Fort Lewis College Athletics

The 1953-54 Fort Lewis Aggies advanced to the National Junior College Basketball Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan., by winning the Region IX title over McCook Junior College. Losses to N.E. Mississippi and Connor (Okla.) A&M at the NJCAA Tournament didn't diminish what the team accomplished during the season.

Coach Ned Wallace's Aggies won a close race for the conference championship, as just two victories separated all five-league opponents. Fort Lewis posed a 5-3 record against Mesa, Pueblo, La Junta, and Lamar to finish atop the Southern division standings.

Although future Aggie, Raider and Skyhawk teams would win junior college and four-year college conference championships and participate in district playoffs, the 1953-54 Aggies became the first Fort Lewis basketball team to advance to a national tournament.