Jim Tucker

James D. Tucker


Born:
December 11, 1932
Paris, KY

Died:
May 14, 2020
Jacksonville, FL


Career
Paris High School - Kentucky (High School)
1951-52 Duquesne University (College)
1952-53 Duquesne University (College)
1953-54 Duquesne University (College)
1954-55 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1955-56 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1956-57 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)

Tucker attended Duquesne and averaged 19 points as a sophomore. A very popular player for the Dukes, Tucker was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals in the third round of the 1954 NBA draft. One of the first black players in the NBA, Tucker played sparingly that first season as the Nationals won the NBA title. However, he did set an NBA record on February 20, 1955, when he scored the fastest triple-double in NBA history. In a mere seventeen minutes against the Knicks that night, Tucker scored 12 points, assisted on 12 baskets and grabbed 10 rebounds. His record stood until Nikola Jokic broke it in 2018.

A documentary about Tucker was released in 2018 called "Let 'Em Know You're There." The trailer can be seen HERE

Source:
http://www.readilyapparent.tv/lekyt


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/tuckeji01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=tuckeji01

Art Spoelstra

Arthur Cornelius Spoelstra


Born:
September 11, 1932
Grand Rapids, MI

Died:
April 9, 2008
Evansville, IN


Career
1948-49 Godwin Heights High School - Grand Rapids, MI (High School)
1949-50 Godwin Heights High School - Grand Rapids, MI (High School)
1951-52 Western Kentucky University (College)
1952-53 Western Kentucky University (College)
1953-54 Western Kentucky University (College)
1954-55 Rochester Royals (NBA)
1955-56 Rochester Royals (NBA)
1956-57 Rochester Royals (NBA)
1957-58 Minneapolis Lakers  (NBA)
1957-58 New York Knicks (NBA)
1958-59 Allentown Jets (EPBL)
1959-60 Wilkes-Barre Barons (EPBL)

From Grand Rapids, Michigan, the 6'9 Art Spoelstra would score over 1500 points at Western Kentucky, leading the team to three straight NIT appearances and an 80-14 in his three years on the varsity team.

Drafted by the Rochester Royals, Spoelstra would play four seasons in the NBA, mostly with the Royal before splitting time between the Lakers and the Knicks in 1957-58. He played two years in the Eastern League after that. Art later worked as a stagehand on Broadway.

Art and his wife, Irene, had three sons and a daughter.


Source:


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/spoelar01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=spoelar01

Gene Shue

Eugene William Shue


Born:
December 18, 1931
Baltimore, MD

Died:
April 3, 2022
Marina del Rey, CA


Career
Towson Catholic High School - Maryland (High School)
1951-52 University of Maryland (College)
1952-53 University of Maryland (College)
1953-54 University of Maryland (College)
1954-55 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1954-55 New York Knicks (NBA)
1955-56 New York Knicks (NBA)
1956-57 Fort Wayne Pistons (NBA)
1957-58 Detroit Pistons (NBA)
1958-59 Detroit Pistons (NBA)
1959-60 Detroit Pistons (NBA)
1960-61 Detroit Pistons (NBA)
1961-62 Detroit Pistons (NBA)
1962-63 New York Knicks (NBA)
1963-64 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)
1966-67 Baltimore Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1967-68 Baltimore Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1968-69 Baltimore Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1969-70 Baltimore Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1970-71 Baltimore Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1971-72 Baltimore Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1972-73 Baltimore Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1973-74 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) Head coach
1974-75 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) Head coach
1975-76 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) Head coach
1976-77 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) Head coach
1977-78 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) Head coach
1978-79 San Diego Clippers (NBA) Head coach
1979-80 San Diego Clippers (NBA) Head coach
1980-81 Washington Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1981-82 Washington Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1982-83 Washington Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1983-84 Washington Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1984-85 Washington Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1985-86 Washington Bullets (NBA) Head coach
1987-88 Los Angeles Clippers (NBA) Head coach
1988-89 Los Angeles Clippers (NBA) Head coach

Not even offered a scholarship at the University of Maryland, Gene Shue worked hard to play for the school and would average over 20 points per game in his junior and senior years. The school had never had a prominent basketball program, but Shue helped push the school into national prominence.

After leaving the University of Maryland, Shue was the 3rd overall pick in 1954 NBA draft, selected by the Philadelphia Warriors. Shue would last less than month with Philly before being sold to the New York Knicks. He would see limited playing time with the Knicks for two seasons and was then traded to the Fort Wayne Pistons in April of 1956 for Ron Sobie. Fort Wayne moved to Detroit the in 1957, and Shue began five straight years as an All-Star, scoring over 22 PPG in 1959-60 and 1960-61. He was traded back o the Knicks in 1962, and a little over a year later was sold to the new Baltimore Bullets.

After the 1963-64 season with the Bullets, he retired as a player but a few years later returned as the team's head coach. Struggling to a 16-40 record in his first season as coach in 1966-67, two years later he lead the Bullets to a divisional title (and unfortunately a quick exit from the playoffs.) In 1971, the Bullets advanced to the NBA Finals but Shue's team was swept by the Milwaukee Bucks. In June of 1973, Shue quit the Bullets with four divisional titles under his belt. He was hired by the Philadelphia 76ers a few weeks after. Shue took a team that had been 9-73 in 1972-73 to the NBA finals four seasons later. He was fired by the Sixers in December of 1977, and a year later would begin his two-season stint coaching the San Diego Clippers. He resigned from the Clippers in May of 1980 to return to the Bullets (now playing in the nation's capitol), but this time the Bullets remained hovering around the .500 mark for all six seasons he was at the helm. After being fired by the Bullets, he returned to the Clippers for a season and a half but didn't fare well, being fired 38 games into the 1988-89 season. He worked for the 76ers in the front office as well as working as a scout in the 90's.

Source:


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/shuege01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=shuege01

Dick Rosenthal

Richard Anthony Rosenthal


Born:
January 20, 1930
St. Louis, MO

Died:
June 11, 2024
Estero, FL


Career
1948-49 McBride High School - Missouri (High School)
1949-50 McBride High School - Missouri (High School)
1951-52 University of Notre Dame (College)
1952-53 University of Notre Dame (College)
1953-54 University of Notre Dame (College)
1954-55 Fort Wayne Pistons (NBA)
1956-57 Fort Wayne Pistons (NBA)

A two-time basketball All-American as well as a baseball player at Notre Dame, Rosenthal was drafted by the Pistons in the first round of the 1954 NBA draft. After one season with Fort Wayne, he entered the U.S. Army and missed the 1956-57 season. He made his return to the Pistons in January of 1957 and played in 17 games before being released.

Rosenthal was working as the president of St. Joseph Bank and Trust in South Bend, Indiana, when Notre Dame hired him in 1987 to become the school's athletic director. Dick remained in that position until retiring in 1994.

Source:
Chicago Tribune, August 1, 1994

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/rosendi01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=rosendi01

Frank Ramsey

Frank Vernon Ramsey, Jr.


Born:
July 13, 1931
Corydon, KY

Died:
July 8, 2018
Evansville, IN


Career
1947-48 Madisonville High School - Kentucky (High School)
1948-49 Madisonville High School - Kentucky (High School)
1950-51 University of Kentucky (College)
1951-52 University of Kentucky (College)
1953-54 University of Kentucky (College)
1954-55 Boston Celtics (NBA)
1956-57 Boston Celtics (NBA)
1957-58 Boston Celtics (NBA)
1958-59 Boston Celtics (NBA)
1959-60 Boston Celtics (NBA)
1960-61 Boston Celtics (NBA)
1961-62 Boston Celtics (NBA)
1962-63 Boston Celtics (NBA)
1963-64 Boston Celtics (NBA)

NATIONAL BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME, 1982

Ramsey would play baseball and basketball at the University of Kentucky. In 1952, the UK basketball program was suspended for a year due to a point-shaving scheme perpetrated by Wildcat players prior to Ramsey arriving there. Ramsey graduated in 1953 and was a first round draft pick by the Boston Celtics in the 1953 NBA draft, but Ramsey returned to UK for one more season, with the Wildcats finishing 25-0. However, Kentucky has to pass on the NCAA tournament due to a rule stating graduate students (like Ramsey and a few teammates who had also returned after the year off) were not permitted to compete. Ramsey would join the Celtics that fall and averaged 11.2 points in his rookie season. He was drafted into the U.S. Army, and missed the 1955-56 season but returned to the Celtics in January of 1957. All told, he would play nine seasons with the Celtics, with seven of those seasons as the NBA champions. He was a very versatile player, and was the first true "sixth man" in NBA history, coming off the bench and making an impact in limited playing time. He averaged 13.4 PPG in his career while playing in under 25 minutes per game. His number would be retired by the Celtics, and in 1982, Ramsey was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

After retiring in 1964, Ramsey went to work at the bank his grandfather founder, and he was president of that bank in Dixon, Kentucky, until retiring in his 80's. In 2018, he suffered an aneurysm and died shortly thereafter of cardiac arrest.

Frank and his wife, Jean, had three children.

Source:
Obituary, Washington Post, July 10, 2018
Obituary, kentucky.com, July 8, 2018

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/ramsefr01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=ramsefr01

Bob Pettit

Robert Lee Pettit, Jr.


Born:
December 12, 1932
Baton Rouge, LA

 :




Career
1948-49 Baton Rouge High School - Louisiana (High School)
1949-50 Baton Rouge High School - Louisiana (High School)
1950-51 Louisiana State University (College) Freshmen
1951-52 Louisiana State University (College)
1952-53 Louisiana State University (College)
1953-54 Louisiana State University (College)
1954-55 Milwaukee Hawks (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)
1960-61 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1961-62 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1962-63 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1963-64 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1964-65 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)

NATIONAL BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME, 1971

With a slim 6'9 frame, Bob Pettit went from LSU star to an 11-year career that saw him as one of the most effective scoring threats the NBA has ever seen.

Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Robert and Mary Pettit, young Bob didn't take to the sport right away, failing to make the high school team at first. Before his junior year, his dad, formerly the Sheriff of the East Baton Rouge Parish, pushed him to keep working at it. His work ethic, coupled with a growth spurt of five inches, got him on the school team in his junior year and he was named all-City. In his senior year, he lead the school to their first state championship.

Pettit received many scholarship offers, but chose to stay in state and go to LSU. A starter for all three years of varsity basketball, Pettit was twice named All-American as he average just under 28 points per game.  As a senior, he was the second play in major college history to average over 30 points in a season.

Pettit was selected second overall in the 1954 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Hawks. He moved from center to forward, and the hapless Hawks would see their fortunes improve as Pettit would win Rookie of the Year honors. The team moved to St. Louis the following season, and the team kept improving and in 1957 would win their first NBA championship. Pettit was in his prime, finishing regularly near the top of the league in scoring and rebounding and being a thorn in the side of the men he defended against.

Pettit would play 11 seasons with the Hawks, retiring in 1965. He had been named to the All-Star team every season he played, being selected as the All-Star Game MVP four times as well as being named the league's MVP twice. He lead the league in scoring twice, and at his retirement held the career points record with 20,880 (at the time I write this, he is in 43rd place in career points now, but his average of 26.4 points per game for his career is good for 8th place all-time).

After retiring from basketball, Pettit went to work in banking and later as a financial advisor as a co-founder of Equitas Capitol Investors. He was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971 and was one of the NBA's 50 greatest players selected for the NBA's 50 Anniversary celebration.

Pettit married Carol Crowell in 1965 (d. 2010) and they had three children.

Source:


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/pettibo01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=pettibo01

Togo Palazzi

Togo Anthony Palazzi


Born:
August 8, 1932
Union City, NJ

Died:
August 12, 2022
Worcester, MA


Career
1948-49 Union City High School - New Jersey (High School)
1949-50 Union City High School - New Jersey (High School)
1950-51 College of the Holy Cross (College) Freshmen
1951-52 College of the Holy Cross (College)
1952-53 College of the Holy Cross (College)
1953-54 College of the Holy Cross (College)
1954-55 Boston Celtics (NBA)
1955-56 Boston Celtics (NBA)
1956-57 Boston Celtics (NBA)
1956-57 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1957-58 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1958-59 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1959-60 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1972-73 College of the Holy Cross (College) Freshmen - Head coach
1980-81 College of the Holy Cross (College) Women's team - Head coach
1981-82 College of the Holy Cross (College) Women's team - Head coach

Togo starred at Holy Cross, leading the team to a 1954 NIT title. He set many scoring records at Holy Cross, putting up 593 points as a junior to eclipse legendary Bob Cousy's single-season record, only to smash that with 670 points as a senior. He also set the school record when he dropped 47 on Brown University on February 14, 1953). Palazzi was drafted fifth overall by the Boston Celtics in the 1954 draft.

He was sold to the Nationals in November of 1956, and stayed with Syracuse through 1960. After six full seasons in the NBA, Palazzi returned to Holy Cross to coach.

Source:
goholycross.com

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/palazto01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=palazto01

Jackie Moore

John T. "Jackie" Moore


Born:
September 24, 1932
Philadelphia, PA

 :




Career
1947-48 Overbrook High School - Philadelphia (High School)
1948-49 Overbrook High School - Philadelphia (High School)
1949-50 Overbrook High School - Philadelphia (High School)
1951-52 La Salle University (College)
1952-53 La Salle University (College)
1953-54 La Salle University (College)
1954-55 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1954-55 Milwaukee Hawks (NBA)
1954-55 Sunbury Mercuries (EPBL)
1954-55 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1955-56 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1956-57 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)

Moore leaded his Overbook HS basketball team to three straight Public League championships before heading to La Salle, where he would be the first black player on the basketball team. He was declared academically ineligibile in spring of 1954 and left school that summer. He signed with the Syracuse Nationals and played one game before being cut on November 3, 1954. He signed with the Milwaukee Hawks, and played one game against the Lakers before being cut again. He found his way to Sunbury in the Eastern League where he caught the attention of the Philadelphia Warriors. Moore signed with the Warriors and played for them for three seasons before a knee injury cut his career short. He was asked to help a young player by the name of Wilt Chamberlain to learn some of the finer points of the game, and Moore gets a lot of credit for helping Wilt to become one of the greatest players the game had ever seen. Moore eventually moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he is a well-respected man of the community, volunteering his time to help with people with substance abuse problems and driving people to medical appointments.

Source:
exnba.com, March 28, 2013
Philadelphia Tribune, January 27, 2014

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mooreja01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=mooreja01

Tom Marshall

John Thomas "Tom" Marshall


Born:
January 6, 1931
Coldwater, TN

Died:
May 10, 2024
Fort Myers, FL


Career
1948-49 Mount Juliet - Tennessee (High School)
1949-50 Mount Juliet - Tennessee (High School)
1951-52 Western Kentucky University (College)
1952-53 Western Kentucky University (College)
1953-54 Western Kentucky University (College)
1954-55 Rochester Royals (NBA)
1956-57 Rochester Royals (NBA)
1957-58 Detroit Pistons (NBA)
1957-58 Cincinnati Royals (NBA)
1958-59 Cincinnati Royals (NBA) Head coach / player
1959-60 Cincinnati Royals (NBA) Head coach

From Mount Juliet, Tennessee, Tom Marshall was a two-time All-American at Western Kentucky, averaging well over 20 point per game. Marshall was taken seventh overall in the 1954 NBA Draft by the Rochester Royals. He played a season with the Royals before missing the 1955-56 season to serve in the U.S. Army. Except for a short stint with the Pistons, Marshall played exclusively in the NBA with the Royals, both in Rochester and Cincinnati. He would also serve as the head coach for a couple seasons. Marshall would eventually retired to Fort Myers, Florida.

Source:
Hilltopperhaven.com
wilsonpost.com, February 8, 2011

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/marshto01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=marshto01

Johnny "Red" Kerr

John Graham "Red" Kerr


Born:
July 17, 1932
Chicago, IL

Died:
February 26, 2009
Chicago, IL


Career
1949-50 Tilden High School - Chicago (High School)
1951-52 University of Illinois (College)
1952-53 University of Illinois (College)
1953-54 University of Illinois (College)
1954-55 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1955-56 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1956-57 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1957-58 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1958-59 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1959-60 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1960-61 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1961-62 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1962-63 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1963-64 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA)
1964-65 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA)
1965-66 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)
1966-67 Chicago Bulls (NBA) Head coach
1967-68 Chicago Bulls (NBA) Head coach
1968-69 Phoenix Suns (NBA) Head coach
1969-70 Phoenix Suns (NBA) Head coach

Born to Matthew and Florence Kerr on the South Side of Chicago, Kerr was a gifted soccer player at Tilden High School until a late growth spurt put him at 6'9 and allowed him to gravitate to basketball. He received a scholarship at Illinois and helped the team to the Big Ten title and Final Four appearance in 1952. He graduated from Illinois with 1299 career points and was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals in the 1954 NBA Draft.

As a rookie, Kerr helped the Nationals to the NBA title in 1955. A three-time All-Star, Kerr would play 12 seasons in the NBA and had set the record 844 complete games played. After the 1965-66 season with the Baltimore Bullets, Kerr was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the expansion draft, but became their head coach instead of a player. His playing days behind him, he finished with over 12,000 points and 10,000 rebounds. Kerr would coach the Chicago Bulls for two seasons and then the Phoenix Suns for two. He was lured to the Virginia Squires of the ABA where he served as the team's GM, signing players like Julius Irving. He returned to the Bulls in 1973 as the team's business manager and later worked as a broadcaster.

Kerr married Betsy Nemecek in 1954 and they had five sons and one daughter. One son, John Jr., died at the age of 3. He also took in the three daughters of his sister-in-law, Drusella, when she and her husband Evan died within months of each other in late 1971 and early 1972. Drusella and Evan's daughter Laurel Jean Ellis would be murdered in 1974 while attending Grand Valley College in Michigan. Her murder would go unsolved for many years until DNA tests linked a man named Lamont Marshall who had been found to have commit other murders and violent acts in the area.

Source:
MLive, April 2010
Obituary, Chicago Tribune, February 27, 2009

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/kerrre01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=kerrjo01

Ed Kalafat

Edward Lawrence Kalafat


Born:
October 13, 1932
Montana

Died:
October 7, 2019
St. Paul, MN


Career
1947-48 Anaconda High School - Montana (High School)
1948-49 Anaconda High School - Montana (High School)
1949-50 Anaconda High School - Montana (High School)
1950-51 University of Minnesota (College) Freshmen
1951-52 University of Minnesota (College)
1952-53 University of Minnesota (College)
1953-54 University of Minnesota (College)
1954-55 Minneapolis Lakers (NBA)
1955-56 Minneapolis Lakers (NBA)
1956-57 Minneapolis Lakers (NBA)

A football and basketball star at Anaconda HS in Montana, Ed Kalafat was drafted in the first round of the 1954 NBA draft by the Lakers, where he would play for three seasons. He was working at First National Bank in Minneapolis in the off-season, and after the 1956-57 season, he left basketball behind to continue in banking.

Kalafat married Judy Daggett iu 1954 and they had three daughters.

Source:
Montana Standard, January 17, 1993

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/kalafed01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=kalafed01

George Dempsey

George P. Dempsey


Born:
July 19, 1929
Philadelphia, PA

Died:
October 7, 2017
Cinnaminson, NJ ??


Career
1945-46 Merchantville High School - New Jersey (High School)
1946-47 Merchantville High School - New Jersey (High School)
1948-49 The King's College - New York (College)
1949-50 The King's College - New York (College)
1950-51 The King's College - New York (College)
1954-55 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1955-56 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1956-57 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1957-58 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1958-59 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1958-59 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)

Following a stellar basketball career at King's College in New York where he scored 1316 points in his freshman and sophomore seasons, Dempsey served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. After the war, he would play 5 seasons in the NBA, primarily with the Philadelphia Warriors. After leaving the game, Dempsey worked for the Roosevelt Paper Company for 47 years.

George married Doris Lightcap in 1954 and they had four sons and one daughter.

Source:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/184586623/george-p_-dempsey

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/dempsge01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=dempsge01

Larry Costello

Lawrence Ronald Costello


Born:
July 2, 1931
Syracuse, NY

Died:
December 11, 2001
Fort Myers Beach, FL


Career
1948-49 Minoa High School - New York (High School)
1949-50 Minoa High School - New York (High School)
1950-51 Niagara University (College)
1951-52 Niagara University (College)
1952-53 Niagara University (College)
1953-54 Niagara University (College)
1954-55 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1956-57 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1957-58 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1958-59 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1959-60 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1960-61 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1961-62 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1962-63 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1963-64 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA)
1964-65 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA)
1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA)
1967-68 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA)
1968-69 Milwaukee Bucks (NBA) Head coach
1969-70 Milwaukee Bucks (NBA) Head coach
1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks (NBA) Head coach
1971-72 Milwaukee Bucks (NBA) Head coach
1972-73 Milwaukee Bucks (NBA) Head coach
1973-74 Milwaukee Bucks (NBA) Head coach
1974-75 Milwaukee Bucks (NBA) Head coach
1975-76 Milwaukee Bucks (NBA) Head coach
1976-77 Milwaukee Bucks (NBA) Head coach
1978-79 Chicago Bulls (NBA) Head coach

Costello hit the ground running at Niagara, helping the freshmen team to an undefeated season in 1950-51. He would lead the varsity team in scoring as a sophomore, and his three years on varsity lead the Eagles to the NIT twice. A tough and physical player, he would play 12 seasons in the NBA with the Philadelphia Warriors and the Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers. He retired as a player in 1968 and immediately moved to the bench, being named the head coach for the Milwaukee Bucks. He coached the Bucks to the NBA title in 1971 with players such as Lew Alcindor and Oscar Robertson. He would coach the Bucks for eight full seasons and was fired 16 games into a ninth. Costello was one of the first head coaches to employ a full-time assistant on the bench. He returned to coaching in 1978 with the Chicago Bulls but was replaced by Scotty Robertson after a 20-36 start.

Costello died of cancer in 2001.

Source:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42777375
https://www.buffalosportshallfame.com/member/larry-costello/
NY Times, December 14, 2001

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/costela01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=costela01

George Yardley

George Harry Yardley III


Born:
November 3, 1928
Hollywood, CA

Died:
August 13. 2004
Newport Beach, CA


Career
1945-46 Newport Harbor High School - Newport Beach, CA (High School)
1947-48 Stanford University (College)
1948-49 Stanford University (College)
1949-50 Stanford University (College)
1950-51 Stewart Chevrolet - San Francisco (Independent)
1951-52 Los Alamitos Naval Base (Military) 
1953-54 Fort Wayne Pistons (NBA)
1954-55 Fort Wayne Pistons (NBA)
1955-56 Fort Wayne Pistons (NBA)
1956-57 Fort Wayne Pistons (NBA)
1957-58 Detroit Pistons (NBA)
1958-59 Detroit Pistons (NBA)
1958-59 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1959-60 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1961-62 Los Angeles Jets (ABL)

NATIONAL BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME, 1996

Yardley graduated from Stanford in 1950 and was selected by Fort Wayne in the first round of the 1950 NBA Draft. Rather than sign with the Pistons, he wanted to maintain his amateur status in order to play in the 1952 Olympics. He played basketball with the Stewart Chevrolet out of San Francisco who won the 1951 AAU Championship. Yardley entered the U.S. Navy shortly thereafter and played for the Los Alamitos Base team. However, he broke his hand while playing there and was unable to play for the United States in the Helsinki Olympic games.

Out of the navy in 1953, Yardley finally joined the Pistons and five years later when the Pistons moved to Detroit, Yardley became the first NBA player to score 2000 points in a single season.  In the following 1958-59 season, Yardley was traded to the Syracuse Nationals where he played the next season and a half. A six-time all-star, Yardley retired following the 1959-60 season at the age of 31.

In his seven-year career, he finished in the top 16 in scoring in six seasons. He returned to California but was coaxed out of retirement in 1961 by Bill Sharman who was a player and head coach for the New York Jets in the new American Basketball League. When the team failed, he quit playing for good and started up his own engineering company, the George Yardley Company in Santa Ana, California. Yardley was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1996. He died in 2004 from complications of ALS.

George and his wife, Diana, had two daughters and one son.


Source:
NY Times, August 16, 2004

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/y/yardlge01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=yardlge01

Clyde Lovellette

Clyde Edward Lovellette


Born:
September 7, 1929
Petersburg, IN

Died:
March 9, 2016
North Manchester, IN



Career
1946-47 Garfield High School - Terre Haute, IN (High School)
1947-48 Garfield High School - Terre Haute, IN (High School)
1948-49 University of Kansas (College) Freshmen
1949-50 University of Kansas (College)
1950-51 University of Kansas (College)
1951-52 University of Kansas (College)
1952 United States National Team (Olympics)
1953-54 Minneapolis Lakers (NBA)
1954-55 Minneapolis Lakers (NBA)
1955-56 Minneapolis Lakers (NBA)
1956-57 Minneapolis Lakers (NBA)
1957-58 Cincinnati Royals (NBA)
1958-59 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1959-60 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1960-61 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1961-62 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1962-63 Boston Celtics (NBA)
1963-64 Boston Celtics (NBA)

NATIONAL BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME, 1988

Standing at 6-foot-9 and weighing in at 245 pounds, came out of Indiana to star on the courts at the University of Kansas. Leading Kansas to an NCAA title in 1952, Lovellette set the record for most points in a NCAA tourney (141) and most points in a single game (44).  He had lead the country in scoring that year with 28.4 points per game, becoming the first (and as of this writing, the only) collegiate player to lead the nation in scoring AND win the NCAA tournament in the same year.

Lovellette was drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers in the first round of the 1952 draft, but he wanted to play in the Olympics in Helsinki. The U.S. team rolled to the gold medal, and Clyde joined the Lakers a year later. Somewhat rusty, Lovellette played n every Laker game in that rookie year of 1953-54, but only averaged 8.2 points. After that season, though, he was an unstoppable force. With a hook shot with a soft touch, he would average over 20 points a game the next three seasons as well as pulling in over 12 rebounds a game. Being named to two All-Star games, Lovellette was traded after the 1956-57 season to Rochester. The Royals moved to Cincinnati prior to the start of the 1957-58 season, and in his only season in Cincy, he scored a career-high 23.4 points per game in an injury-shortend season.

In September of 1958, Lovellette was sent to the St. Louis Hawks to complete a deal a month earlier where the the Hawks gave the signing rights of five young players to Cincinnati. (Of those five, only two, Wayne Embry and Jim Palmer, would play in an NBA game.)  Lovellette played four seasons in St. Louis, averaging almost 20 points over that stretch and being named to the All-Star team two more times.

After the 1961-62 season, the 32-year old Lovellette was sold to the Boston Celtics. He would pick up his second and third rings in his two seasons there before retiring after the 1963-64 season. He was a tough and very physical player, not afraid to push, shove or elbow his opponents as he battled for position. He frustrated many an opposing player with his style of play, earning respect as well as controversy along the way.

After his playing days, he worked as a cattle rancher, country club manager, sheriff and teacher but was most proud of his days as a counselor for troubled youths in his home town of Terre Haute. He would be elected to both the Naismith Hall of Fame and the College Basketball Hall of Fame. He died in 2016 at 86 years of age.

Lovellette was married to Sally Wheeler and the had three daughters. After divorcing Sally, he remarried to Judy Wray in 1970. 

Source:
Washington Post, March 11, 2016

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lovelcl01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=lovelcl01

Billy Kenville

William McGill Kenville


Born:
December 1, 1930
Elmhurst, NY

Died:
June 19, 2018
Binghamton, NY


Career
1950-51 St. Bonaventure (College)
1951-52 St. Bonaventure (College)
1952-53 St. Bonaventure (College)
1953-54 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1954-55 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1955-56 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1956-57 Fort Wayne Pistons (NBA)
1957-58 Detroit Pistons (NBA)
1958-59 Rochester Colonels (EBL)
1959-60 Detroit Pistons (NBA)
1960-61 St. James High School - Binghamton, NY (High School) Head coach - JV
1960-61 Hodges Builders - Binghamton, NY (Independent)

After starring at St. Bonaventure, Kenville was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals. He played three seasons with Syracuse, helping them to the NBA crown in 1955.

Kenville was sold by the Nats to the Pistons in October of 1956,  would play two seasons for the Pistons before retiring in 1958. His retirement was short lived, and he signed with the Rochester Colonels in the Eastern League in 1958. After a good season the the Colonels, he found himself back in the NBA with the Pistons in 1959. A leg injury that season sidelined him for a bit and after the season he would be done playing in the NBA. He would go on to coach basketball in Binghamton, New York, where he died in 2018.




Source:


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/kenvibi01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=kenvibi01

Bob Houbregs

Robert John Houbregs


Born:
March 12, 1932
Vancouver, BC, Canada

Died:
May 28, 2014
Olympia, WA


Career
1948-49 Queen Anne High School - Seattle (High School)
1950-51 University of Washington (College)
1951-52 University of Washington (College)
1952-53 University of Washington (College)
1953-54 Milwaukee Hawks (NBA)
1953-54 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)
1954-55 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)
1954-55 Boston Celtics (NBA)
1954-55 Fort Wayne Pistons (NBA)
1955-56 Fort Wayne Pistons (NBA)
1956-57 Fort Wayne Pistons (NBA)
1957-58 Detroit Pistons (NBA)

NATIONAL BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME, 1987


The 6'7 center and forward with a sweet hook shot was an All-American was Washington, scoring 1774 points in three years there, scoring 49 of them in one game against Idaho in his senior year. He lead the Huskies to the NCAA Final Four in 1953, and afterwards was drafted in the first round (third overall) by the Milwaukee Hawks in the 1953 NBA Draft. He was traded to the Baltimore Bullets barely a month into the 1953-54. When the Bullets dissolved in the early part of the next season, Houbregs was selected by the Celtics in the Bullets Dispersal draft.  He would go on to play 5 years in the NBA with four different franchises.

Done with playing basketball. he did not leave the sport. He would serve as the Seattle SuperSonics' general manager during their early years from 1969 to 1973. Houbregs would be elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987.

Source:
http://www.hoophall.com

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/houbrbo01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=houbrbo01

Jack George

John Edward "Jack" George


Born:
November 13, 1928
Swissvale, PA

Died:
January 30, 1989
Fort Myers, FL


Career
1948-49 St. John's Military - Washington, DC (Prep)
1949-50 La Salle University (College) Freshmen
1950-51 La Salle University (College)
1953-54 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1954-55 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1955-56 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1956-57 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1957-58 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1958-59 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1958-59 New York Knicks (NBA)
1959-60 New York Knicks (NBA)
1959-61 New York Knicks (NBA)

Born to John and Jewel George, George played football, basketball and baseball as a youth, earning a scholarship offer to play football at Notre Dame. He decided to so to LaSalle where he played baseball and basketball. He played at La Salle for two years before joining the U.S. Army. After being discharged, he decided to forego his remaining years of collegiate elgibility and play basketball professionally.

George would play over five seasons with the Philadelphia Warriors, twice being named to the All-Star Game. A dependable ball handler, George average 10.7 points per game with Warriors before being traded to the New York Knicks on January 27, 1959, for Guy Sparrow. He played for the Knicks before retiring after the 1960-61 season.

In 1954, he played catcher for the Philadelphia Athletic's Class-B farm team in Lancaster in the Piedmont League.

After leaving the NBA, George moved to Illinois to work as a sales consultant. He would retire in 1986 and move from Winfield, Illinois, to Florida, where he died a few years later at the age of 60.

Minor League Baseball Stats:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=george003joh

Some places list his middle name as "Edwin" but his draft application and Social Security data lists  his middle name as "Edward."

Source:
Tyrone Daily Herald (Pennsylvania), October 13, 1953
News-Press (Fort Myers, FL), February 3, 1989

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/georgja01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=georgja01

Walt Davis

Walter Francis "Buddy" Davis


Born:
January 5, 1931
Beaumont, TX

Died:
November 17, 2020
Port Arthur, TX


Career
1947-48 Nederland High School - Texas (High School)
1948-49 Texas A&M University (College) Freshmen
1949-50 Texas A&M University (College)
1950-51 Texas A&M University (College)
1951-52 Texas A&M University (College)
1953-54 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1954-55 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1955-56 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1956-57 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1957-58 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1957-58 St Louis Hawks (NBA)

At the age of nine, Davis was stricken with polio and unable to walk for three years. He would eventually recover and become a star athlete at Nederland HS. Playing basketball and competing on the track and field team, he would get an athletic scholarship at Texas A&M, where he competed in both sports. After graduating in 1952, he would be selected by the Philadelphia Warriors in the 1952 NBA Draft, but before starting a basketball career, Davis would win a gold medal in the high jump in the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, Finland. He decided against pursuing a basketball career, focusing on high jumping in the AAU with Ada Oil Company in Houston. Over the year with Ada, he desired to be the first athlete to achieve a 7-foot high jump. He managed to set the World Record in June of 1953 at 6 feet, 11 1/2 inches. Come September, he decided to enter the NBA with the Warriors without attaining that 7-foot jump he had chased.
Davis played 68 games for the Warriors in the 1953-54 season, the beginning of a five-year stretch in the NBA. A solid and physical player, Davis played with Warriors until being traded on January 19, 1958, to the St. Louis Hawks. He finished the season with the Hawks, and was resigned the summer, but in early October decided to retire just two games into the preseason exhibition games. He returned to Nederland to focus on his insurance business.


Source:
https://www.museumofthegulfcoast.org/buddy-davis

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/daviswa01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=daviswa01

Irv Bemoras

Irving Bemoras


Born:
November 18, 1930
Chicago, IL

Died:
November 1, 2007
Buffalo Grove, IL


Career
1947-48 John Marshall High School - Chicago (High School)
1948-49 John Marshall High School - Chicago (High School)
1950-51 University of Illinois (College)
1951-52 University of Illinois (College)
1952-53 University of Illinois (College)
1953-54 Milwaukee Hawks (NBA)
1956-57 St. Louis  Hawks (NBA)

Born to Turkish immigrants, Bemoras helped Marshall High School to the City Basketball championship in 1948. He went on to the University of Illinois, where his defensive prowess helped the Illini into two Big Ten titles and a Final Four appearance. After playing three years at Illinois, Bemoras was drafted by the Milwaukee Hawks in the third round of the 1953 NBA Draft. After playing one year with the Hawks, averaging 7.4 points per game in 69 games. He served in the U.S. Army from 1954 to 1956, and returned to the Hawks in 1956, although by this time the Hawks have moved to St. Louis. He left the game in 1957 and would run his own insurance company in the Chicago area.

Irving married Sally Lapedus in 1957 and they had two sons and a daughter.

Source:
Jews In Sports
Chicago Tribune, November 30, 2007




Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bemorir01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=bemorir01