| Stan Chico Burrell played for the Harlem Globetrotters from 1946-59 off and on during that time period. He also played with the Washington Bears and the New York Rens with some time away from basketball for military service. He was 6’4” and 185 lbs with a blazing speed and killer basketball skills. He was featured in the 1954 movie about the Globetrotters, “Go Man Go.”
According to the Globetrotters 50-51 yearbook, Bill “Rookie” Brown was a 6’4” forward from Philly who at the time was called the finest rookie to come up to the Trotters since marques Haynes. After high school he joined the Washington Bears in 1944 and then 2 seasons with the club. In 47-48 he played with Hazelton, PA in the Eastern Pro League and 1948 Champs. Then 2 seasons with the NY Rens. His first season with the Globetrotters was during the 1949-50 season. His last season with them was 1958. He wore the #53 during the 1951 College All-Star game.
This blue dureen satin type material dates from the early 50’s. “HARLEM” arched across the chest in red-on-white twill with the words “ORIGINAL” and “GLOBETROTTERS” respectively flanking above and below in solid gold twill. On the back, “53” is sewn in white-on red twill, while a 3-1/4”-diameter gold-colored twill globe is accented by red and white embroidered highlights. There are (6) symmetrically arranged five-point stars sewn to either side. Red-and-white striped stretch ribbed cotton lines the collar and arm sleeves. The Wilson tag (tagging circa late 40’s – mid 60’s) is stitched into the lower left tail. The customary player name tag has long ago since been removed. Based on exhaustive research, we believe that this was originally assigned to Bill Rookie Brown based on the design of the jersey.
There were a few teams in the early NBA that wore short sleeve jerseys and that’s why we believe this could be as early as the late 40’s. This style matches up to the early 50’s Globetrotters jerseys (see link)
http://albersheimsstore.com/itemdetail.aspx?inventoryid=2447&sortby=5&searchtype=0&search=&lotsperpage=25&categoryid=46&displayby=2&pagetype=0&page=0&seo=1950%E2%80%99s-Lee-Garner-Game-Worn-Harlem-Globetrotters-Basketball-Jersey
Amazingly, we could not find any pictures of the Trotters wearing this style (as this must have been a very short lived experiment in styles). This may be the only vintage Trotters short sleeved jersey in private hands (it’s the first we’ve seen) – This style is exceedingly rare and worn by two historic Globetrotter players.
Letter of Authenticity from Richard Albersheim
For more background and historical information about this item, please see the article on our blog page.
Item: 3864
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