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

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

Fred Christ

Frederick L. Christ


Born:
August 6, 1930
Glendale, NY

 :




Career
1945-46 St. Francis Prep - Brooklyn (High School)
1946-47 St. Francis Prep - Brooklyn (High School)
1949-50 Fordham University (College)
1950-51 Fordham University (College)
1951-52 Fordham University (College)
1952-53 Fort Monmouth Signaleers (Military)
1953-54 Fort Monmouth Signaleers (Military)
1954-55 New York Knicks (NBA)

Christ played at Forham where he set the school record for points in a single game with 37 points. He entered the U.S. Army after school, serving two years He started the 1954-55 season with the New York Knicks, appearing in six games before being released.

Source:


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/chrisfr01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=chrisfr01

Frank Reddout

Franklin Parker Reddout


Born:
March 4, 1931
Naples, NY

 :




Career
1947-48 Naples High School - Naples, NY (High School)
1948-49 Naples High School - Naples, NY (High School)
1949-50 Syracuse University (College) Freshmen
1950-51 Syracuse University (College)
1951-52 Syracuse University (College)
1952-53 Syracuse University (College)
1953-54 Rochester Royal (NBA)
1963-64 Newark Central High School - New York (High School) Head coach - Freshmen

While at Syracuse, Reddout would record 34 rebounds in a single game.

Reddout played seven games for the Royals before military service called. After leaving the service, he would work many years as a teacher and guidance counselor in Newark, New York.

Source:


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/reddofr01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=reddofr01

John Hoffman

John William Hoffman


Born:
November 30, 1923 ??
Buffalo, NY

 :




Career
(High School)
LIU before war?? (College)
1948-49 Birmingham Steelers (SPBL)

Might still be living

Minor League Baseball Stats
https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=hoffma003joh

Source:


Stats:

Jimmy Thompson

James William Thompson


Born:
December 4, 1930
Kane, PA

 :




Career
1947-48 Kane High School - Pennsylvania (High School)
1948-49 Kane High School - Pennsylvania (High School)
1950-51 Kane Moose - Pennsylvania (Independent)
1952-53 Wilkes-Barre Barons (ABL)
1958-59 Cameron County High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1959-60 Cameron County High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1960-61 Cameron County High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1961-62 Cameron County High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1962-63 Cameron County High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1963-64 Cameron County High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1964-65 Cameron County High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1965-66 Cameron County High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1966-67 Cameron County High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1967-68 Cameron County High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1968-69 Cameron County High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1969-70 Cameron County High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1970-71 Cameron County High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1971-72 Cameron County High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1972-73 Cameron County High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1973-74 Cameron County High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1974-75 Cameron County High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1975-76 Cameron County High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach
1976-77 Cameron County High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach  

Born to Lloyd and Edith Thompson, Jimmy was a minor league baseball and basketball player who wound up being a popular coach at Cameron County High School in Pennsylvania.

Minor League Baseball Stats:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=thomps001jam

Source:
Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, December 2, 1952

Stats:

Roy Belliveau

Roy N. Belliveau


Born:
April 12, 1929
Scotch Plains, NJ

 :




Career
1946-47 Regional High School - Springfield, NJ (High School)
1947-48 Regional High School - Springfield, NJ (High School)
1949-50 Seton Hall University (College)
1950-51 Seton Hall University (College)
1951-52 Seton Hall University (College)
1952-53 Scranton Miners (ABL)

1953-54 Williamsport Billies (EPBL)

A track and basketball star at Seton Hall, Roy was drafted by the New York Knicks in the 1952 NBA draft. He wound up playing one season with the Scranton Miners in the ABL before moving on to the Eastern League.  He was living in Green Brook, New Jersey, as of 2017..

Belliveau teamed up with his twin brother Don (1929-2017) in high school to lead the basketball and track teams.

Source:


Stats:

Frank Lewis

Frank N. Lewis


Born:
January 1, 1930
New York, NY

 :




Career
1949-50 Columbia University (College)
1950-51 Columbia University (College)
1951-52 Bridgeport Roesslers (ABL) 
1951-52 Carbondale Aces (ABL)

1951-52 Lancaster Rockets (EPBL)
1951-52 Middletown Guards (ABL)

After graduating from Columbia in 1951, Lewis played in the ABL while going to Columbia law school. He played one game for Bridgeport before being sent to Carbondale.He would eventually move to Arizona to practice law.

Source:
https://www.college.columbia.edu/cct/issue/spring18/article/letters-editor

Stats:

Cecil Gabriel

Cecil Rowland Gabriel


Born:
October 2, 1929
Bridgeport, CT

 :




Career
1948-49 Bridgeport Rectors (EBL-Ct)
1950-51 Spada's Blue Goose - Stratford, CT (Independent)
1951-52 Bridgeport Roesslers (ABL)
1954-55 Savin Jewelers - Bridgeport (Independent)

Gabriel also played semi-pro baseball in New England in the early 50's. "Gabe" married Edith Barrett (1926-2016) in 1949. 

Source:


Stats:

Ed Chenetz

Edward C. Chenetz


Born:
January 30, 1931
New York, NY

 :




Career
John Adams High School - Queens, NY
1950-51 CCNY (College)
1950-51 Hartford Hurricanes (EBL-Ct)
1951-52 Middletown Guards (ABL)

Chenetz played basketball at CCNY during the time of the point shaving scandal, but Chenetz was not involved in the fixing at all. Unfortunately, he was barred from athletics at the school due to the discovery that he and two other players had their high school transcripts altered to help them gain acceptance. This was overturned a year later after Chenetz had gone to play for the Middletown Guards while finishing his education at CCNY.

Source:


Stats:

Norm Skinner

Norman Skinner


Born:
June 15, 1926


 :




Career
1942-43 Stuyvesant High School - New York City (High School)
1944-45 Columbia University (College)
1945-46 Fort Bragg (Military)
1947-48 Columbia University (College)
1948-49 Columbia University (College)
1949-50 Columbia University (College)
1950-51 Saratoga Harlem Yankees (ABL)
1950-51 Hartford Hurricanes (EBL-Ct) 
1951-52 Middletown Guards (ABL)
1952-53 Hazleton Harlem Yankees (ABL)

Skinner was an All-American at Columbia in 1944-45 before joining the Army. After his duty, he returned to Columbia and was one of the highest scorers in school history. He would go on to play pro basketball for a few years around New England. He earned a Masters Degree from the Harvard School of Business shortly thereafter and found work with Time-Life, but left after a year to go into business for himself.

Skinner ran into serious legal trouble later in the 1950's. In 1957, he was barred permanently from dealing in securities in the state of New York due to fraud allegations, and in 1959, he was arrested five times and charged with auto theft and fraud.


Source:
Daily News (New York City), July 27, 1959

Stats:

Johnny Rucker

John Robert Rucker


Born:
November 21, 1930


 :




Career
1947-48 Erasmus High School - Brooklyn (High School)
1948-49 Erasmus High School - Brooklyn (High School)
1949-50 Erasmus High School - Brooklyn (High School)
1950-51 Utica Pros (ABL)
1950-51 Saratoga Harlem Yankees (ABL)
1951-52 Saratoga / Schenectady Harlem Yankees (ABL)

Rucker, fresh out of high school, was invited to try out with the New York Knicks of the NBA in the fall of 1950. He would eventually be cut prior to the start of the season, but Rucker was the first black player to sign with the Knicks. He would eventually go play in Utica with the ABL franchise there and would also play some minor league baseball. He had planned to go to NYU, but the point shaving scandal saw the program suspended He would later take work in the NYPD for 20 years. He would retire from the force and move to Florida.

Around 2012, Rucker would enjoy some new-found fame and notoriety when he was honored and recognized by the Knicks as their first black player, despite having never actually appeared in a game.

Minor League Baseball Stats:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=rucker002joh

Source:
https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/sports/basketball/another-knicks-pioneer-brooklyns-john-rucker.html
https://www.nba.com/knicks/history/john-rucker-forgotten-pioneer

Stats:

George Zelie

George Harvey "Zeke" Zelie


Born:
January 2, 1926
Woodstock, NY
 
 :




Career
1942-43 Kingston High School (High School)
1943-44 Kingston High School (High School)
1946-47 Hartwick College - New York (College)
1947-48 Hartwick College - New York (College)
1948-49 Glens Falls Commodores (NYSL)
1949-50 Schenectady Packers (ABL)
1949-50 Oneonta Indians (Independent)
1959-60 Poughkeepsie YMCA - New York (Independent)

From Kingston, NY. Son of George Zelle, Zelle served in the U.S. Navy during World War 2. After the war, he finished schooling at Hartwick College while earning a bachelors' degree in business administration. He played pro basketball for Glens Falls, Schenectady and Oneonta.

George married Doris Leibfried in September of 1949.

Source:


Stats:

Frank Martello

Frank Thomas Martello, Jr.


Born:
March 11, 1926
Brooklyn, NY

 :




Career
Erasmus Hall - Brooklyn (High School)

1946-47 Temple University (College)
1947-48 Temple University (College)
1948-49 Cohoes Mastadons (NYSL)
1949-50 Sunbury Mercuries (EPBL)
1949-50 Trenton Tigers (ABL)

1950-51 Reading Rangers (EPBL)

1950-51 Utrecht Chiefs YMCA - Brooklyn (Independent)
1951-52 Middletown Guards (ABL)

1951-52 Lancaster Rockets (EPBL)
1952-53 Lancaster Roses (EPBL)

Source:


Stats:

Bill Levine

William R. Levine


Born:
July 20, 1921 ??


Died:




Career
1944-45 CCNY (College)
1944-45 Philadelphia SPHA's (ABL)
1944-45 New Britain Pros (Independent)
1945-46 New Britain Pros (Independent)

Pro Basketball Encyclopedia has identified the player listed in box scores as Lauren (or Laurner or Laurens) as Bill Levine from CCNY. Not sure how this conclusion was reached, but I will keep it as true for the time being. Possible he played under an assumed name since he has just been dismissed from CCNY's team in February of 1945. The timeline of Levine does match up with the Philly player.

Levine was a witness and testified in 1945 about the point-shaving epidemic that was sweeping through New York collegiate basketball at the time.

Source:
Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY), March 6, 1945

Stats:
http://probasketballencyclopedia.com/player/bill-levine/

Bob Cousy

Robert Joseph Cousy


Born:
August 9, 1928
New York, NY

 :





Career
1944-45 Andrew Jackson High School - Jamaica, NY (High School)
1945-46 Andrew Jackson High School - Jamaica, NY (High School)
1946-47 Holy Cross (College)
1947-48 Holy Cross (College)
1948-49 Holy Cross (College)
1949-50 Holy Cross (College)
1950-51 Boston Celtics (NBA)
1951-52 Boston Celtics (NBA)
1952-53 Boston Celtics (NBA)
1953-54 Boston Celtics (NBA)
1954-55 Boston Celtics (NBA)
1955-56 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 College (College) Head coach
1964-65 Boston College (College) Head coach
1965-66 Boston College (College) Head coach
1966-67 Boston College (College) Head coach
1967-68 Boston College (College) Head coach
1968-69 Boston College (College) Head coach
1969-70 Cincinnati Royals (NBA) Head coach / player
1970-71 Cincinnati Royals (NBA) Head coach
1971-72 Cincinnati Royals (NBA) Head coach
1972-73 Kansas City / Omaha Kings (NBA) Head coach
1973-74 Kansas City / Omaha Kings (NBA) Head coach

NATIONAL BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME, 1971

In high school, Cousy broke his hand which forced him to learn how to dribble and shoot left-handed. Once his right right hand healed, he was essentially an ambidextrous player, and on his way to being the first great point guard in the NBA. He graduated from high school and went to Holy Cross, being one of six freshman to make the team. The Crusaders went 24-3 and won the NCAA Tournament. Cousy had a poor sophomore season with limited playing time, and considered transferring, but he stayed at Holy Cross. It took to his senior year to really realize his talent. He was drafted by Tri-Cities in the 1950 NBA draft, but was unexcited at the prospect of playing in the Midwest (He also had opened a business in Boston and did not want to leave it behind.) His right were transferred to the Chicago Stags, but when the Stags folded, he was picked up by the Celtics, who had originally passed on him in the Draft for Charlie Share, in a dispersal draft.

Cousy went on to become one of the all-time greats. He was a 13-time All-Star and on the NBA MVP award in 1957, and was a key part to six NBA title with the Celtics Dynasty. He scored 16,960 points and recorded just under 6,955 assists. He retired after the 1962-63 season and took the head coaching job at Boston College. In six seasons at BC, his record was 114-38. This lead to an NBA coaching job with the Cincinnati Royals in 1969-70, and even returned briefly to the court. He slead the Royals as they eventually moved to Kansas City / Omaha to become the Kings, but was fired partially into the 1973-74 season. Cousy was the commissioner for the American Soccer League from 1974 to 1979, and has periodically worked in the broadcast booth since then, usually with the Celtics. In 1993, he was cast to play the Athletic Director in the Nick Nolte film, "Blue Chips."

Source:
Wikipedia

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/cousybo01.html
http://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=cousybo01

Harry Donovan

Henry Hunter "Harry" Donovan


Born:
September 10, 1926
Union City, NJ

 :




Career
1943-44 Union Hill High School - Union City, New Jersey (High School)
1944-45 Union Hill High School - Union City, New Jersey (High School)
1945-46 Muhlenberg College - Pennsylvania (College)
1946-47 Muhlenberg College - Pennsylvania (College)
1946-47 Troy Whirlwinds (NYSL)
1947-48 Muhlenberg College - Pennsylvania (College)
1948-49 Muhlenberg College - Pennsylvania (College)
1949-50 New York Knicks (NBA)
1950-51 Allendale / Carbondale Aces (ABL)

1950-51 Reading Rangers (EPBL)
1950-51 Wilkes-Barre Barons (ABL)
1951-52 Lancaster Rockets  (EPBL)

1952-53 Lancaster Roses (EPBL)

Donovan grew up in Union City, New Jersey, and went on to star on the hardwood at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania. He played for the Knicks in the NBA, and then played in the ABL.

Source:


Stats:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/donovha01.html
http://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=donovha01

Leo Kubiak

Leo Stephen (Roman?) Kubiak


Born:
December 25, 1926
Toledo, OH

 :




Career

1941-42 Macomber Vocational School - Toledo (High School)
1942-43 Woodward High School - Toledo (High School)
1943-44 Woodward High School - Toledo (High School)
1944-45 Bowling Green State University - Ohio (College)
1945-46 Bowling Green State University - Ohio (College)
1946-47 Bowling Green State University - Ohio (College)
1947-48 Bowling Green State University - Ohio (College)
1948-49 Waterloo Hawks (NBL)
1949-50 Waterloo Hawks (NBA)
1950-51 Waterloo Hawks (NPBL)
1950-51 Denver Refiners (NPBL)

Born in Ohio to Martin and Monica Kubiak, Kubiak grew up in Toledo, where he attended and played basketball and baseball at Macomber and Woodward High School. He moved on to play both sports at Bowling Green, and afterwards played basketball professionally for the Waterloo Hawks and the Denver Refiners. He also played baseball in the minor leagues briefly.

Leo married Suzanne Mercer Maddock in 1950.


Minor League Baseball Stats:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.cgi?id=kubiak001leo

Source:


Stats:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/nbl/players/k/kubiale01n.html
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/kubiale01.html
http://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=kubiale01