John McLendon signed Basketball HOF FDC variation D. 1999 1st black pro coach
| With an engaging personality and pleasant demeanor, an extraordinary knowledge of basketball history, and a coaching resume that made many in the profession envious, John McLendon (D. 1999) was one of the game's leading ambassadors for more than 60 years. McLendon, who learned basketball from James Naismith as an undergraduate at Kansas, is the first coach in history to win three consecutive national titles. McLendon's teams featured superior conditioning, a patented fast break offense, and an aggressive in-your-face defensive attitude. A spokesman for heightened awareness of basketball at all-black colleges, McLendon also helped initiate an era of integrated basketball. McLendon's well-rounded coaching background included positions at the collegiate, AAU, and professional level. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979.
In 1961, McLendon became the first black coach of a professional basketball team in an integrated league, coaching the Cleveland Pipers for owner George Steinbrenner in the American Basketball League, a short-lived effort founded by Harlem Globetrotters owner Abe Saperstein in an attempt to compete with the NBA. We offer a basketball HOF signed 1961 FDC.
Item: 757
|
| Price: $49.00 | | |
