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

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

Dick Farley

Richard Lawrence Farley


Born:
April 13, 1932
Winslow, IN

Died:
October 1, 1969
Fort Wayne, IN


Career
1945-46 Winslow High School - Indiana (High School)
1946-47 Winslow High School - Indiana (High School)
1947-48 Winslow High School - Indiana (High School)
1949-50 Winslow High School - Indiana (High School)
1950-51 Indiana University (College) Freshmen
1951-52 Indiana University (College)
1952-53 Indiana University (College)
1953-54 Indiana University (College)
1954-55 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1955-56 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1958-59 Detroit Pistons (NBA)

Farley started playing basketball when he was 12, and by the time he got to Winslow HS as a freshman, he was good enough to make the varsity team. In his junior and senior years, he would lead little Winslow HS deep into the state tournaments. He would attend Indiana University, where the Hoosiers would win a pair of Big Ten Championships with Farley. He was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals, where he averaged 6.3 ppg in two seasons before the military came-a-calling.

Farley served in the U.S. Air Force for two years before playing one last season in the NBA, with the Detroit Pistons. He moved to Fort Wayne where he was the president of Office Interiors, Inc. He would die of cancer at the young age of 37.

DIck married Marge Eckrich and they had two sons and three daughters.

Source:
Tribune (Coshocton, OH), August 24 and 31, 1969
The Herald (Jasper, IN), October 3, 1969

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/f/farledi01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=farledi01

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

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

Earl Lloyd

Earl Francis Lloyd


Born:
April 3, 1928
Alexandria, VA

Died:
February 26, 2015
Crossville, TN


Career
1944-45 Parker-Gray High School - Alexandria, VA (High School)
1945-46 Parker-Gray High School - Alexandria, VA (High School)
1946-47 West Virginia State (College)
1947-48 West Virginia State (College)
1948-49 West Virginia State (College)
1949-50 West Virginia State (College)
1950-51 Washington Capitols (NBA)
1952-53 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1953-54 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1954-55 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1955-56 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1956-57 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1957-58 Syracuse Nationals (NBA)
1958-59 Detroit Pistons (NBA)
1959-60 Detroit Pistons (NBA)
1968-69 Detroit Pistons (NBA) Assistant coach
1969-70 Detroit Pistons (NBA) Assistant coach
1971-72 Detroit Pistons (NBA) Head coach
1972-73 Detroit Pistons (NBA) Head coach

NATIONAL BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME, 2003

Lloyd became the first black player in the NBA when he debuted with the Caps on October 31, 1950. Chuck Cooper and Nate Clifton followed in the following few days. However, just 7 games into the season, Lloyd was drafted into the military and was headed off to Korea. After the Korean War came to a close, Lloyd returned to find the Capitols had folded, so he signed with the Syracuse Nationals. After six season in Syracuse, he played one more season for Detroit before retiring. He returned to the Pistons in 1968 when he became the first black bench coach, and in 1971 was the NBA's second black head coach. He was fired part-way into his second season with a dismal 22-55 record. He remained in Detroit for a while working with the city. He was elected into the Hall of Fame in 2003.

Source:
History.com
nba.com

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lloydea01.html
http://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=lloydea01

Nat Clifton

Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton
born Clifton Nathanial


Born:
October 13, 1922
England, AR

Died:
August 31, 1990
Chicago, IL


Career
1940-41 Dusable High School - Chicago (High School)
1941-42 Dusable High School - Chicago (High School)
1942-43 Xavier University - Louisiana (College)
1945-46 Dayton Metropolitans (Independent)
1946-47 Dayton Metropolitans (Independent)
1946-47 New York Rens (Independent)
1947-48 Harlem Globetrtotters (Independent)
1947-48 Dayton Metropolitans (AABL)
1948-49 Harlem Globetrtotters (Independent)
1949-50 Harlem Globetrtotters (Independent)
1950-51 New York Knicks (NBA)
1951-52 New York Knicks (NBA)
1952-53 New York Knicks (NBA)
1953-54 New York Knicks (NBA)
1954-55 New York Knicks (NBA)
1955-56 New York Knicks (NBA)
1956-57 New York Knicks (NBA)
1957-58 Detroit Pistons (NBA)
1958-59 Harlem Stars (Independent)
1959-60 Harlem Stars (Independent)
1960-61 Harlem Stars (Independent)
1961-62 Chicago Majors (ABL)
1961-62 Harlem Globetrtotters (Independent)
1962-63 Harlem Globetrtotters (Independent)
1963-64 Harlem Magicians (Independent)
1964-65 Harlem Magicians (Independent)

NATIONAL BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME, 2014

Born Clifton Nathaniel, he changed is name to Nathaniel Clifton After playing at Dusable High School where he set the single-game scoring record in the city championship tournament, Sweetwater (so nicknamed because he would put sugar in drinking water for a treat since the family was too poor to afford soft drinks) played one year at Xavier in Louisiana before entering the U.S. Army. After serving in World War 2, Clifton returned to the States and began to play professional basketball for various barnstorming pro teams like the Rens and the Globetrotters. During this time, Clifton was signed by baseball's Cleveland Indians, and played a few years of minor league baseball. He batted .307 over two seasons in the Tribe's farm system before deciding to stay focused on basketball.

He was making $10,000 a season with the Globetrotters in 1950 when the Boston Celtics drafted Chuck Cooper, breaking the NBA's color barrier. Shortly thereafter, Globetrotters' owner Abe Saperstein sold Clifton to the New York Knicks, and Clifton became one of three black players to start the 1950-51 season on NBA teams (Earl Lloyd being the other player besides Clifton and Cooper). Clifton was a solid player for 7 seasons with the Knicks, making the All-Star team in 1956-57. He was traded to the Detroit Pistons, and after a unsatisfied season there, quit the NBA. He played a couple more season of  independent basketball and eventually played with the Chicago Majors of the upstart ABL in 1961-62. He wound up driving a taxi for many years in Chicago, and in 1990, died behind the wheel of his cab, felled by a fatal heart attack.

Clifton was posthumoursly selected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014.

Minor League Baseball Stats
https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=clifto001nat

Source:
http://biography.jrank.org/pages/2338/Clifton-Nathaniel-Sweetwater.html
Chicago Tribune, September 2, 1990

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/cliftna01.html
http://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=cliftna01
http://probasketballencyclopedia.com/player/sweetwater-clifton/

Dick McGuire

Richard Joseph McGuire


Born:
January 25, 1926
Huntington, NY

Died:
February 3, 2010
Long Island, NY


Career
St. John's Prep  - New York (High School)
LaSalle Academy - New York (High School)
1943-44 St. John's University - New York (College)
1943-44 Dartmouth College - New York (College)
1946-47 St. John's University - New York (College)
1947-48 St. John's University - New York (College)
1948-49 St. John's University - New York (College)
1949-50 New York Knicks (NBA)
1950-51 New York Knicks (NBA)
1951-52 New York Knicks (NBA)
1952-53 New York Knicks (NBA)
1953-54 New York Knicks (NBA)
1954-55 New York Knicks (NBA)
1955-56 New York Knicks (NBA)
1956-57 New York Knicks (NBA)
1957-58 Detroit Pistons (NBA)
1958-59 Detroit Pistons (NBA)
1959-60 Detroit Pistons (NBA) Head coach / player
1960-61 Detroit Pistons (NBA) Head coach
1961-62 Detroit Pistons (NBA) Head coach
1962-63 Detroit Pistons (NBA) Head coach
1965-66 New York Knicks (NBA) Head coach
1966-67 New York Knicks (NBA) Head coach
1967-68 New York Knicks (NBA) Head coach
1971-72 New York Knicks (NBA) Assistant coach
1972-73 New York Knicks (NBA) Assistant coach
1973-74 New York Knicks (NBA) Assistant coach
1974-75 New York Knicks (NBA) Assistant coach
1975-76 New York Knicks (NBA) Assistant coach
1976-77 New York Knicks (NBA) Assistant coach
1977-78 New York Knicks (NBA) Assistant coach

NATIONAL BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME, 1993

Following some outstanding play in his first year at St John's, McGuire suited up to serve his country, and played at Dartmouth as part of the V5 Training program late in the 1944 season. After the war, he returned to Dartmouth. A skilled passer, he moved on to play with the Knicks in the NBA for 8 seasons, before moving to the Detroit Pistons. In his third season with the Pistons, he became head coach as well as playing. He retired as a player in 1960, but stayed with the Piston for three more seasons at the helm. He was fired after the 1962-63 season, and in 1965 was hired to lead his old team, the Knicks. He lasted three seasons there before being fired a coach. He stayed on as a scout, and was named assistant coach in 1971. After retiring from coaching in 1978, he stayed on with the Knicks for many years in a scouting capacity. McGuire was elected to the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1993, joining his brother Al, legendary coach at Marquette University. A five-time All-Star who accumulated almost 3000 assists in his career, Dick died of an aortic aneurysm in 2010.

He and his wife, Teri, had four children.

Source:
Obituary, USA Today, February 3, 2010
Obituary, New York Times, February 4, 2003

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mcguidi01.html
http://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=mcguidi01

Harry Gallatin

Harry Junior Gallatin


Born:
April 26, 1927
Roxana, IL

Died:
October 7, 2015
Edwardsville, IL


Career
1940-41 Wood River High School - Illinois (High School)
1941-42 Roxana High School - Illinois (High School)
1942-43 Roxana High School - Illinois (High School)
1943-44 Roxana High School - Illinois (High School)
1946-47 NE Missouri State Teachers College (College) Now Truman State University
1947-48 NE Missouri State Teachers College (College)
1948-49 New York Knicks (BAA)
1949-50 New York Knicks (NBA)
1950-51 New York Knicks (NBA)
1951-52 New York Knicks (NBA)
1952-53 New York Knicks (NBA)
1953-54 New York Knicks (NBA)
1954-55 New York Knicks (NBA)
1955-56 New York Knicks (NBA)
1956-57 New York Knicks (NBA)
1957-58 Detroit Pistons (NBA)
1958-59 Southern Illinois University - Carbondale, Illinois (College) Head coach
1959-60 Southern Illinois University - Carbondale, Illinois (College) Head coach
1960-61 Southern Illinois University - Carbondale, Illinois (College) Head coach
1961-62 Southern Illinois University - Carbondale, Illinois (College) Head coach
1962-63 St. Louis Hawks (NBA) Head coach
1963-64 St. Louis Hawks (NBA) Head coach
1964-65 St. Louis Hawks (NBA) Head coach
1964-65 New York Knicks (NBA) Head coach
1965-66 New York Knicks (NBA) Head coach
1967-68 Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville, Illinois (College) Head coach
1968-69 Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville, Illinois (College) Head coach
1969-70 Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville, Illinois (College) Head coach  

NATIONAL BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME, 1991

Gallatin was born to Harry and Cecile Gallatin and grew up in Roxana, but the small town did not get a high school of its own until 1941. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy for World War 2. After the war, he enrolled at NE Missouri State (now known as Truman University) and managed to graduate in two years with his Bachelor's Degree. He was drafted by the Knicks, and played with them for nine season (followed by one with the Pistons) on his way to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. During this time, he also got his Masters Degree in teaching from the University of Iowa. He retired from playing to coach at the Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. After four seasons at SIU, he took the head coaching job for the Hawks, and left halfway into the 1964-65 season to takeover the Knicks for the remainder of the season. He quit the Knicks 21 games into the 1965-66 season. He was also a decent baseball player, and played two seasons in the 3-I league.

Gallatin headed to SIU-Edwardsville to coach the basketball team and became the golf coach for 24 years as well as the Athletic Director. He was a common fixture in Edwardsville for the remainder of his life, and died there in 2015. Gallatin received basketball's highest honor when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991.

Gallatin met Beverly Hull in his first year of college. They were married in 1949 and had three sons and a daughter.

Minor League Baseball Stats
http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.cgi?id=gallat001har


Source:
NY Times Obituary
Washington Post Obituary

Stats:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gallaha01.html
http://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=gallaha01