March 22-23, 1956 NCAA Basketball Championship Program with Bill Russell - Russell's Last College Game

Program issued for the 1956 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four and Championship games held in Evanston, IL on March 22nd and March 23rd. It is interesting to note that Evanston was also the hosting city for the inaugural NCAA Men's basketball championship in 1939. San Francisco, Temple, Iowa, and Southern Methodist were the four teams competing for the championship at McGraw Memorial Hall in Evanston. The San Francisco Dons, led by future Boston Celtics Hall of Famer Bill Russell, would ultimately win the championship game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. This feat marked the second straight year Russell led the Dons to a championship title, this time while going undefeated all season. The program (7.75 x 10.25 inches), which is not scored, was issued for both semi-final games and the finals match, the latter of which marked the last game of Russel's collegiate career. Aside from a 1.5 inch separation at the top of the spine, the program displays light handling wear and is in Excellent condition overall.