola Ramblers beat two-time defending national champion Cincinnati 60-58 in overtime on March 23, 1963, to win the 1963 NCAA championship. (Chicago Tribune)

Also in 1963: Loyola won the NCAA championship over Cincinnati, which was seeking an unprecedented third consecutive title in a row. Loyola rallied from a 15-point deficit for a 60-58 victory in overtime decided on Vic Rouse’s last-second put-back of a Les Hunter miss.

1963 Loyola Ramblers remembered for NCAA championship and inspiring social change

With Cincinnati’s three Black starters, and Rouse, Jerry Harkness, Les Hunter and Ron Miller starting for Loyola, it was the first time a championship game featured a majority of Black starters.

Jason Van Dyke attends a hearing in front of Judge Vincent Gaughan at the Leighton Criminal Courts Building in Chicago on March 23, 2017. An indictment was filed for 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm. (Nancy Stone/ Chicago Tribune)
Jason Van Dyke attends a hearing in front of Judge Vincent Gaughan at the Leighton Criminal Courts Building in Chicago on March 23, 2017. An indictment was filed for 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm. (Nancy Stone/ Chicago Tribune)

2017: A new indictment unsealed in the murder case against Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke added 16 counts of aggravated battery — one for each time the officer shot 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in 2014.

‘It felt like a war’: Laquan McDonald police shooting 10 years ago shocked Chicago, rippled through halls of power

Van Dyke was previously charged with six counts of first-degree murder as well as and one count of official misconduct.

A Cook County jury found Van Dyke guilty on Oct. 5, 2018, on one count of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery — one for each bullet that hit McDonald’s body. He was sentenced to 81 months in prison, but released in February 2022 after serving a little more than three years behind bars.

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