Chuck Cooper (basketball)
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| No. 11, 15, 6 | |
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| Small forward / Shooting guard | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | September 29, 1926 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Nationality | American |
| Died | February 5, 1984 (aged 57) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Westinghouse (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) |
| College | West Virginia State (1944–1945) Duquesne (1946–1949) |
| NBA Draft | 1950 / Round: 2 / Pick: 12th overall |
| Selected by the Boston Celtics | |
| Pro career | 1950–1956 |
| League | NBA |
| Career history | |
| 1950–1954 | Boston Celtics |
| 1954–1956 | Milwaukee / St. Louis Hawks |
| 1956 | Fort Wayne Pistons |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 2,725 (6.7 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,431 (5.9 rpg) |
| Assists | 733 (1.8 apg) |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Charles Henry "Chuck" Cooper (September 29, 1926 – February 5, 1984) was an American professional basketball player. He and two others, Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton and Earl Lloyd, became the first African-American players in the NBA in 1950.[1] Cooper was also the first African-American to be drafted by an NBA team.[1]
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Life and education [edit]
Cooper was born and died in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Pittsburgh's Westinghouse High School. He then attended and played basketball for West Virginia State College (now University) and then Duquesne University.
Career [edit]
Cooper was signed by Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach. He played four years with the Celtics, then was traded to the Milwaukee Hawks before ending his career as a member of the Ft. Wayne Pistons. During his NBA career, Cooper played a total of 409 games, scored 2,725 points for an average of 6.66 points per game, had 2431 rebounds for an average of 5.9 per game, and had 733 assists for an average of 1.79 per game. As some statistics were not kept during that era, it is not known how many blocked shots, steals or turnovers he had during his career.
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ a b "1950-51 Season Overview". NBA's Color Line is Broken. NBA.com. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
External links [edit]
- Chuck Cooper's career NBA Stats from databasketball.com
- Biography at answers.com
- Find-A-Grave profile for Chuck Cooper
- Duquesne honors legacy of Chuck Cooper
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- 1926 births
- 1984 deaths
- African-American basketball players
- Basketball players from Pennsylvania
- Boston Celtics draft picks
- Boston Celtics players
- Duquesne Dukes men's basketball players
- Fort Wayne Pistons players
- Milwaukee Hawks players
- Sportspeople from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- St. Louis Hawks players
- West Virginia State Yellow Jackets men's basketball players
