Ernie Barrett

Ernie Drew Barrett


Born:
August 27, 1929
Pratt, KS

Died:
April 21, 2023
Manhattan, KS


Career
1945-46 Wellington High School - Kansas (High School)
1946-47 Wellington High School - Kansas (High School)
1947-48 Kansas State University (College)
1948-49 Kansas State University (College)
1949-50 Kansas State University (College)
1950-51 Kansas State University (College)
1953-54 Boston Celtics (NBA)
1954-55 Kansas State University (College) Assistant coach
1955-56 Boston Celtics (NBA)
1956-57 Kansas State University (College) Assistant coach
1957-58 Kansas State University (College) Assistant coach
1958-59 Kansas State University (College) Assistant coach
1959-60 Kansas State University (College) Assistant coach
1960-61 Kansas State University (College) Assistant coach

Barrett was born in the small town of Pratt, Kansas, but his family moved around a lot before he wound up in Wellington, Kansas. His basketball skills got him a scholarship at Kansas State University, where in his senior year he would be team captain and lead the Wildcats to the NCAA Championship game, falling to Adolph Rupp's Kentucky squad, 68-58.

Barrett was drafted by the Celtics in the first round of the 1951 draft, but he had to serve his country in the Korean War first. After his time in the army, he finally join the Celtics in fall of 1953. The guard saw action in 59 games, scoring 2.3 points per game. However, playing behind Hall of Famer Bill Sharman was too big an obstacle, and Barrett returned to KSU to work as an assistant coach.  The NBA adopted the shot clock after the 1954-55 season, and Celtics coach Red Auerbach sensed that the league style of play would change to the kind that would fit a sharp-shooter like Barrett, so he coaxed him away for K-State to return to the Celtics. Barrett played in all 72 games but wanted to return to coaching so he retired for good. Back at K-State, he would eventually wind up as the athletics director there

Source:
Mark McClure, The Mercury (Manhattan. KS), March 21, 2018
Celtic Nation Interviw, December 2018

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/barreer01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=barreer01