1951-52 Seattle Chieftains men's basketball team
Encyclopedia
The 1951–52 Seattle Chieftains men's basketball team (now known as Redhawks) represented the University of Seattle.

Harlem Globetrotters

On January 21, 1952, the Harlem Globetrotters played Seattle in a game designed to raise funds for the United States Olympic efforts. Five days before the game was held, Royal Brougham received a call from Howard Hobson, who was the Yale basketball coach and a United States Olympic Committee
United States Olympic Committee
The United States Olympic Committee is a non-profit organization that serves as the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States and coordinates the relationship between the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency and various...

 member. It was reported that money was needed to support the country's Olympic effort for the games held in Helsinki, Finland. The Globetrotters had agreed to a three-game fund-raiser against college teams in the West, Midwest and East.

Tickets cost $1.50 and they were sold out in 48 hours. Jazz great Louis Armstrong played at halftime and actress Joan Caulfield performed a ceremonial opening tip off. The game was played at the University of Washington's Hec Edmondson Pavilion and was filled to its 12,500 capacity.

The Globetrotters were considered the best basketball team in the world and the club paid their two star players "Goose" Tatum and Marques Hayes twenty five thousand dollars each. Entering the game with Seattle, the Globetrotters had played 3571 games winning 93 percent of their contests.

Seattle player Johnny O'Brien was the nation's leading scorer at that time. O'Brien would became the first player in the history of college basketball to score 1000 points in a single season. He would finish the season with 1,051 points. Against the Globetrotters, O'Brien poured in 43 points. Johnny's brother Eddie
Eddie O'Brien (baseball)
Edward Joseph O'Brien is an American former Major League Baseball shortstop, outfielder and pitcher. He played his entire five-year baseball career for the Pittsburgh Pirates...

  played point guard for Chieftains and his half court shot lifted the club to a 10 point lead.

After halftime, the Globetrotters got back in the game as Johnny O'Brien sat out most of the third quarter. With seconds left in the game, the Globetrotters called a time out they did not have. A free throw was made by Johnny O'Brien and there was a possession change. The Chieftains were ahead 84-81.

Globetrotter owner Abe Saperstein was so upset that he canceled the rest of the Trotters benefit schedule that year.

Team players drafted into the NBA

  • No one from the Chieftains was selected in the 1952 NBA Draft
    1952 NBA Draft
    The 1952 NBA Draft was the sixth annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on April 26, 1952 before the 1952–53 season. In this draft, ten remaining NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players...

    .

External links

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