1953-54 Rochester Royals (NBA)

1953-54 ROCHESTER ROYALS
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Western Division
Finished: 44-28 .611, 2nd place

Advanced in Western Division Round Robin
Division Semifinals - Lost to Minneapolis, 2-1

The Royals enjoyed their sixth-straight season with a winning percentage over .600. They battled tough with their divisional nemesis, Minneapolis, before losing in the finals, but with the Lakers winning the title again, a Western Division had won seven straight NBA title, including the Royals just a three years ago. This season would mark the end of the Royals prominence, however,. They would have a losing season the next three campaigns before the franchise moves to Cincinnati.

• Head Coach: Les Harrison (August 20, 1904 - December 23, 1997) 

PLAYERS:

• Cal Christensen (June 6, 1927 - August 31, 2011)

Biography

• Jack Coleman (May 23, 1924 - December 8, 1997)

Biography 

• Bob Davies (January 15, 1920 - April 22, 1990)

Biography

• Alex Hannum (July 19, 1923 - January 18, 2002)

Biography

• Al Masino (February 5, 1928 - August 16, 2006)

Biography

• Jack McMahon (December 3, 1928 - June 11, 1989)

Biography

• Frank Reddout (b. March 4, 1931)

Biography 

• Arnie Risen (October 9, 1924 - August 4, 2012)

Biography

• Odie Spears (June 17, 1924 - March 28, 1985)

Biography

• Norm Swanson (October 4, 1930 - November 24, 2016)

Biography

• Bobby Wanzer (June 4, 1921 - January 23, 2016)

Biography

1953-54 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)

1953-54 PHILADELPHIA WARRIORS
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Eastern Division
Finished: 29-43 .403, 4th place

The Warriors went from 12 wins to 29. Still nowhere near the playoffs, but a marked improvement, to be sure. Neil Johnston lead the league in scoring for the second year in a row.

• Head Coach: Eddie Gottlieb (September 15, 1898 - December 7, 1979)

PLAYERS:

• Ernie Beck (b. December 11, 1931)

Biography

• Walt Davis (January 5, 1931 - November 17, 2020)

Biography 

• Danny Finn (May 29, 1928 - February 18, 2007)

Biography

• Joe Fulks (October 26, 1921 - March 21, 1976)

Biography

• Jack George (November 13, 1928 - January 30, 1989)

Biography 

• Joe Graboski (January 15, 1930 - July 2, 1998)

Biography

• Norm Grekin (June 22, 1930 - September 29, 1981)

Biography 

• Neil Johnston (February 4, 1929 - September 28, 1978)

Biography

• Jim Phelan (March 19, 1929 - June 16, 2021)

Biography 

• George Senesky (April 4, 1922 - June 25, 2001)

Biography

• Paul Walther (March 23, 1927 - December 21, 2014)

Biography

• Zeke Zawoluk (October 13, 1930 - January 9, 2007)

Biography

1953-54 New York Knicks (NBA)

1953-54 NEW YORK KNICKS
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Eastern Division
Finished: 44-28 .611 1st place

Eliminated in Eastern Division Round Robin

The aging Knicks started the season 11-2  and held on to the Eastern Division crown all season long, finishing two games ahead of both Syracuse and Boston, who tied for second. Lapchick's squad was surprisingly defeated in the Round Robin, losing all four games and being sent home. The Knicks announced that the 1954-55 season would be a rebuilding year, and veteran player Vince Boryla opted to quit playing and take a coaching job for an independent team in Denver.

• Head Coach: Joe Lapchick (April 12, 1900 - August 10, 1970)

PLAYERS:

• Buddy Ackerman (September 4, 1930 - July 9, 2011)

Biography 

• Jim Baechtold (December 9, 1927 - August 29, 2011)

Biography

• Vince Boryla (March 11, 1927 - March 27, 2016)

Biography

• Carl Braun (September 25, 1927 - February 10, 2010)

Biography

• Nat Clifton (October 13, 1922 - August 31, 1990)

Biography

• Harry Gallatin (April 26, 1927 - October 7, 2015)

Biography

• Al McGuire (September 7, 1928 - January 26, 2001)

Biography

• Dick McGuire (January 25, 1926 - February 3, 2010)

Biography 

• Fred Schaus (June 30, 1925 - February 10, 2010)

Biography

• Connie Simmons (March 15, 1925 - April 15, 1989)

Biography

• Ed Smith (July 5, 1929 - November 26, 1998)

Biography

• Joe Smyth (May 22, 1929 - June 10, 1999)

Biography

• Ernie Vandeweghe (September 12, 1928 - November 8, 2014)

Biography

1953-54 Minneapolis Lakers (NBA)

1953-54 MINNEAPOLIS LAKERS
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Western Division
Finished: 46-26 .639, 1st place

Advanced in Western Division Round Robin
Division Finals - Defeated Rochester, 2-1
NBA Championship - Defeated Syracuse, 4-3

For the defending champions, this was not to be as easy a season as the past. Looking for a third-straight NBA championship and the fifth in six years, Coach John Kundla had mostly returning players from the previous season, with Clyde Lovellette from Kansas being the key addition. Lovellette had a decent rookie year, but he did not play like the player he was destined to become. The future Hall of Famer averaged just over eight points a game. The stacked Lakers' lineup, with Hall of Famer players Slater Martin, Jim Pollard, Vern Mikkelsen and George Mikan, found themselves in a good battle for first place most of the season, but finished in first place by two games. After advancing out of the Round Robin, they defeated Rochester in a hard-fought battle for the division crown and had the Nationals take them to seven games in the Finals before celebrating their third consecutive title. This was the end of the Lakers' glory years in Minneapolis. The 1954-55 season saw them slide into second place, and they would endure five losing seasons after that before relocating out west.

• Head Coach:  John Kundla (July 13, 1916 - July 23, 2017)
  

PLAYERS:

• Jim Fritsche (December 10, 1931 - February 28, 2019)

Biography

• Bob Harrison (August 12, 1927 - March 3, 2024)

Biography 

• Jim Holstein (September 24, 1930 - December 16, 2007)

Biography

• Clyde Lovellette (September 7, 1929 - March 9, 2016)

Biography 

• Slater Martin (October 22, 1925 - October 18, 2012)

Biography

• George Mikan (June 18, 1924 - June 1, 2005)

Biography

• Vern Mikkelsen (October 21, 1928 - November 21, 2013)

Biography 

• Jim Pollard (July 9, 1922 - January 22, 1993)

Biography

• Pep Saul (February 16, 1924 - November 7, 2019)

Biography 

• Dick Schnittker (May 27, 1928 - January 12, 2020)

Biography

• Whitey Skoog (November 2, 1926- April 4, 2019)

Biography

1953-54 Milwaukee Hawks (NBA)

1953-54 MILWAUKEE HAWKS
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Western Division
Finished: 21-51 .292, 4th place

The Hawks had avoided the cellar in 1952-53 thanks to an even-worse Indianapolis club. However, with the Olympians gone, the cellar was wide open for the Hawks. They started the season with a stunning victory against the Minneapolis Lakers on the defending champion's home floor. Feeling optimistic, the Hawks luck turned and they went on to lose 10-straight and returned deep into the cellar where they would remain all season. On February 1, 1954, Coach Fuzzy Levane was replaced by veteran player Red Holzman. Holzman, who also played in 51 games with the Hawks that season, fared slightly better bu the Hawks would finish the season winning six fewer games. For Holzman, it was the beginning of a lengthy coaching career that would eventually see him win to NBA title with the Knicks en route to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Until then, though, he was mired in Milwaukee.

Head Coaches

• Fuzzy Levane (April 11, 1920 - April 30, 2012) 11-35
• Red Holzman (August 10, 1920 - November 13, 1998) 10-16

PLAYERS:

• Irv Bemoras (November 18, 1930 - November 1, 2007)

Biography

• Bill Calhoun (b. November 4, 1927)

Biography

• Gene Dyker (February 17, 1930 - January  1966)

Biography

• Bob Harrison (August 12, 1927 - March 3, 2024)

Biography 

• Lew Hitch (July 16, 1929 - February 8, 2012)

Biography

• Red Holzman (August 10, 1920 - November 13, 1998)

Biography

• Bob Houbregs (March 12, 1932 - May 28, 2014)

Biography

• Bob Lavoy (June 29, 1926 - December 18, 2010)

Biography

• Don Lofgran (November 8, 1929 - June 17, 1976)

Biography

• Jack Nichols (April 9, 1926 - December 24, 1992)

Biography

• Bob Peterson (January 25, 1932 - July 30, 2011)

Biography

• George Ratkovicz (November 13, 1922 - November 10, 2007)

Biography

• Chuck Share (March 14, 1927 - June 7, 2012)

Biography

• Don Sunderlage (December 20, 1929 - July 15, 1961)

Biography

• Dick Surhoff (November 16, 1929 - May 1, 1987)

Biography 

• Bill Tosheff (June 2, 1926 - October 1, 2011)

Biography

• Rabbit Walthour (August 25, 1930 - September 10, 1977)

Biography

• Max Zaslofsky (December 7, 1925 - October 15, 1985)

Biography

1953-54 Fort Wayne Pistons (NBA)

1953-54 FORT WAYNE PISTONS
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Western Division
Finished: 40-32 .556, 3rd place

Eliminated in Western Division Round Robin

Fort Wayne finished in third place again, but were eliminated from the playoffs in the round robin stage. The team's record was improved, but their fortunes were not. The club ran into serious troubles early on in the season when Jack Molinas, a 6-foot-6 forward from Columbia, admitted to betting on Pistons games. He was suspended in early January and never played again in the NBA. Coach Paul Birch said he noticed a few things suspicious with Molinas' play, but Molinas maintained that although he bet on Pistons games, he never did anything except try his best. The Molinas incident shook the team at first, but eventually the team used it as a unifying event and they played well the rest of the season until the playoffs. Birch resigned after the season, stating that the Molinas incident was too hard on the team and their fans, and Birch felt that the team needed a new coach and he needed a new team. Birch never did coach again.

• Head Coach: Paul Birch (January 4, 1910 - June 5, 1982) 

PLAYERS: 

• Leo Barnhorst (May 11, 1924 - August 25, 2000)

Biography

• Frankie Brian (May 1, 1923 - May 14, 2017)

Biography

• Larry Foust (June 24, 1928 - October 27, 1984)

Biography

• Mel Hutchins (November 22, 1928 - December 19, 2018)

Biography

• Monk Meineke (October 30, 1930 - September 3, 2013)

Biography 

• Jack Molinas (October 31, 1932 - August 3, 1975)

Biography

• Ken Murray (April 20, 1928 - June 15, 2008)

Biography

• Andy Phillip (March 7, 1922 - April 28, 2001)

Biography

• Fred Schaus (June 30, 1925 - February 10, 2010)

Biography

• Fred Scolari (March 1, 1922 - October 17, 2002)

Biography

• Chuck Share (March 14, 1927 - June 7, 2012)

Biography

• Zeke Sinicola (January 25, 1929 - June 6, 2011)

Biography

• George Yardley (November 3, 1928 - August 13. 2004)

Biography

• Max Zaslofsky (December 7, 1925 - October 15, 1985)

Biography

1953-54 Boston Celtics (NBA)

1953-54 BOSTON CELTICS
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Eastern Division
Finished: 42-30 .583, T-2nd place

Advanced in Eastern Division Round Robin
Eastern Division Finals - Lost to Syracuse, 2-0

The Celtics got off to a slow start, only winning 2 of their first seven games and 8 of their first 19. They then went 14-6 over the next 20 games and finished the season in a tie for second place with Syracuse. They advanced in the round robin, beating the first place Knicks twice but losing twice to Syracuse. The Nationals then beat them twice again in the Divisional finals, sending Red Auerbach's talented squad home again.

• Head Coach: Red Auerbach (September 20, 1917 - October 28, 2006)

PLAYERS: 

• Don Barksdale (March 31, 1923 - March 8, 1993)

Biography

• Ernie Barrett (August 27, 1929 - April 21, 2023)

Biography 

• Bob Brannum (May 28, 1926 - February 5, 2005)

Biography

• Chuck Cooper (September 29, 1926 - February 5, 1984)

Biography

• Bob Cousy (b. August 9, 1928)

Biography

• Bob Donham (October 11, 1926 - September 21, 1983)

Biography

• Bob Harris (March 16, 1927 - April 10, 1977)

Biography

• Ed Macauley (March 22, 1928 - November 8, 2011)

Biography 

• Ed Mikan (October 20, 1925 - October 22, 1999)

Biography

• Jack Nichols (April 9, 1926 - December 24, 1992)

Biography

• Bill Sharman (May 25, 1926 - October 25, 2013)

Biography

1953-54 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)

Coach Clair Bee

1953-54 BALTIMORE BULLETS
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Eastern Division
Finished: 16-56 .222, 5th place

The Bullets' fortunes did not fare better in 1953-54. Coach Bee totally rebuilt the roster, with only two player returning from the previous season (Paul Hoffman and Eddie Miller.) It took until January before the team would piece together consecutive wins, taking three games in a row. It would be the only time in the season they were able to string together consecutive victories. In all, Bee tried 19 different players in a Bullets uniform, but in the end, no combination seemed to work and the Bullets won a paltry 16 games, the same amount as the previous season. Ray Felix was a bright spot, as the first-round draft pick lead the team in scoring and was selected as the league's Rookie of the Year.

• Head Coach: Clair Bee (March 2, 1896 - May 20, 1983)

PLAYERS:

• Don Asmonga (February 15, 1928 - January 13, 2014)

Biography 

• Leo Barnhorst (May 11, 1924 - August 25, 2000)

Biography

• Bill Bolger (August 21, 1931 - October 8, 2009)

Biography 

• Ray Felix (December 10, 1930 - July 28, 1991)

Biography

• Jim Fritsche (December 10, 1931 - February 28, 2019)

Biography

• Rollen Hans (April 13, 1931 - August 30, 2021)

Biography 

• Paul Hoffman (May 5, 1925 - November 12, 1998)

Biography

• Bob Houbregs (March 12, 1932 - May 28, 2014)

Biography

• Jim Luisi (November 2, 1928 - June 7, 2002)

Biography 

• Mo Mahoney (November 20, 1927 - April 29, 2008)

Biography

• Eddie Miller (June 18, 1931 - April 9, 2014)

Biography 

• Paul Nolen (September 3, 1929 - May 7, 2009)

Biography

• Bob Peterson (January 25, 1932 - July 30, 2011)

Biography

• Connie Rea (January 27, 1931 - May 5, 2020)

Biography

• Al Roges (October 25, 1930 - February 23, 2009)

Biography 

• Joe Smyth (May 22, 1929 - June 10, 1999)

Biography

• Hal Uplinger (September 30, 1929 - February 1, 2011)

Biography 

• Mark Workman (March 10, 1930 - December 21, 1983)

Biography

• Max Zaslofsky (December 7, 1925 - October 15, 1985)

Biography

1953-54 NBA

The NBA headed into the 1953-54 season with only nine team, as the Indianapolis Olympians had folded. The Olympians had qualified for the playoffs in all four years of their existence, but after a first-place finish in their inaugural 1949-50, the team slowly faded. The teams decline was not without controversy. The only team in NBA owned by its players (Ralph Beard, Alex Groza, Cliff Barker and Wally "Wah Wah" Jones), turmoil ensued when Beard and Groza received lifetime suspensions for their part in a point-shaving scandal back in their days at the University of Kentucky. They were forced to share their stake in the club at a substantial loss. Groza would go on to be a successful collegiate coach at Bellarmine College and would be a fixture in various duties with the Kentucky and San Diego entries in the ABA. Beard would work in the pharmaceutical industry, briefly working for the ABA's Kentucky club as a scout.

The 1953 NBA draft saw Ray Felix of LIU get drafted by the Bullets in the first overall pick. Felix had actually graduated a year prior, but spent the 1952-53 season playing with the independent pro basketball team, the New York Rens, and putting some time in with the Manchester British Americans in the ABL. Felix would appear in every game that year (and for the next five seasons, too) and average 17.6 PPG, being named the NBA's rookie of the year. The Celtics drafted three players from the University of Kentucky: Frank Ramsey, Lou Tsioropoulos and Cliff Hagan. All three players chose to play another season at UK as grad students (they still had a year of eligibility left because the Kentucky program had been suspended for 1952-53. Kentucky would go an unbeaten 25-0 in the regular season but since there was a rule preventing grad students from playing in the  NCAA tournament, coach Adolph Rupp declined to participate. The three afore mentioned players would eventually get the NBA. Ramsey would eventually join the Celtics in 1954 and would play 9 years with Boston and was a huge part of the great Celtic dynasty of the early 60's, winning seven rings. He would wind up in the Hall of Fame, as would Hagan. Hagan, however, entered the U.S. Army and his rights were traded to the St. Louis Hawks in 1956 where he would star for 10 seasons. Tsioropoulos also entered the army and joined the Celtics in 1956.

For the playoffs this year, the NBA adopted a round-robin format to help determine the division champions. The top three teams in each division would play each other twice, and the top two teams would then meet in a best-of-three series to determine the division champion. The Knicks, the first place team in the East, shockingly lost all four games of the round robin and were bounced. Syracuse, who won all four of their round robin games, swept the Celtics to claim the East. In the Western Division, Minneapolis and Rochester advanced out of the round robin and the Royals were knocked out by the Lakers in 3 games in the divisional finals.

It was up to the Nats to try and end the Lakers reign, but the Lakers held on to take the crown in a tough series that was pushed to seven games. It was the Lakers' third-straight NBA crown and fifth title in six seasons.


The defending champions Minneapolis Lakers held off the Rochester Royals to win the Western Division regular season title. The Knicks had to fend off Syracuse and the Celtics to win the East, which they did by the same margin of two games.


Eastern Division:
Baltimore Bullets
Boston Celtics
New York Knicks
Philadelphia Warriors
Syracuse Nationals



Western Division:
Fort Wayne Pistons
Milwaukee Hawks
Minneapolis Lakers
Rochester Royals

Identified / In Memoriam: Tom Meyer

It's a good feeling to identify a player I had been unable to identify prior. It is a sad feeling when it takes an obituary to identify said player. This is the case with a player from the 1940's, Tom Meyer.

I really couldn't find much on him outside of his high school years and couple of seasons player pro basketball. Then I happened across his obituary on line, and saw that his real name was Henry. That was likely a big roadblock in finding him. But at least now, he is not an unknown player, and we can properly honor him here.


Biography


Henry Thomas "Tom" Meyer died peacefully in his sleep March 12, 2019. The cause of death was nothing more complicated than living a good life to the ripe old age of 96. Or as he preferred, "in his 97th year".


Born in Highland Park, Michigan on November 6, 1922, he was the fourth among six siblings. At the time of his death, he was the last of his generation in his family. An interesting reference to the length of his life was, as a child, he was proud to know "The Foley Brothers", two Civil War Veterans.


His was a life dominated almost exclusively by sports. He was a record-making high school athlete in many different sports but particularly excelled in basketball and baseball. He served time in the US Coast Guard during World War II from 1942-1945. Following his military service he played professional basketball for three years and played with the likes of George Mikan and "Sweet Water" Clifton, the first black player in the NBA. He was a police officer in Dearborn, MI and later appointed Dearborn's Civil Defense Director. In 1971 he and his family moved to Vero Beach, FL and he remained there for the rest of his life.


During his time playing professional ball, in 1947 he married Jean McFadden and was married for 59 years until Jean's death. They had four children and he is survived by all four: Timothy O. Meyer, Bow, WA, William H. Meyer, Vero Beach, FL, Claudia S. Baird, Atlanta, GA and Jane K. Dinnen, Marietta, GA. He was a grandfather to four: Erin M. Kaplan, Sedro Woolley, WA, Thomas J. Meyer, Bow, WA, Leslie K. Coonrod, Charlotte, NC and Claudia Reynolds Jones, Louisville, KY. He is also survived by six great-grandchildren.


He will be interned at a later time with his beloved wife Jean in the National Veteran's Cemetery in Canton, GA.

Zeke Zawoluk

Robert Michael "Zeke" Zawoluk


Born:
October 13, 1930
Brooklyn, NY

Died:
January 9, 2007
Spring Valley, NY


Career
1947-48 Saint Francis Prep - Brooklyn (High School)
1949-50 St. John's University (College)
1950-51 St. John's University (College)
1951-52 St. John's University (College)
1952-53 Indianapolis Olympians (NBA)
1953-54 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1954-55 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1998-99 Lehman College - The Bronx (College) Assistant coach

Standing 6'6, Zawoluk averaged 20.1 points per game and graduated from St. John's with a school-record 1826 points, a mark which stood until broken by Chris Mullin. 65 of those points came against St. Peter's in 1950. An agile big-man, Zeke played in the NBA for three seasons before a knee injury ended his career. His life was filled with high and lows. In 1986, he was fired from his job as a car salesman and retaliated by setting fire to a few of the dealership's cars and rammed his car in 19 others. He pleaded guilty to attempted arson and received probation on the condition he received treatment for his alcoholism. He did not succeed in fighting his alcohol problem, and spiraled into drugs and crack cocaine. He was arrested for shoplifting, but since he was carrying a knife on him at the time, it was considered armed robbery and he served two years in a state prison in New York.

In a late-life attempt to straighten out his life, he managed to get a job as an assistant coach at Lehman College in the Bronx, but was fired after a month when he made would were referred to as "inappropriate" phone calls to other members of the athletic department.

Zawoluk died of a heart attack in 2007 at 76 years of age.

Zeke and his wife, Alice, had four daughters.

Source:
Obituary, N.Y. Times January 18, 2007

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/z/zawolze01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=zawolze01

Mark Workman

Marcus Cecil Workman


Born:
March 10, 1930
Logan, WV

Died:
December 21, 1983
Bradenton, FL


Career
1945-46 Charleston High School - West Virginia (High School)
1946-47 Charleston High School - West Virginia (High School)
1947-48 Charleston High School - West Virginia (High School)
1949-50 West Virginia University (College)
1950-51 West Virginia University (College)
1951-52 West Virginia University (College)
1952-53 Milwaukee Hawks (NBA)
1952-53 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1953-54 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)

Workman was born and raised in Logan, West Virginia, but the family eventually moved to Charleston where Workman was a basketball and track star. At 6'8, we not only lead Charleston HS to the state title in his junior year, he also threw shotput, discuss and javelin. Receiving an athletic scholarship from West Virginia University, he averaged over 20 points per game and graduated with 1553 points, 50 of them coming in one game against Salem College in 1951. He was drafted in the first round by the Milwaukee Hawks. He played overseas, touring with the Harlem Globetrotters, and would play one season with the Philadelphia Warriors and another with the Baltimore Bullets. He eventually would leave the game and go into sales, and would work with Brunswick Bowling and helped bring the game to the Far East like Japan and China. He retired and moved to Florida, where he died in 1983.

Mark was married to Jane.


Source:


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/workmma01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=workmma01

Dick Surhoff

Richard Clifford Surhoff, Jr.


Born:
November 16, 1929
Union City, NJ

Died:
May 1, 1987
Harrisburg, PA


Career
1946-47 Grover Cleveland High School - Queens, NY (High School)
1947-48 Grover Cleveland High School - Queens, NY (High School)
1948-49 John Marshall College - Jersey City, NJ (College)
1949-50 John Marshall College - Jersey City, NJ (College)
1950-51 Long Island University (College)
1951-52 Long Island University (College)
1952-53 New York Knicks (NBA)
1953-54 Milwaukee Hawks (NBA)

Born to Richard and Eleanor Surhoff, Dick went to John Marshall and LIU before playing two seasons in the NBA. He would become an avid softball player in Long Island and would work for the town of Rye, New York, in their recreation department. He died in 1987 following a short illness

Dick married Nancy Dowling in 1960 and the had four sons and two daughters. One son is B.J. Surhoff, who played major league baseball with the Milwaukee Brewers, and another son, Rich, pitched for Philadelphia and Texas. 

Source:
The Journal News (White Plains, NY), May 3, 1987

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/surhodi01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=surhodi01

Gene Rhodes

Eugene Stephen Rhodes


Born:
September 2, 1927
St. Louis, MO

Died:
March 10, 2018
Louisville, KY


Career
1943-44 Male High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School)
1944-45 Male High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School)
1945-46 Male High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School)
1948-49 Western Kentucky University (College)
1949-50 Western Kentucky University (College)
1950-51 Western Kentucky University (College)
1951-52 Western Kentucky University (College)
1952-53 Indianapolis Olympians (NBA)
1953-54 Trinity High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School) 
1954-55 St. Xavier High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1955-56 St. Xavier High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1956-57 St. Xavier High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1957-58 St. Xavier High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1958-59 St. Xavier High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1959-60 St. Xavier High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1960-61 St. Xavier High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1962-63 Male High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1963-64 Male High School - Louisville, Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1964-65 Western Kentucky University (College) - Head coach
1965-66 Western Kentucky University (College) - Head coach
1966-67 Western Kentucky University (College) - Head coach
1967-68 Western Kentucky University (College) - Head coach
1967-68 Kentucky Colonels (ABA) - Head coach
1968-69 Kentucky Colonels (ABA) - Head coach
1969-70 Kentucky Colonels (ABA) - Head coach
1970-71 Kentucky Colonels (ABA) - Head coach

Born to Leslie and Lorena Rhodes in St. Louis, Gene grew up in Louisville, Kenutcky, and was a natural athlete, playing multiple sports at Male HS. He entered the U.S. Army after graduating and served two years before returning home and enrolling at Western Kentucky.

Rhodes played basketball and baseball at WKU before being drafted by the Indianapolis Olympians of the NBA. After ones season with the Olympians where he played 65 games, he returned home to Louisville to coach basketball at Trinity High School. A year later, he saw an opening at St. Xavier HS and immediately jumped on that opportunity. In the 1958, his coached St. Xavier won the state basketball title. After a stint at his old high school, Male HS in Louisville, he took an assistant coaching job under John Oldham at WKU.

After the getting off to a slow 5-12 start in the 1967-68 ABA season, The Kenutcky Colonels fired head coach John Givens on November 22, 1967, and hired Rhodes away from WKU. Rhodes would save the Colonels season and get them into the playoffs, and the team improved over the next two seasons. In 1970, the Colonels were off to a 10-5 start when Rhodes was fired and replaced with former Celtic great Frank Ramsey. Mike Storen, the Colonel's GM, would be named in a lawsuit, along with the ownership of the team (Athletic Enterprises, Inc) in a defamation lawsuit filed by Rhodes in 1971. Rhodes claimed statements made by the organization with regards to his dismissal injured and defamed him maliciously. The two-million dollar lawsuit would be settled for an undisclosed sum in 1973. When Storen resigned a short-time after the settlement, Rhodes was hired to replace him as GM. Rhodes was named vice-president in 1975. With the ABA floundering through its 1975-76 season, the NBA agreed to take four ABA teams into its fold. The Kentucky Colonels were not one of those teams. The Colonels dissolved in the summer of 1976, and Rhodes took a job as special projects manager at Canada Dry Bottling in Louisville and left basketball behind.

Rhodes died in 2018 at the age of 90.


Source:
https://www.newcomerkentuckiana.com/Obituary/155126/Eugene-Rhodes/Louisville-Kentucky
https://www.wbko.com/content/sports/WKU-hall-of-famer-Rhodes-dead-at-90-476464533.html

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/rhodege01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=rhodege01

Sherwin Raiken

Sherwin Herman "Shy" Raiken


Born:
October 29, 1928
Philadelphia, PA

Died:
January 16, 2009
Philadelphia, PA


Career
1945-46 Dobbins Tech - Philadelphia (High School)
1946-47 Villanova University (College)
1947-48 Villanova University (College)
1948-49 Villanova University (College)
1949-50 Villanova University (College)
1950-51 Berwick Carbuilders (EPBL)
1951-52 York A.C. White Roses (EPBL)

1951-52 Ashland Greens (EPBL)

1951-52 Fort Jackson - South Carolina (Military)

1951-52 Camp Holabird - Maryland (Military)
1952-53 New York Knicks (NBA)

1952-53 Berwick Carbuilders (EPBL)

1953-54 Berwick Carbuilders (EPBL)

Raiken went to Villanova and after graduating, played for Berwick in the Eastern League before serving two years in the Army. Raiken signed with the New York Knicks on February 5, 1953 when the Knicks lost Max Zaslofsky for the rest of the season with a broken hand. on February 5, 1953. Shy would play six games for them, scoring nine points.

Sherwin married Phyllis Clark and they had one son and one daughter.

Source:


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/raikesh01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=raikesh01

Mike O'Neill

Charles Michael "Mike" O'Neill


Born:
August 11, 1928
Berkeley, CA

Died:
March 24, 1993
Mill Valley (?), CA


Career
1944-45 Lowell High School - San Francisco (High School)

1946-47 San Francisco Community College (College)
1948-49 University of California (College)
1949-50 Oakland Nuggets (Independent)

1949-50 Oakland Biitners (AAU)
1950-51 Oakland Blue and Gold Brewers (Independent)
1951-52 Oakland Engineers (Independent)
1952-53 Milwaukee Hawks (NBA)
1952-53 Young Men's Institute - San Francisco (Independent)
1953-54 Young Men's Institute - San Francisco (Independent)
1954-55 Presidio of San Francisco (Military)
1954-55 San Francisco Olympic Club (Independent)
1955-56 Presidio of San Francisco (Military)


The 6'3.5 O'Neill was signed by the Minneapolis Lakers and trained with the team prior to the 1952-53 season but was sold to the Hawks on December 28, 1952, and played four games for Hawks. He went into the U.S. Army after the season. He played a lot of AAU basketball around the Bay Area through the 1950's, and would become a real estate salesman and bartender in Mill Valley, California.

In 1965, O'Neill was indicted by a Federal Grand Jury on charges of running a bookmaking ring in San Mateo County.  He was charged with conspiracy, tax evasion and failing to report a wagering tax. He, along with seven others, were found guilty in an October 1966 trial.

Source:
Oakland Tribune, June 11, 1965

San Francisco Examiner, March 26, 1993

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/oneilmi01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=oneilmi01

Bob Naber

Robert Edward Naber


Born:
September 3, 1929
Covington, KY

Died:
February 8, 1998
Covington, KY


Career
1946-47 Covington Catholic High School - Kentucky (High School)
1947-48 Covington Catholic High School - Kentucky (High School)
1949-50 University of Louisville (College)
1950-51 University of Louisville (College)
1951-52 University of Louisville (College)
1952-53 Indianapolis Olympians (NBA)

A product of Covington, Kentucky, Naber went to Louisville and after graduating he played 4 games with the Indianapolis Olympians.

Source:


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/n/naberbo01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=naberbo01

In Memoriam: Chuck Harmon

Chuck Harmon, a gifted athlete who was the first black player on the Cincinnati Reds and had also played professional basketball in the American Basketball League, has died at the age of 94.

Biography

CINCINNATI — Chuck Harmon, who blazed a trail as the first African-American Reds player, has died. He was 94.

Harmon was at home in Golf Manor when he passed away at about 6 a.m. Tuesday, his son, Chuck Harmon Jr., said. The younger Harmon said his dad is in a better place with his mom, who died about 10 years ago.

It was April 17, 1954 when Harmon made his debut the Cincinnati Reds as a pinch-hitter in a game in Milwaukee - seven years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier with Dodgers.

Segregation was still a factor when Harmon played in the majors. He had to stay in a separate hotel or private home while on the road with the team. But he told WCPO in 2017 that he was still glad he was the first.

"Somebody says, 'Ah, that guy can do this.' If he can do this, making everybody happy — I want to do that," Harmon said then.

"There was name-calling and things of that nature, but my dad always brushed it off," Harmon's son said at that time. "He was about playing baseball for the Cincinnati Reds, doing something that he loved to do, and that was the main thing - and trying to make fans happy."

Harmon played 2 1/2 seasons with the Reds (1954-56) in a four-year major league career. He was traded to the Cardinals in May 1956 and then to the Phillies the next year. Over his 289 games, he batted .238 with seven home runs and 59 RBIs.

After his playing days, Harmon went on to work as a scout for the Braves and Indians and settled in the Cincinnati area, where he took on other roles for the Reds. He worked in sales for the MacGregor Sporting Goods Company and an administrative assistant at Ohio's First District Court of Appeals.

Over the years, Harmon was a fixture at Reds games, Redsfest and other special occasions for the club. In 2014, Harmon received the Powell Crosley Jr. Award from the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum for his dedication and devotion to the Reds. In 2015, the Reds honored Harmon with a statue outside of the Reds Youth Academy in Roselawn. A street in Golf Manor is named Churk Harmon Way.

Harmon and his wife, Daurel, were married for 62 years until she passed away in 2009. The couple had three children.

Harmon, born in Washington, Indiana, had been a successful basketball player, playing on two consecutive Indiana state high school championship teams for his hometown school, Washington High. He went on to captain the University of Toledo basketball team and even had a tryout with Boston Celtics before he went into professional baseball.

Jim Mooney

James J. Mooney


Born:
July 8, 1930
Philadelphia, PA

Died:
October 29, 2015
Upland, PA


Career
1945-46 Bartram High School - Philadelphia (High School)
1946-47 Bartram High School - Philadelphia (High School)
1947-48 Bartram High School - Philadelphia (High School)
1948-49 Columbia Institute - Philadelphia (College)
1950-51 Villanova University (College)
1951-52 Villanova University (College)
1952-53 Villanova University (College)
1952-53 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1955-56 Sunbury Mercuries (EPBL)
1956-57 Sunbury Mercuries (EPBL)
1957-58 Chester Ukrainians - Pennsylvania (Independent)

Mooney went to Villanova after graduating from Bartram High School. He set the Villanova sophomore rebounding record with 455 in 1950-51. He was declared eligible in February of 1953, and immediately joined the Philadelphia Warriors and finished out the 1952-53 season in the NBA, playing in 18 games and averaging 7.5 points. He was drafted in the Marine Corps after the season eneded and served two years in Korea. In September of 1955, he was released from the Marines and re-signed with the Warriors but did not make the final cuts. He would play a couple seasons in the Eastern League with Sunbury as well as a few seasons of semi-pro basketball. He moved to Wilmington, Delaware and would work in sales for many years.

Jim married Joan Cushing in 1956 and they had three children.

Source:
Philadelphia Inquirer, February 8, 1953
Obituary, Wilmington News Journal, Online, November 1, 2015


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mooneji01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=mooneji01

Bill Mlkvy

William Paul Mlkvy


Born:
January 19, 1931
Palmerton, PA

 :




Career
1947-48 Stephen F. Palmer High School - Palmerton, PA (High School)
1949-50 Temple University (College)
1950-51 Temple University (College)
1951-52 Temple University (College)
1952-53 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)

Known during his days at Temple as the "Owl Without A Vowel," Mlkvy  lit up college basketball in his junior year, averaging 29.2 points per game and setting a Temple record with 73 markers in one game against Wilkes College (at one point, he had scored 53 of Temple's points in a row). He finished Temple with over 1500 points, at the time the career record at Temple. He was a territorial draft pick of the Philadelphia Warriors, in 1952, and he played in 31 games for them in the 1952-53 season. Mlkvy was still attending

Temple at this time, going into dentistry. Coach Eddie Gottlieb told Bill he would have to choose between basketball and school. He was going to chose basketball, but when he found out he was going to be drafted into the army if he stayed in basketball, he chose to continue school and delay his entry into the army. When his schooling was finished, he went in as a dental officer. and served six years, most of the time stationed in Korea. When he returned home, he set up a private dental practice and would work there for a quarter of a century.

Bill married Barbara Harper in 1954 and they had three children.

Bill's younger brother, Bob, was also a collegiate basketball player who became a dentist.

Source:
City of Basketball Love, September 23, 2014

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mlkvybi01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=mlkvybi01

Eddie Miller

Edwin B. Miller


Born:
June 18, 1931
New Rochelle, NY

Died:
April 9, 2014
Boca Raton, FL


Career
1945-46 New Rochelle High School - NY (High School)
1946-47 New Rochelle High School - NY (High School)
1947-48 New Rochelle High School - NY (High School)
1949-50 Syracuse University (College)
1950-51 Syracuse University (College)
1951-52 Syracuse University (College)
1952-53 Milwaukee Hawks (NBA)
1952-53 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)
1953-54 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)

Born to Herman and Ruth Miller, the 6'8 Miller was basketball star at New Rochelle HS in New York. He would attended Syracuse, and on December 1, 1951, he became the first Orangeman to score 40 points in a game. Eddie was drafted by the Milwaukee Hawks in 1952, but was traded to the Baltimore Bullets a mere 10 games into the season. During the next season, the Bullets dissolved in mid-season. Miller was selected by the Boston Celtics in the dispersal draft, but he would never play an NBA game with the Celts. He left basketball to start a career in the toy industry, eventually forming a partnership, Miller-Sperber Inc. He retired after 40 years in the toy business, and died in Florida in 2014.

Ed married Helaine Miller in 1970 and they had one son.


Source:
New York Times, April 13, 2014

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/milleed01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=milleed01

Monk Meineke

Donald E. "Monk" Meineke


Born:
October 30, 1930
Dayton, OH

Died:
September 3, 2013
Dayton, OH


Career
1947-48 Wilbur Wright High School - Dayton (High School)
1949-50 University of Dayton (College)
1950-51 University of Dayton (College)
1951-52 University of Dayton (College)
1952-53 Fort Wayne Pistons (NBA)
1953-54 Fort Wayne Pistons (NBA)
1954-55 Fort Wayne Pistons (NBA)
1955-56 Rochester Royals (NBA)
1957-58 Cincinnati Royals (NBA)

A two-time All-American, Meineke graduated from the University of Dayton having scored 1866 points. He was drafted by the Fort Wayne Pistons and was selected as the Rookie of the Year in 1952-53. He also had the distinction of fouling out of 26 games that season, and NBA record. Monk played three seasons with the Pistons before being traded to Rochester for Odie Spears at the onset of the 1955-56 season. He would retire after that season, but after a year off, he returned to the Royals (now located in Cincinnati) for one more year.

Don died in 2013 following a lengthy illness at the age of 82.

Source:


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/meinemo01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=meinedo01

Jack McMahon

John Joseph "Jack" McMahon


Born:
December 3, 1928
Brooklyn, NY

Died:
June 11, 1989
Chicago, IL


Career
1945-46 St. Michael's High School - Brooklyn (High School)
1949-50 St. John's University (College)
1950-51 St. John's University (College)
1951-52 St. John's University (College)
1952-53 Rochester Royals (NBA)
1953-54 Rochester Royals (NBA)
1954-55 Rochester Royals (NBA)
1955-56 Rochester Royals (NBA)
1955-56 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1956-57 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1957-58 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1958-59 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1959-60 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1961-62 Kansas City Steers (ABL) Head coach
1962-63 Chicago Zephyrs (NBA) Head coach
1963-64 Cincinnati Royals (NBA) Head coach
1964-65 Cincinnati Royals (NBA) Head coach 
1965-66 Cincinnati Royals (NBA) Head coach
1966-67 Cincinnati Royals (NBA) Head coach 
1967-68 San Diego Rockets (NBA) Head coach
1968-69 San Diego Rockets (NBA) Head coach

1969-70 San Diego Rockets (NBA) Head coach
1970-71 Pittsburgh Condors (ABA) Head coach 
1971-72 Pittsburgh Condors (ABA) Head coach 
1974-75 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) Assistant coach
1975-76 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) Assistant coach
1976-77 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) Assistant coach
1977-78 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) Assistant coach
1978-79 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) Assistant coach
1979-80 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) Assistant coach
1980-81 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) Assistant coach
1981-82 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) Assistant coach
1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) Assistant coach
1983-84 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) Assistant coach
1984-85 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) Assistant coach
1985-86 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) Assistant coach
1986-87 Golden State Warriors (NBA) Assistant coach
1987-88 Golden State Warriors (NBA) Assistant coach
1988-89 Golden State Warriors (NBA) Assistant coach

A scrappy player who played on the strong St. John's teams of the earl 1950's, Jack McMahon was drafted by the Rochester Royals of the NBA. The 6'1 guard would play three full season with the Royals and was halfway through his fourth when he was traded to the St. Louis Hawks. In his second full season with the Hawks, he was a key part of the team as they won the NBA championship. He would finish his 8-year NBA career with the Hawks, and continue in the game as a coach, scout and administrator.

McMahon was hired to coach the Kansas City Steers in the fledgling American Basketball League in 1961. After the season, he was hired to coach the Chicago Zephyrs in the NBA. He unfortunately only lasted half-way into the 1962-63 season, being fired in December of 1962 after a 12-26 start. He was not out of coaching for long, as in June of 1963, the 33-year old McMahon was hired to lead the Cincinnati Royals, the team who drafted him when they resided in Rochester. He coached the Royals for fours seasons, making the playoffs each year, before leaving the club in 1967 to become the head coach and general manager for the expansion San Diego Rockets.

After a rough inaugural season (which is normal for first-year teams), the Rockets improved in McMahon's second year at the helm and made the playoffs, losing to the Hawks in 6 games. A slow start in 1969 lead to another December dismissal for McMahon, and the next two seasons would see him lead the Pittsburgh Condors in the ABA. He was hired by the 76ers in 1972 as the director of player development, and eventually became an assistant coach as well. In his decade-plus with the Sixers, McMahon played a key part in scouting and developing the players that lead to many great teams. In 1986, he parted ways with Philadelphia to join the Golden State Warriors. In June of 1989,
he was attending a pre-draft camp in Chicago in order to scout for the Warriors. He fell asleep in his hotel room while reading a book one night, and never awoke. He was 60 years old.

Jack and his wife, Katherine, had three children.

Source:
UPI Obituary, June 11, 1989
Obituary, Washington Post, June 12, 1989

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mcmahja01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=mcmahja01

Bucky McConnell

Paul Joseph "Bucky" McConnell


Born:
July 1, 1928
Newark, NJ

Died:
April 1, 2019



Career
1948-49 John Marshall College - New Jersey (College)
1948-49 John Marshall College - New Jersey (College)
1951-52 Newark Iron Dukes (Independent)
1952-53 Newark Iron Dukes (Independent)
1952-53 Milwaukee Hawks (NBA)

1952-53 Berwick Carbuilders (EPBL)
1953-54 Berwick Carbuilders (EPBL)
1953-54 Jersey Titans (Independent)
1954-55 Carbondale (Independent)
1954-55 Williamsport Billies (EPBL)
1955-56 Hazleton Hawks (EPBL)

McConnell signed with the Milwaukee Hawks on February 16, 1953, and would play 14 games with the Hawks, scoring 68 points. He failed to make the Hawks that fall and was released on October 5, 1953. He signed with the Jersey Titans and would bounce around various teams and leagues in the East for a few more years.

Source:


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mcconbu01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=mcconbu01