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

Frank Selvy

Franklin Delano Selvy


Born:
November 9, 1932
Corbin, KY

Died:
August 13, 2024
Simpsonville, SC


Career
1948-49 Corbin High School - Kentucky (High School)
1949-50 Corbin High School - Kentucky (High School)
1950-51 Furman University - South Carolina (College) Freshmen
1951-52 Furman University - South Carolina (College)
1952-53 Furman University - South Carolina (College)
1953-54 Furman University - South Carolina (College)
1954-55 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)
1954-55 Milwaukee Hawks (NBA)
1955-56 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1957-58 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1957-58 Minneapolis Lakers (NBA)
1958-59 New York Knicks (NBA)
1959-60 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1959-60 Minneapolis Lakers (NBA)
1960-61 Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)
1961-62 Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)
1962-63 Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)
1963-64 Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)
1966-67 Furman University - South Carolina (College) Head coach
1967-68 Furman University - South Carolina (College) Head coach 
1968-69 Furman University - South Carolina (College) Head coach
1969-70 Furman University - South Carolina (College) Head coach  


On February 13, 1954, Furman was celebrating their favorite senior with Frank Selvy night in a game against Newberry College. Selvy was averaging over 40 point per game, highest in the country. With 4000 fans, including many friends and family members from Kentucky, packed in to Textile Hall, Coach Lyles Ally told his team to get the ball to Selvy and let him do the work on his special night. What wound up happening is Selvy hit 41 of 66 field goal attempts and also scored 18 from the line to score a staggering 100 points, a record that still stands for a Division I team. (Newberry College was not a Division 1 opponent. The record for points in a game by a Division 1 player against a Division I opponent is 72 by Kevin Bradshaw.)

Selvy was the first overall selection in the 1954 NBA draft by the Baltimore Bullets. The Bullets franchise dissolved shortly into the 1954-55 season, and Selvy was selected by the Milwaukee Hawks in the dispersal draft. He would average 19 points per game in his rookie year and was partly into his second season with the Hawks (now in St Louis) when he entered the U.S. Army. He would spend two years in the service and returned to the Hawks in 1958. The Hawks traded him to the Lakers in mid-February of 1958, and joined the New York Knicks for the 1958-59 season. After a year with the Knicks, he was waived on the eve of the 59-60 season. He was claimed by the Nationals and spent about six weeks with Syracuse before being sold back to the Lakers. He spent the rest of his nine year career in Los Angeles before retiring in 1964 as a two-time All-Star. He returned to Furman to coach the team for four seasons.

Source:


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/selvyfr01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=selvyfr01

Dan King

Thomas Daniel "Dan" King


Born:
January 7, 1931
Paris, TN

Died:
January 20, 2003
Louisville, KY


Career
1947-48 Grove High School - Paris, TN (High School)
1948-49 Grove High School - Paris, TN (High School)
1949-50 Grove High School - Paris, TN (High School)
1951-52 Western Kentucky University (College)
1952-53 Western Kentucky University (College)
1953-54 Western Kentucky University (College)
1954-55 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)
1959-60 Edmondson County High School - Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1960-61 Edmondson County High School - Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1961-62 Edmondson County High School - Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1962-63 Edmondson County High School - Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1962-63 Western Kentucky University (College) Freshmen - Assistant coach
1963-64 Edmondson County High School - Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1963-64 Western Kentucky University (College) Freshmen - Head coach
1964-65 Edmondson County High School - Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1965-66 Edmondson County High School - Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1972-73 Bishop David High School - Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1973-74 Bishop David High School - Kentucky (High School) Head coach
1975-76 Pleasure Ridge High School - Kentucky (High School) Assistant coach

Born to Lawrence and Lillian King, Dan King was baseball and basketball star at Grove HS in Paris, Tennessee. He was offered contracts by the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers but chose to go to college instead. King would star on the basketball team at Western Kentucky as well as pitch for the baseball team. He played for the Baltimore Bullets before the team disbanded shortly into the 1954-55 season. He continued to play baseball around Kentucky for a few years before concentrating on teaching and coaching for Edmondson High School. He later coached at Bishop David HS (now known as Holy Cross) and Pleasure Ridge HS. King was also a noted softball player, elected to the ASA Hall of Fame in 1987.

Dan married Norma Jean Ashlock in 1956 and they had one son.

Dan's cousin Chick King played baseball for five seasons in the major leagues.

Source:
Obituary, ewgrove.com


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/kingda01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=kingda01

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

1954-55 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)

1954-55 BALTIMORE BULLETS
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Eastern Division
Finished: 3-11 .214 (not included in official NBA records)

Bee left the team November 10, and was replaced by assistant coach Al Barthelme. The Bullets, laden with $50,000 in debt, folded on November 26, 1954. Their players were redistributed in a draft among the remaining teams, and all stats and results for the Bullets were stricken from the official records for this season. This is the last NBA franchise to fold.

Head Coaches: 

• Clair Bee (March 2, 1896 - May 20, 1983) 1-4
• Al Barthelme (October 10, 1919 - March 4, 2004) 2-7

PLAYERS: 

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

Biography 

• Don Henriksen (October 10, 1929 - May 14, 2008)

Biography 

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

Biography

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

Biography

• Dan King (January 7, 1931 - January 20, 2003)

Biography 

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

Biography

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

Biography

• Jim Neal (May 21, 1930 - October 3, 2011)

Biography 

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

Biography 

• Frank Selvy (November 9, 1932 - August 13, 2024)

Biography

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

Biography

Hal Uplinger

Harold Francis "Razor" Uplinger


Born:
September 30, 1929
New Kensington, PA

Died:
February 1, 2011
Dana Point, CA


Career
1945-46 John Marshall High School - Los Angeles (High School)
1946-47 John Marshall High School - Los Angeles (High School)
1947-48 Los Angeles City College (College)
1947-48 Hollywood 20th Century Fox (Independent)
1948-49 University of Arizona (College)
1948-49 Los Angeles City College (College)
1949-50 Los Angeles City College (College)
1950-51 Long Island University (College)
1952-53 Los Alamitos Navy (Military/AAU)
1953-54 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)

Uplinger was a well-known basketball star around Los Angeles, starring at Marshall HS in LA before enrolling at Los Angeles City College. In February of 1948, Uplinger was declared academically ineligible at LACC, so he joined the AAU team out of Hollywood that was sponsored by 20th Century Fox. He would transfer that summer to the University of Arizona, but had to leave school in late December of 1948 due to illness and returned to Los Angeles. He returned to LACC and returned to the court with them in late January of 1949. He stayed at LACC until 1950, when he was lured to LIU by coach Clair Bee. He would graduate from LIU and came back to Los Angeles.


Uplinger entered the U.S. Navy and played for the Los Alamitos Naval Base team, which would also participate in the AAU tournament. He garnered the attention of his former coach, Clair Bee, who brought Uplinger to the Baltimore Bullets in the NBA, who he was now the head coach of. He played in 23 games with the Bullets, scoring only 3.7 points per game.

After leaving the Bullets, he would work for CBS in Los Angeles and New York, eventually becoming the sports producer for CBS Television. He was instrumental in the development of instant reply in sports television production. His expertise in sports production allowed him to be the producer for the American portion of Live Aid in 1985. Hal died of bone cancer in 2011.


Source:
Interview with Jon Eklund, 1993

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/u/uplinha01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=uplinha01

Joe Smyth

Joseph George Smyth


Born:
May 22, 1929
New York, NY

Died:
June 10, 1999
Montauk, NY


Career
1946-47 Franklin Lane High School - Brooklyn (High School)
1948-49 Niagara University (College)
1949-50 Niagara University (College)
1950-51 Niagara University (College)
1953-54 New York Knicks (NBA)
1953-54 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)

Smyth graduated from Niagara and went straight into the military. After serving his country, he returned to the USA and was drafted by the New York Knicks in the 1953 Draft. He would play for the Washington Generals before joining the Knicks in the beginning of January, 1954. Smyth played in 8 games with the Knicks before being sold to the Baltimore Bullets on January 22, 1954. He finished the season with the Bullets but was released by the club before the start of the 1954-55 season.

Source:


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/smythjo01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=smythjo01

Al Roges

Albert Andreu Roges


Born:
October 25, 1930
Ohio

Died:
February 23, 2009
Los Angeles, CA


Career
1945-46 Roosevelt High School - Los Angeles (High School)
1949-50 Los Angeles City College (College)
1950-51 Long Island University (College)
1951-52 Los Alamitos Naval Base (Military)
1953-54 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)
1954-55 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)
1954-55 Fort Wayne Pistons (NBA)

Roges was born in Ohio but the family moved to Los Angeles with Roges was young. After attending Los Angeles City College, Roges was recruited by Long Island basketball coach Clair Bee to transfer in 1950. However, continuing personal problems between Bee and Roges lead Roges to quit the team in late December of 1950. They managed to settle their differences and Roges returned to the team a week later.
Roges would serve in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War before being signed by the Baltimore Bullets in 1953. He was with the Bullets until the team folded shortly into the 1954-55 season. He finished the season with the Fort Wayne Pistons. After he left basketball, we would work for over 30 years for Bank of America.

Al married Nancy in 1954 and they had two sons.

Source:



Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/rogesal01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=rogesal01

Connie Rea

Connie Mack Rea


Born:
January 27, 1931
Marion, IN

Died:
May 5, 2020
Winter Haven, FL


Career
1947-48 Central High School - Muncie, IN (High School)
1948-49 Central High School - Muncie, IN (High School)
1949-50 Vanderbilt University - Tennessee (College) Freshmen
1950-51 Vanderbilt University - Tennessee (College)
1951-52 Centenary College - Louisiana (College)
1952-53 Centenary College - Louisiana (College) 
1953-54 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)
1954-55 Washington Generals (Independent)
1965-66 California State Teachers College - Pennsylvania (College) Assistant coach

Born in in Marion, Indiana, to Harry and Thelma Rea, Connie grew up in Muncie and starred on the Central HS basketball team. Rea went to Vanderbilt and played basketball and baseball. He would transfer to Centenary College in Louisiana in 1951, leading the team in scoring in his senior year. He was drafted by the Baltimore Bullets in the 1953 NBA draft. He joined the team in January of 1954 and would appear in 20 games with the Bullets. After a year with the Washington Generals and touring with the Harlem Globetrotters, Rea was signed by the Fort Wayne Pistons in 1955 but was cut from the squad before the 1955-56 season began. He attended Louisiana State University, pursuing a Masters and Doctorate in English, but finished his Masters at the University of Colorado in 1958. He became an associate professor at California State College in Pennsylvania in 1963 where he also was an assistant coach for the basketball team.

Rea married Olga Miller in 1955.


Source:


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/reaco01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=reaco01

Bob Peterson

Robert Peterson


Born:
January 25, 1932
Menlo Park, CA

Died:
July 30, 2011
San Jose, CA


Career
1947-48 Sequoia High School - Redwood City, CA (High School)
1948-49 Sequoia High School - Redwood City, CA (High School)
1949-50 College of San Mateo (College)
1950-51 University of Oregon (College)
1951-52 University of Oregon (College)
1953-54 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)
1953-54 Milwaukee Hawks (NBA)
1954-55 New York Knicks (NBA)
1955-56 New York Knicks (NBA)

Born in Menlo Park, California, Peterson went to school in Redwood City before graduating and playing a year at the College of San Mateo. He transferred to Oregon where his basketball prowess would catch the interest of the Baltimore Bullets who drafted him in 1952. He served in the army before being selected again by the Bullets in 1953. After four games he was let go and joined the Milwaukee Hawks. He was signed as a free agent by the New York Knicks in January of 1955 and played for the Knicks for two seasons. His career was on an upswing as he averaged 14.3 points in the 1955-56 season. Sadly, injuries would eventually shorten Big Pete's basketball career,and he returned to California to work in the mortgage and finance industry. After retiring, he started BBQ Boys, a catering company with his son.

Bob married his high school sweetheart Jo in 1953 and they had one son and three daughters

Source:


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/peterbo01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=peterbo01

Paul Nolen

Paul Edward Nolen


Born:
September 3, 1929
Tulia, TX

Died:
May 7, 2009
Fort Worth, TX


Career
1946-47 Alvarado High School - Texas (High School)
1950-51 Texas Tech University (College)
1951-52 Texas Tech University (College)
1952-53 Texas Tech University (College)
1953-54 Balitmore Bullets (NBA)
1953-57 Washington Generals (Independent)

As a sophomore at Texas Tech, Nolen led the conference in scoring, would repeat as a junior and finish second in his senior year. The 6'10 center would play one game for the Baltimore Bullets before being released. He toured with the Washington Generals (the opponents of the Harlem Globetrotters) for a season before leaving basketball to enter the grocery business in Burleson, Texas.


Source:


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/n/nolenpa01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=nolenpa01

Jim Neal

James Ellerbe Neal


Born:
May 21, 1930
Silverstreet, SC

Died:
October 3, 2011
Greer, SC


Career
1947-48 Silverstreet High School - South Carolina (High School)
1948-49 Silverstreet High School - South Carolina (High School)
1949-50 Wofford College (College)
1950-51 Wofford College (College)
1951-52 Wofford College (College)
1952-53 Wofford College (College)
1953-54 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1954-55 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)

The 6'11 Neal was a legend at small Wofford College, averaging 32.6 points per game as a senior. He left Wofford having scored over 2000 points (including a school-record 57 in one game) and 1500 rebounds. Neal was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals and played one season with the Nats before playing with the Baltimore Bullets in 1954. When the Bullets folded, Neal's NBA career came to an end. He worked for American Enka Textile as a construction manager and later worked at BASF as an engineer prior to retiring.

Neal married Maxine Clyde and they had one son, Jim (d. 2012), and one daughter, Susan (1955-2012). Following Maxine's death, he married Suella Clyde Van Doren who remained his wife until Jim's death.

Source:
Greenville News, October 5, 2011

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/n/nealji01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=nealji01

Jim Luisi

James Anthony Luisi


Born:
November 2, 1928
East Harlem, NY

Died:
June 7, 2002
Los Angeles, CA


Career
1946-47 Benjamin Franklin High School - New York City (High School)
1947-48 St. Francis College - Brooklyn (College) JV
1948-49 St. Francis College - Brooklyn (College)
1949-50 St. Francis College - Brooklyn (College)
1950-51 St. Francis College - Brooklyn (College)
1953-54 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)

Born in East Harlem, Luisi would graduate from Franklin HS in New York and attended St. Francis College in Brooklyn after graduating. He was drafted by the Boston Celtics in the 1951 NBA Draft, but entered the U.S. Army and was stationed in Iceland. After the war, he returned to States to find his rights had been traded to the New York Knicks and then to the Baltimore Bullets, where he would play one season. He decided to pursue a career in the arts, attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He would appear in many Broadway productions throughout the 1960's before relocating to California. He would appear in various movies and TV shows in the 70's and 80's, probably best known for his portrayal of Lt. Doug Chapman on "The Rockford Files" and his Emmy-nominated turn as George Washington in the 1975 miniseries 'First Ladies Diaries: Martha Washington."

Luisi continued working as a respected character actor through the 80's and 90's before dying of cancer in 2002.

Jim married Georgia Phillips in 1961 and they had one daughter.


Source:
IMDB

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/luisiji01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=luisiji01

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

Rollen Hans

Rollen Franklin Hans, Jr.


Born:
April 13, 1931
Los Angeles, CA

Died :
August 30, 2021
Seattle, WA


Career
1948-49 Polytechnic of Los Angeles (High School)
1949-50 Los Angeles CC (College)
1950-51 Los Angeles CC (College)
1950-51 Fibber McGee and Molly (AAU)
1951-52 Los Alamitos Navy (Military)
1952-53 Los Alamitos Navy (Military)
1953-54 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)
1954-55 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)

LIU ALL-Time Rister

"Rollie from Poly" graduated from high school and then went to Los Angeles Community College where he would star on the basketball court for a couple seasons, also playing AAU basketball with a team sponsored by the "Fibber McGee and Molly" show. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, playing on the powerful Los Alamitos team. He supposedly went to Long Island University, but I cannot find much evidence of him actually playing on the team, and the timeline between his naval service in California and his professional career with the Baltimore Bullets doesn't leave a window where he would have played at LIU. He DOES appear on the LIU All-Time roster, but they do not list his years on the team. I think what happened is he was to transfer to LIU after the 1950-51 school year but wound up going into the Navy instead. I could use some clarity here.



He played two seasons with the hapless Bullets, and when the team folded in the 1954-55, so ended his NBA career.

Rollen married Cathryn Dixon in 1968 and they had six children.

Source:


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hansro01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=hansro01

Jim Fritsche

James Alfred Fritsche


Born:
December 10, 1931
St. Paul, MN

Died:
February 28, 2019
St. Paul, MN


Career
1946-47 Humboldt High School - St. Paul, MN (High School)
1947-48 Humboldt High School - St. Paul, MN (High School)
1948-49 Humboldt High School - St. Paul, MN (High School)
1949-50 Hamline University - Minnesota (College)
1950-51 Hamline University - Minnesota (College)
1951-52 Hamline University - Minnesota (College)
1952-53 Hamline University - Minnesota (College)
1953-54 Minneapolis Lakers (NBA)
1953-54 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)
1953-54 Fort Wayne Pistons (NBA)
1957-58 Central High School - St. Paul, MN (High School) Head coach

Fritsche was a basketball star out of Humboldt HS, and played four years at Hamline College. He was drafted in the first round by the Minneapolis Lakers, but only play in two games before sold to the Baltimore Bullets on November 11, 1953. The Bullets would trade him to Fort Wayne for Ken Murray on the eve of the 1954-55 season. He would play 16 games with the Pistons before being let go. He left basketball and got his Master's degree from Mankato State. He was a teacher and coach for many years at Central High School before retiring.

Jim married Pat in 1953 and they had a son and a daughter.

Source:
Obituary, Johnson Peterson Funeral Home, 2019
Hamline Athletics, March 2, 2019

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/f/fritsji01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=fritsji01

Bill Bolger

William J. Bolger


Born:
August 21, 1931
New York, NY

Died:
October 8, 2009
Glen Ellyn, IL


Career
1948-49 Xavier High School - Manhattan (High School)
1950-51 Georgetown University (College)
1951-52 Georgetown University (College)
1952-53 Georgetown University (College)
1953-54 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)

After starring on the hardwood at Xavier High School in Manhattan, Bolger went to Georgetown where he would score 1084 points, the most by a Hoya at the point (and Bolger did it in three seasons). He would be drafted by the Milwaukee Hawks in the second round of the 1953 NBA draft but was waived in late October while in the Hawk's training camp. He was claimed by the Baltimore Bullets and would play sparingly before being farmed out to the Washington Generals on January 2, 1954. He would go on to work for many years for the Sears and Roebuck Corporation.

Bolger married Jane Grove and they had seven children.

Source:
Hoya Basketball

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bolgebi01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=bolgebi01

Don Asmonga

Donald Andrew Asmonga


Born:
February 15, 1928
West Mifflin, PA

Died:
January 13, 2014
Jefferson Hills, PA


Career
1945-46 Homestead High School - Pennsylvania (High School)
1946-47 Alliance College - Cambridge Springs, PA (College)
1947-48 Altoona Edwards / Pitts / Railroaders (AABL)
1948-49 Altoona Railroaders (AABL)
1949-50 Altoona Flyers (AABL)
1953-54 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)
1965-66 Belle Vernon High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1966-67 Belle Vernon High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1967-68 Belle Vernon High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1968-69 Belle Vernon High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1969-70 Belle Vernon High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1970-71 Belle Vernon High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1971-72 Belle Vernon High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1972-73 Belle Vernon High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1973-74 Belle Vernon High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1974-75 Belle Vernon High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1975-76 Belle Vernon High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1976-77 Belle Vernon High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach 
1977-78 Belle Vernon High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1978-79 Belle Vernon High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1979-80 Belle Vernon High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1980-81 Belle Vernon High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1981-82 Belle Vernon High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1982-83 Belle Vernon High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1983-84 Belle Vernon High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1984-85 Belle Vernon High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1985-86 Belle Vernon High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1986-87 Belle Vernon High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1987-88 Belle Vernon High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach

Out of Homestead, Pennsylvania, Asmongs played football, baseball and basketball at tiny Alliance College, a liberal arts school in Cambridge Springs, PA. In the summer of 1947, Asmonga signed with the Boston Red Sox and he was then declared ineligible to continue playing sports at Alliance. The righthander began his baseball days at Wellsville in the PONY league (Class D). Over the next few seasons, he would rise through the Red Sox farm system to the AAA level in 1951, but never made the parent club. The conference scoring champ on the hardwood back at Alliance, Asmonga had signed on to play with Altoona in the All-American Basketball League and played hoop in the off season. He eventually found his way to the Baltimore Bullets in December of 1953. He played in seven games, scoring 5 points, before being released.

He became a teacher as well as coaching the baseball and basketball teams at Belle Vernon HS, where he stayed as a coach until 1988 and taught until 1993. Don died in 2014.


Don married Bernice Staisey and they had two sons and four daughters.

Minor League Baseball Stats
https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=asmong001don

Source:


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/asmondo01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=asmondo01

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

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