Leroy Chollet: Difference between revisions

Archival photographs
Archival photographs
High resolution photographs from the Canisius College Archives
	Canisius president, Father Raymond Schouten, presents an award.
	Chollet steals the ball from Notre Dame.
	Chollet grabs a rebound near the basket.

Leroy Chollet
	Chollet at Canisius College, in 1948
Personal information
Born	March 5, 1925; New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Died	June 10, 1998 (aged 73); Rocky River, Ohio, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school	Holy Cross School (New Orleans, Louisiana)
College	Loyola (Louisiana) (1944–1945); Canisius (1946–1949);
Position	Forward
Number	9, 11
Career history
1949–1951	Syracuse Nationals
1950–1951	Utica Pros
1951–1952	Elmira Colonels
Career highlights and awards
	NAIA champion (1945);
	Stats at NBA.com
	Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

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Revision as of 17:34, 29 April 2023

Leroy Patrick Chollet (March 5, 1925 – June 10, 1998) was an American professional basketball player from New Orleans. He led then-segregated Loyola University to its first national championship. After his African American heritage was revealed, Chollet moved to New York State and played three seasons for Canisius College.

He played for several professional teams, including the Syracuse Nationals in the inaugural season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). While playing for the Nationals, Chollet criticized player-coach Al Cervi, resulting in Cervi making Chollet coach for a game. Chollet responded by benching his coach. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Holy Cross School, Loyola, and Canisius.

Early life and high school

Leroy Chollet was born to Olga and Alfred Chollet on March 5, 1925.^[1] His paternal great-grandmother was black, making Chollet and his siblings one-eighth black.^[2] By the standards of the time this meant that Leroy Chollet and his family, could be subject to racial segregation laws in the South. The family moved from New Roads to New Orleans where they passed as white. The Chollet brothers—Leroy, Al, and Hillary—all attended Holy Cross, which refused admission to black students.^[3] The brothers excelled at sports, and Leroy Chollet led the basketball team to consecutive state titles.^[4]

College career

There is no telling how far Leroy Chollet could have taken Loyola, if not all of New Orleans, in his soph, junior or senior seasons. But New Orleans didn’t wait to find out, because Leroy Chollet’s family was part black – and regrettably, shamefully, maddeningly, in this city, in those days that was unacceptable.^[3]
— Ramon Vargas, Fight, Grin, & Squarely Play the Game (2013)

Leroy Chollet served eleven months in the U.S. Navy before being discharged and moving on to college.^[5] He attended Loyola University New Orleans from 1944 to 1945.^[1] The season played out against the backdrop of World War II. Loyola alums followed the team from overseas, writing battlefield letters back to the current players,^[6] and the school held Mass in memory of former students who were killed.^[7] The team played against both traditional Dixie Conference opponents and armed forces teams from across the Southern United States.^[8]^[9]

During his freshman year, Chollet led the Loyola Wolf Pack to Louisiana's first national basketball championship.^[10] After a quiet start, he became the team's leading scorer.^[11] In the low-scoring semifinals of the 1945 NAIA basketball tournament, Loyola fell behind 30–21, before Chollet and team captain John Casteix led the Wolf Pack on a late-game scoring run; they beat Southern Illinois by a single basket.^[12] In their final game, Loyola defeated Pepperdine University with Chollet scoring a game-high eighteen points.^[13]

His younger brother Hillary Chollet had become a high school football star, recruited by rival colleges Louisiana State University (LSU) and Tulane. After Hillary chose Tulane, the family's genealogy came under increased scrutiny. Louisiana colleges were segregated, and neither Tulane nor Loyola accepted black students.^[3] Chollet's Wolf Pack teammates wanted him to stay at Loyola but could not influence the unfolding events.^[14] Amidst public rumors of their African ancestry, the Chollet parents endured harassment, the family was ostracized socially, and the children were pushed out of New Orleans' white universities.^[15] Hillary went out of state to Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Leroy transferred to Canisius, a private Jesuit college in New York. Older brother Al and their parents also moved to New York State after an experience the family described as "being run out of town."^[16]^[3]

Chollet played three seasons for Canisius and became their first player to total 1,000 points.^[17] While Chollet was on the team, LSU traveled to New York twice to play against Canisius and lost both times.^[3] In the final game of his senior season, Chollet scored 14 to push the school record to 1,117 total points.^[18] Chollet was inducted into the Canisius Hall of Fame in 1964,^[19] and the Loyola Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993.^[1]

Professional career

Chollet signed with the Syracuse Nationals during the NBA's inaugural season.^[3]^[20] In the NBA's early days, the most successful and popular franchises were the smaller Midwest teams that had originated in the NBL.^[21] Syracuse was one of the league's smallest markets. One of Chollet's teammates remarked that the State Fair Coliseum, the team's home venue, would get so "smoky you often had real trouble seeing through the haze."^[22] The NBA was ostensibly a white league at the beginning, with Wataru Misaka the only openly non-white player.^[23]^[24]

In the NBA, Chollet was a reserve guard tasked with facilitating. No longer a primary scoring option, his role was to set up plays and distribute the ball to the teams' vets.^[25] The Nationals were led by future Basketball Hall of Famer Dolph Schayes, all-star Billy Gabor, and player-coach Al "The Digger" Cervi. They made it to the first NBA Finals but fell to the Lakers in six games.^[26]

During his time with the Nationals, Chollet feuded with player-coach Al Cervi over playing time.^[22]^[3] Chollet told Cervi that he would make a better coach during an argument. When Cervi responded by making Chollet coach for a game, the rookie benched his own coach.^[27] According to teammate Alex Hannum, "Chollet did not send Cervi in until the last 30 seconds or so—about the usual time Cervi sent in Leroy."^[22]

For a season, Chollet was player-coach of the Utica Pros, an American Basketball League team that farmed players to larger NBA teams including Syracuse and the New York Knicks.^[28] Chollet became a top-scorer in the ABL and was recalled by Syracuse but barely played after an early ankle injury.^[29] His last season of professional basketball was with another ABL team, the Elmira Colonels.^[30] He announced during the season that he was retiring from professional basketball and hoping to find a stable coaching position.^[31]^[1]

Later life

After his professional basketball career, Chollet moved to his wife's hometown, Lakewood, Ohio.^[3] Upon learning of the new Catholic high school being built for the area, St. Edward High School, Chollet got a construction job there. He later worked at St. Edwards as a teacher and coach. He was the varsity head coach from 1956 to 1960 and retired in 1985.^[32] He was an administrator for community sports programs at the Lakewood Recreation Department from 1960 to 1980 and tended bar at local landmark Kluck's.^[33] Chollet died in 1998 and was buried at Milan Cemetery.^[34]

Statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	FG%	Field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
APG	Assists per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Professional

Year	Team	League	GP	FG%	FT%	APG	PPG
1949–50	Syracuse Nationals	NBA	49	.341	.625	0.8	3.2
1950–51	Syracuse Nationals	NBA	14	.118	.632	0.9	1.7
1950–51	Utica Pros	ABL	34	–	–	–	11.1
1951–52	Elmira Colonels	ABL	40	–	–	–	8.0

College

Year	School	GP	FG%	FT%	PPG
1944–45	Loyola	26	–	–	12.5
1946–47	Canisius	31	.327	.661	12.3
1947–48	Canisius	25	.308	.681	12.7
1948–49	Canisius	28	.344	.700	14.9

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Holy Cross 2020.
^ Alfred's mother, Olivia Olinde, was born to a black mother and white father in 1873 (Vargas 2013, p. 67).
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Lewis 2020.
^ Vargas 2013, p. 25,70.
^ Vargas 2013, p. 26.
^ Vargas 2013, p. 65.
^ Vargas 2013, p. 17.
^ Military teams included Jackson Barracks in New Orleans, Foster General Hospital from Jackson, Mississippi, Bergstrom Army Air Field out of Austin, TX, Brookley Army Air Field from Mobile, Alabama, Coast Guard rescue swimmers, and the Gulfport Naval Training Center (Vargas 2013, Appendix I).
^ Vargas 2013, ch. 1.
^ Vargas 2013, p. 7.
^ Vargas 2013, pp. 68–69.
^ Vargas 2013, p. 119 cites: "Loyola Wins in Last Minute, 37–35, to Reach Tourney Finals". The Times-Picayune. March 17, 1945. p. 7.
See also: "South vs. West". The Kansas City Times. Kansas City, Missouri. March 17, 1945. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
^ Vargas 2013, p. 61 cites: "Loyola Beats Pepperdine, 49–36, for National Basketball Crown". The Times-Picayune. March 19, 1945. p. 10.
See also: "Loyola's Title". The Kansas City Star. March 18, 1945. p. 15. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
^ Loyola teammate, Sam Ciolino, would later reflect, "The family left because you would get shut out of a lot of things if you were black. Today's a different environment altogether, but back then, it wasn't. I guarantee you the guys at Loyola didn't want him to leave. Leroy was the best-like guy on our team." Teammate Jack Atchley lamented, "What could we do? We were just regular people," (Vargas 2013, ch. 7).
^ According to journalist Mark Bernstein, even their church made them "feel unwelcome", and "Tulane quietly suggested that Chollet might find it difficult to go there," (Bernstein 2001, p. 189).
^ Loyola has maintained that Leroy Chollet's transfer was due to academic reasons in statements as recently as 2007 (Vargas 2013, p. 72). Family members bitterly described the experience as being forced out of New Orleans. Older brother Al Chollet's daughter recalled that her father was "resentful about what he called 'being run out of town,' "(Vargas 2013, p. 80).
^ SSAC 2023.
^ "Holy Cross Beats Canisius". Press and Sun-Bulletin. Binghamton, New York. March 18, 1949. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
^ Canisius 1964.
^ The existing Basketball Association of America (BAA) and National Basketball League (NBL) merged prior to Chollet's rookie season. The BAA incorporated the remaining NBL teams, including Syracuse, into the newly formed NBA (Harris 2022).
^ Harris 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c Hannum 1968.
^ Bowen 2017.
^ The NBA and preceding BAA barred entry to African Americans. The Syracuse Nationals originated in the NBL which had an integrated team as early as 1935. The NBL had merged into the NBA by the time that Syracuse signed Chollet (Harris 2022).
^ Vargas 2013, p. 77.
^ NBA 2021.
^ Vargas 2013, pp. 77–78.
^ Holy Cross 2020;
For farming see: "Cage Stars". The Times Leader. Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. November 2, 1950. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
^ Vargas 2013, p. 78;
For scoring see: "Leroy Chollet Still 5th in ABL Scoring Race". The Buffalo News. Buffalo, New York. January 23, 1951. p. 11. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
For recall to Syracuse see:"Chollet Recalled, Lofgran Farmed". Press and Sun-Bulletin. February 11, 1951. p. 4. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
^ Vargas 2013, p. 78.
^ Kuss, Leo (September 5, 1952). "Pro Gridders in Syracuse; Chollet Enters New Field". Elmira Advertiser. Elmira, New York. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
^ Vargas 2013, p. 79
See also: "Chollet Is New Cage Coach at St. Edward". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, OH. June 3, 1956. p. 5-C.
^ Vargas 2013, pp. 79, 104.
^ Vargas 2013, p. 104 cites: Baranick, Alana (June 14, 1998). "Leroy Chollet, St. Ed's Teacher Coach". Cleveland Plain Dealer.
See also: "Leroy P. Chollet, Canisius College basketball great". The Buffalo News. June 16, 1998. p. 12.
^ For NBA Statisitics: "Leroy Chollet". Sports Reference. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
For ABL statistics: "Leroy Chollet". Stats Crew. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
^ For Loyola Statisitics: Vargas 2013, Appendix I.
For Canisus statistics: "Canisius Men's Basketball Statistics 1945–1950" (PDF). Retrieved April 28, 2023.

References

Bernstein, Mark (September 19, 2001). Football: The Ivy League Origins of an American Obsession. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-0812236279.
Bowen, Fred (February 15, 2017). "In its early years, NBA blocked black players". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
Hannum, Alex (November 25, 1968). "Old Days and Changed Ways". Sports Illustrated. Vol. 29, no. 22. with Frank Deford. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023. 0038822X.
Harris, Curtis (January 21, 2022). "How the NBA's 75th anniversary sweeps away its early history". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
Holy Cross Athletics (2020). "Leroy Chollet (2020) Hall of Fame". Holy Cross. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
"Leroy Chollet (1964) - Hall of Fame". Canisius College Athletics. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
Lewis, Ted (February 23, 2020). "Black History Month: Chollet brothers overcame Louisiana's history of segregation to become great New Orleans trio of athletic siblings". Nola.com. Times Picayune. Archived from the original on March 12, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
NBA.com staff (September 13, 2021). "Legends profile: Dolph Schayes". Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
SSAC (February 27, 2023). "Black History Month Profile: Leroy Chollet (Loyola)". Southern States Athletic Conference. Montgomery, Alabama. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
Vargas, Ramon Antonio (July 2, 2013). Fight, Grin & Squarely Play the Game: The 1945 Loyola New Orleans Basketball Championship & Legacy. ISBN 978-1609499181.

External links

ABL statistics from Stats Crew
Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com

[FOOTNOTEHoly_Cross2020-1] Holy Cross 2020.

[2] Alfred's mother, Olivia Olinde, was born to a black mother and white father in 1873 (Vargas 2013, p. 67).

[FOOTNOTELewis2020-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Lewis 2020.

[FOOTNOTEVargas201325,70-4] Vargas 2013, p. 25,70.

[FOOTNOTEVargas201326-5] Vargas 2013, p. 26.

[FOOTNOTEVargas201365-6] Vargas 2013, p. 65.

[FOOTNOTEVargas201317-7] Vargas 2013, p. 17.

[8] Military teams included Jackson Barracks in New Orleans, Foster General Hospital from Jackson, Mississippi, Bergstrom Army Air Field out of Austin, TX, Brookley Army Air Field from Mobile, Alabama, Coast Guard rescue swimmers, and the Gulfport Naval Training Center (Vargas 2013, Appendix I).

[FOOTNOTEVargas2013ch._1-9] Vargas 2013, ch. 1.

[FOOTNOTEVargas20137-10] Vargas 2013, p. 7.

[FOOTNOTEVargas201368–69-11] Vargas 2013, pp. 68–69.

[12] Vargas 2013, p. 119 cites: "Loyola Wins in Last Minute, 37–35, to Reach Tourney Finals". The Times-Picayune. March 17, 1945. p. 7.
See also: "South vs. West". The Kansas City Times. Kansas City, Missouri. March 17, 1945. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2023.

[13] Vargas 2013, p. 61 cites: "Loyola Beats Pepperdine, 49–36, for National Basketball Crown". The Times-Picayune. March 19, 1945. p. 10.
See also: "Loyola's Title". The Kansas City Star. March 18, 1945. p. 15. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023 – via newspapers.com.

[14] Loyola teammate, Sam Ciolino, would later reflect, "The family left because you would get shut out of a lot of things if you were black. Today's a different environment altogether, but back then, it wasn't. I guarantee you the guys at Loyola didn't want him to leave. Leroy was the best-like guy on our team." Teammate Jack Atchley lamented, "What could we do? We were just regular people," (Vargas 2013, ch. 7).

[15] According to journalist Mark Bernstein, even their church made them "feel unwelcome", and "Tulane quietly suggested that Chollet might find it difficult to go there," (Bernstein 2001, p. 189).

[16] Loyola has maintained that Leroy Chollet's transfer was due to academic reasons in statements as recently as 2007 (Vargas 2013, p. 72). Family members bitterly described the experience as being forced out of New Orleans. Older brother Al Chollet's daughter recalled that her father was "resentful about what he called 'being run out of town,' "(Vargas 2013, p. 80).

[FOOTNOTESSAC2023-17] SSAC 2023.

[18] "Holy Cross Beats Canisius". Press and Sun-Bulletin. Binghamton, New York. March 18, 1949. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.

[FOOTNOTECanisius1964-19] Canisius 1964.

[20] The existing Basketball Association of America (BAA) and National Basketball League (NBL) merged prior to Chollet's rookie season. The BAA incorporated the remaining NBL teams, including Syracuse, into the newly formed NBA (Harris 2022).

[FOOTNOTEHarris2022-21] Harris 2022.

[FOOTNOTEHannum1968-22] Hannum 1968.

[FOOTNOTEBowen2017-23] Bowen 2017.

[24] The NBA and preceding BAA barred entry to African Americans. The Syracuse Nationals originated in the NBL which had an integrated team as early as 1935. The NBL had merged into the NBA by the time that Syracuse signed Chollet (Harris 2022).

[FOOTNOTEVargas201377-25] Vargas 2013, p. 77.

[FOOTNOTENBA2021-26] NBA 2021.

[FOOTNOTEVargas201377–78-27] Vargas 2013, pp. 77–78.

[28] Holy Cross 2020;
For farming see: "Cage Stars". The Times Leader. Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. November 2, 1950. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.

[29] Vargas 2013, p. 78;
For scoring see: "Leroy Chollet Still 5th in ABL Scoring Race". The Buffalo News. Buffalo, New York. January 23, 1951. p. 11. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
For recall to Syracuse see:"Chollet Recalled, Lofgran Farmed". Press and Sun-Bulletin. February 11, 1951. p. 4. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.

[FOOTNOTEVargas201378-30] Vargas 2013, p. 78.

[31] Kuss, Leo (September 5, 1952). "Pro Gridders in Syracuse; Chollet Enters New Field". Elmira Advertiser. Elmira, New York. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.

[32] Vargas 2013, p. 79
See also: "Chollet Is New Cage Coach at St. Edward". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, OH. June 3, 1956. p. 5-C.

[FOOTNOTEVargas201379,_104-33] Vargas 2013, pp. 79, 104.

[34] Vargas 2013, p. 104 cites: Baranick, Alana (June 14, 1998). "Leroy Chollet, St. Ed's Teacher Coach". Cleveland Plain Dealer.
See also: "Leroy P. Chollet, Canisius College basketball great". The Buffalo News. June 16, 1998. p. 12.

[35] For NBA Statisitics: "Leroy Chollet". Sports Reference. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
For ABL statistics: "Leroy Chollet". Stats Crew. Retrieved April 28, 2023.

[36] For Loyola Statisitics: Vargas 2013, Appendix I.
For Canisus statistics: "Canisius Men's Basketball Statistics 1945–1950" (PDF). Retrieved April 28, 2023.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Short description|American basketball player (1925–1998)}}
 {{Use American English|date=April 2023}}
-{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}
+{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}
 {{Infobox basketball biography
 | name = Leroy Chollet
 | image = Buffalo Evening News Sat Mar 6 1948 (1).jpg
+| alt = Closeup of Leroy Chollet from a newspaper photo, wearing a Canisius college uniform.
 | caption = Chollet at [[Canisius College]], in 1948
 | position =
@@ Line 34: / Line 35: @@
 ==Early life and high school==
-Leroy Chollet was born to Olga and Alfred Chollet on March 5, 1925.{{sfn|Holy Cross|2020}} His paternal great-grandmother was black, making Chollet and his siblings one-eighth black.<ref>Alfred's mother, Olivia Olinde, was born to a black mother and white father in 1873.{{harv|Vargas|2013|p=67}}</ref> By the standards of the time this meant that Leroy Chollet and his family, could be subject to [[racial segregation]] laws in [[Southern United States|the South]]. The family moved from [[New Roads, Louisiana|New Roads]] to [[New Orleans]] where they [[Passing (racial identity)|passed]] as white. The Chollet brothers&mdash;Leroy, Al, and Hillary&mdash;all attended [[Holy Cross School (New Orleans)|Holy Cross]], which refused admission to black students.{{sfn|Lewis|2020}} The brothers excelled at sports, and Leroy Chollet led the basketball team to consecutive state titles.{{sfn|Vargas|2013|p=25,70}}
+Leroy Chollet was born to Olga and Alfred Chollet on March 5, 1925.{{sfn|Holy Cross|2020}} His paternal great-grandmother was black, making Chollet and his siblings one-eighth black.<ref>Alfred's mother, Olivia Olinde, was born to a black mother and white father in 1873 {{harv|Vargas|2013|p=67}}.</ref> By the standards of the time this meant that Leroy Chollet and his family, could be subject to [[racial segregation]] laws in [[Southern United States|the South]]. The family moved from [[New Roads, Louisiana|New Roads]] to [[New Orleans]] where they [[Passing (racial identity)|passed]] as white. The Chollet brothers&mdash;Leroy, Al, and Hillary&mdash;all attended [[Holy Cross School (New Orleans)|Holy Cross]], which refused admission to black students.{{sfn|Lewis|2020}} The brothers excelled at sports, and Leroy Chollet led the basketball team to consecutive state titles.{{sfn|Vargas|2013|p=25,70}}
 ==College career==
-[[File:Buffalo Evening News Thu Dec 30 1948.jpg|thumb|alt=newspaper photographs of Leroy and Hillary Chollet in basketball poses|Brothers Leroy and Hillary Chollet played for Canisius and Cornell respectively, after they "were run out of" 1940s New Orleans for racial reasons.{{sfn|Lewis|2020}}]]
+[[File:Buffalo Evening News Thu Dec 30 1948.jpg|thumb|alt=Newspaper photographs of Leroy and Hillary Chollet in basketball poses. Text from the newspaper reads, "Brothers Lead Teams Into Action Here: Two sets of brothers will play in the college basketball doubleheader in Memorial Auditorium this evening. Leroy Chollet is captain of the Canisius College team which meets Miami. His brother, Hillary, captains Cornell, opponent of Utah. Paul Lansaw plays for Cornell and his brother, Carl, is with Miami.|Brothers Leroy and Hillary Chollet played for Canisius and Cornell respectively, after they "were run out of" 1940s New Orleans for racial reasons.{{sfn|Lewis|2020}}]]
 {{Blockquote
@@ Line 45: / Line 46: @@
 }}
-Leroy Chollet served eleven months in the U.S. Navy before being discharged and moving on to college.{{sfn|Vargas|2013|p=26}} He attended [[Loyola University New Orleans]] from 1944 to 1945.{{sfn|Holy Cross|2020}} The season played out against the backdrop of World War II. Loyola alums followed the team from overseas writing battlefield letters back to the current players,{{sfn|Vargas|2013|p=65}} and the school held Mass in memory of former students who were killed.{{sfn|Vargas|2013|p=17}} The team played against both traditional [[Dixie Conference]] opponents and armed forces teams from across the [[Southern United States]].<ref>Military teams included [[Jackson Barracks]] in New Orleans, Foster General Hospital from Jackson, Mississippi, [[Bergstrom Air Force Base|Bergstrom Army Air Field]] out of Austin, TX, [[Brookley Air Force Base|Brookley Army Air Field]] from Mobile, Alabama, Coast Guard rescue swimmers, and the [[Naval Construction Battalion Center (Gulfport, Mississippi)|Gulfport Naval Training Center]] {{harv|Vargas|2013|loc=Appendix I}}.</ref>{{sfn|Vargas|2013|loc=ch. 1}}
+Leroy Chollet served eleven months in the U.S. Navy before being discharged and moving on to college.{{sfn|Vargas|2013|p=26}} He attended [[Loyola University New Orleans]] from 1944 to 1945.{{sfn|Holy Cross|2020}} The season played out against the backdrop of World War II. Loyola alums followed the team from overseas, writing battlefield letters back to the current players,{{sfn|Vargas|2013|p=65}} and the school held Mass in memory of former students who were killed.{{sfn|Vargas|2013|p=17}} The team played against both traditional [[Dixie Conference]] opponents and armed forces teams from across the [[Southern United States]].<ref>Military teams included [[Jackson Barracks]] in New Orleans, Foster General Hospital from Jackson, Mississippi, [[Bergstrom Air Force Base|Bergstrom Army Air Field]] out of Austin, TX, [[Brookley Air Force Base|Brookley Army Air Field]] from Mobile, Alabama, Coast Guard rescue swimmers, and the [[Naval Construction Battalion Center (Gulfport, Mississippi)|Gulfport Naval Training Center]] {{harv|Vargas|2013|loc=Appendix I}}.</ref>{{sfn|Vargas|2013|loc=ch. 1}}
-During his freshman year, Chollet led the [[Loyola Wolf Pack]] to Louisiana's first national basketball championship.{{sfn|Vargas|2013|p=7}} After a quiet start, he became the team's leading scorer.{{sfn|Vargas|2013|pp=68–69}} In the low-scoring semifinals of the [[1945 NAIA basketball tournament]], Loyola fell behind 30–21, at which point Chollet and team captain John Casteix led the Wolf Pack on a late-game scoring run. They beat [[Southern Illinois University Carbondale|Southern Illinois]] by a single basket.<ref>{{harvnb|Vargas|2013|p=119}} cites: {{cite news | title = Loyola Wins in Last Minute, 37–35, to Reach Tourney Finals | newspaper = [[The Times-Picayune]] | date =  17 March 1945 | page = 7}}<br/> See also: {{cite news | newspaper = The Kansas City Times | date = 17 March 1945 | location = Kansas City, Missouri | title = South vs. West | url = https://www.newspapers.com/image/655645230/ | access-date = April 25, 2023 | archive-date = April 25, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230425014001/https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/?next_url=/ezproxy/r/ezp.2aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubmV3c3BhcGVycy5jb20vaW1hZ2UvNjU1NjQ1MjMwLw-- | url-status = live }}</ref> In their final game, Loyola defeated [[Pepperdine University]] with Chollet scoring a game-high eighteen points.<ref>{{harvnb|Vargas|2013|p=61}} cites: {{cite news | title = Loyola Beats Pepperdine, 49–36, for National Basketball Crown | newspaper = [[The Times-Picayune]] | date =  19 March 1945 | page = 10}}<br/> See also: {{cite news | title = Loyola's Title | newspaper = The Kansas City Star | date = 18 March 1945 | via = newspapers.com | page = 15 | url = https://www.newspapers.com/image/655779458/ | access-date = 26 March 2023 | archive-date = April 28, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230428055614/https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/?next_url=/ezproxy/r/ezp.2aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubmV3c3BhcGVycy5jb20vaW1hZ2UvNjU1Nzc5NDU4Lw-- | url-status = live }}</ref>
+During his freshman year, Chollet led the [[Loyola Wolf Pack]] to Louisiana's first national basketball championship.{{sfn|Vargas|2013|p=7}} After a quiet start, he became the team's leading scorer.{{sfn|Vargas|2013|pp=68–69}} In the low-scoring semifinals of the [[1945 NAIA basketball tournament]], Loyola fell behind 30–21, before Chollet and team captain John Casteix led the Wolf Pack on a late-game scoring run; they beat [[Southern Illinois University Carbondale|Southern Illinois]] by a single basket.<ref>{{harvnb|Vargas|2013|p=119}} cites: {{cite news | title = Loyola Wins in Last Minute, 37–35, to Reach Tourney Finals | newspaper = [[The Times-Picayune]] | date =  March 17, 1945 | page = 7}}<br/> See also: {{cite news | newspaper = The Kansas City Times | date = March 17, 1945 | location = Kansas City, Missouri | title = South vs. West | url = https://www.newspapers.com/image/655645230/ | access-date = April 25, 2023 | archive-date = April 25, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230425014001/https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/?next_url=/ezproxy/r/ezp.2aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubmV3c3BhcGVycy5jb20vaW1hZ2UvNjU1NjQ1MjMwLw-- | url-status = live }}</ref> In their final game, Loyola defeated [[Pepperdine University]] with Chollet scoring a game-high eighteen points.<ref>{{harvnb|Vargas|2013|p=61}} cites: {{cite news | title = Loyola Beats Pepperdine, 49–36, for National Basketball Crown | newspaper = [[The Times-Picayune]] | date =  March 19, 1945 | page = 10}}<br/> See also: {{cite news | title = Loyola's Title | newspaper = The Kansas City Star | date = March 18, 1945 | via = newspapers.com | page = 15 | url = https://www.newspapers.com/image/655779458/ | access-date = March 26, 2023 | archive-date = April 28, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230428055614/https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/?next_url=/ezproxy/r/ezp.2aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubmV3c3BhcGVycy5jb20vaW1hZ2UvNjU1Nzc5NDU4Lw-- | url-status = live }}</ref>
-His younger brother Hillary Chollet had become a high school football star, recruited by rival colleges [[Louisiana State University]] (LSU) and [[Tulane]]. After Hillary chose Tulane, the family's genealogy came under increased scrutiny. Louisiana colleges were segregated, and neither Tulane nor Loyola accepted black students.{{sfn|Lewis|2020}} Amidst public rumors of their African ancestry, the Chollet parents endured harassment, the family was ostracized socially, and the children were pushed out of New Orleans' white universities.<ref>According to journalist Mark Bernstein, even their church made them "feel unwelcome", and "Tulane quietly suggested that Chollet might find it difficult to go there."{{harv|Bernstein|2001|p=189}}</ref> Hillary went out of state to [[Cornell University]] in [[Ithaca, New York]]. Leroy transferred to [[Canisius College|Canisius]], a private Jesuit college in New York. Older brother Al and their parents also moved to [[New York State]] after an experience the family described as "being run out of town."<ref>Loyola has maintained that Leroy Chollet's transfer was due to academic reasons in statements as recently as 2007 {{harv|Vargas|2013|p=72}}. Family members bitterly described the experience as being forced out of New Orleans. Older brother Al Chollet's daughter recalled that her father was "resentful about what he called 'being run out of town,'&hairsp;"{{harv|Vargas|2013|p=80}}.</ref>{{sfn|Lewis|2020}}
+His younger brother Hillary Chollet had become a high school football star, recruited by rival colleges [[Louisiana State University]] (LSU) and [[Tulane]]. After Hillary chose Tulane, the family's genealogy came under increased scrutiny. Louisiana colleges were segregated, and neither Tulane nor Loyola accepted black students.{{sfn|Lewis|2020}} Chollet's Wolf Pack teammates wanted him to stay at Loyola but could not influence the unfolding events.<ref>Loyola teammate, Sam Ciolino, would later reflect, "The family left because you would get shut out of a lot of things if you were black. Today's a different environment altogether, but back then, it wasn't. I guarantee you the guys at Loyola didn't want him to leave. Leroy was the best-like guy on our team." Teammate Jack Atchley lamented, "What could we do? We were just regular people," {{harv|Vargas|2013|loc=ch. 7}}.</ref> Amidst public rumors of their African ancestry, the Chollet parents endured harassment, the family was ostracized socially, and the children were pushed out of New Orleans' white universities.<ref>According to journalist Mark Bernstein, even their church made them "feel unwelcome", and "Tulane quietly suggested that Chollet might find it difficult to go there," {{harv|Bernstein|2001|p=189}}.</ref> Hillary went out of state to [[Cornell University]] in [[Ithaca, New York]]. Leroy transferred to [[Canisius College|Canisius]], a private Jesuit college in New York. Older brother Al and their parents also moved to [[New York State]] after an experience the family described as "being run out of town."<ref>Loyola has maintained that Leroy Chollet's transfer was due to academic reasons in statements as recently as 2007 {{harv|Vargas|2013|p=72}}. Family members bitterly described the experience as being forced out of New Orleans. Older brother Al Chollet's daughter recalled that her father was "resentful about what he called 'being run out of town,'&hairsp;"{{harv|Vargas|2013|p=80}}.</ref>{{sfn|Lewis|2020}}
-Chollet played three seasons for Canisius and became their first player to total 1,000 points.{{sfn|SSAC|2023}} While Chollet was on the team, LSU traveled to New York twice to play against Canisius and lost both times.{{sfn|Lewis|2020}} In the final game of his senior season, Chollet scored 14 to push the school record to 1,117 total points.<ref>{{cite news | title = Holy Cross Beats Canisius | date = 18 March 1949 | newspaper = Press and Sun-Bulletin | location = Binghamton, New York | url = https://www.newspapers.com/image/260246538/ | access-date = April 28, 2023 | archive-date = April 28, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230428055614/https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/?next_url=/ezproxy/r/ezp.2aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubmV3c3BhcGVycy5jb20vaW1hZ2UvMjYwMjQ2NTM4Lw-- | url-status = live }}</ref> Chollet was inducted into the Canisius Hall of Fame in 1964,{{sfn|Canisius|1964}} and the Loyola Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993.{{sfn|Holy Cross|2020}}
+Chollet played three seasons for Canisius and became their first player to total 1,000 points.{{sfn|SSAC|2023}} While Chollet was on the team, LSU traveled to New York twice to play against Canisius and lost both times.{{sfn|Lewis|2020}} In the final game of his senior season, Chollet scored 14 to push the school record to 1,117 total points.<ref>{{cite news | title = Holy Cross Beats Canisius | date = March 18, 1949 | newspaper = Press and Sun-Bulletin | location = Binghamton, New York | url = https://www.newspapers.com/image/260246538/ | access-date = April 28, 2023 | archive-date = April 28, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230428055614/https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/?next_url=/ezproxy/r/ezp.2aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubmV3c3BhcGVycy5jb20vaW1hZ2UvMjYwMjQ2NTM4Lw-- | url-status = live }}</ref> Chollet was inducted into the Canisius Hall of Fame in 1964,{{sfn|Canisius|1964}} and the Loyola Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993.{{sfn|Holy Cross|2020}}
 ==Professional career==
+[[File:The Tribune Mon Feb 4 1952.jpg|thumb|alt=Newspaper photograph of an American Basketball League game between the Scranton Miners and Elmira Colonels. Leroy Chollet is jumping with one hand raised to contest a jump shot from Danny Finn who is fading away with the ball raised above his head. Three other players position themselves for a rebound near the basket.|Leroy Chollet (center) contesting a shot from [[Danny Finn]] in the ABL]]
 Chollet signed with the Syracuse Nationals during the NBA's inaugural season.{{sfn|Lewis|2020}}<ref>The existing Basketball Association of America (BAA) and National Basketball League (NBL) merged prior to Chollet's rookie season. The BAA incorporated the remaining NBL teams, including Syracuse, into the newly formed NBA {{harv|Harris|2022|}}.</ref> In the NBA's early days, the most successful and popular franchises were the smaller Midwest teams that had originated in the NBL.{{sfn|Harris|2022}} Syracuse was one of the league's smallest markets. One of Chollet's teammates remarked that the [[Toyota Coliseum|State Fair Coliseum]], the team's home venue, would get so "smoky you often had real trouble seeing through the haze."{{sfn|Hannum|1968}} The NBA was ostensibly a white league at the beginning, with [[Wataru Misaka]] the only openly non-white player.{{sfn|Bowen|2017}}<ref>The NBA and preceding BAA barred entry to African Americans. The Syracuse Nationals originated in the NBL which had an integrated team as early as 1935. The NBL had merged into the NBA by the time that Syracuse signed Chollet {{harv|Harris|2022}}.</ref>
@@ Line 60: / Line 63: @@
 During his time with the Nationals, Chollet feuded with [[player-coach]] Al Cervi over playing time.{{sfn|Hannum|1968}}{{sfn|Lewis|2020}} Chollet told Cervi that he would make a better coach during an argument. When Cervi responded by making Chollet coach for a game, the rookie benched his own coach.{{sfn|Vargas|2013|pp=77-78}} According to teammate [[Alex Hannum]], "Chollet did not send Cervi in until the last 30 seconds or so&mdash;about the usual time Cervi sent in Leroy."{{sfn|Hannum|1968}}
-For a season, Chollet was player-coach of the [[Utica Pros]], an [[American Basketball League (1925–1955)|American Basketball League]] team that [[Farm team|farmed players]] to larger NBA teams including Syracuse and the [[New York Knicks]].<ref>{{harvnb|Holy Cross|2020}}; <br/>For farming see: {{cite news | title = Cage Stars | newspaper = The Times Leader | date = 2 November 1950 | url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/24035548/abl-season-1950-1951-part-2/ | location = Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania | access-date = April 28, 2023 | archive-date = April 28, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230428055630/https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/?next_url=/ezproxy/r/ezp.2aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubmV3c3BhcGVycy5jb20vY2xpcC8yNDAzNTU0OC9hYmwtc2Vhc29uLTE5NTAtMTk1MS1wYXJ0LTIv | url-status = live }}</ref> Chollet became a top-scorer in the ABL and was recalled by Syracuse but barely played after an early ankle injury.<ref>{{harvnb|Vargas|2012|p=78}}; <br/>For scoring see: {{cite news | title = Leroy Chollet Still 5th in ABL Scoring Race | date = 23 January 1951 | newspaper = The Buffalo News | location = Buffalo, New York | url = https://www.newspapers.com/image/866432700/ | page = 11 | access-date = April 28, 2023 | archive-date = April 28, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230428055629/https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/?next_url=/ezproxy/r/ezp.2aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubmV3c3BhcGVycy5jb20vaW1hZ2UvODY2NDMyNzAwLw-- | url-status = live }} <br/>For recall to Syracuse see:{{cite news | title = Chollet Recalled, Lofgran Farmed | date = 11 February 1951 | newspaper = Press and Sun-Bulletin | page = 4 | url = https://www.newspapers.com/image/261400865/ | access-date = April 28, 2023 | archive-date = April 28, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230428055629/https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/?next_url=/ezproxy/r/ezp.2aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubmV3c3BhcGVycy5jb20vaW1hZ2UvMjYxNDAwODY1Lw-- | url-status = live }}</ref> His last season of professional basketball was with another ABL team, the [[Elmira Colonels]].{{sfn|Vargas|2013|p=78}} He announced during the season that he was retiring from professional basketball and hoping to find a stable coaching position.<ref>{{cite news | title = Pro Gridders in Syracuse; Chollet Enters New Field | last = Kuss | first = Leo | date = 5 September 1952 | newspaper = Elmira Advertiser | location = Elmira, New York | url = https://www.newspapers.com/image/279460810/ | access-date = April 28, 2023 | archive-date = April 28, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230428055631/https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/?next_url=/ezproxy/r/ezp.2aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubmV3c3BhcGVycy5jb20vaW1hZ2UvMjc5NDYwODEwLw-- | url-status = live }}</ref>{{sfn|Holy Cross|2020}}
+For a season, Chollet was player-coach of the [[Utica Pros]], an [[American Basketball League (1925–1955)|American Basketball League]] team that [[Farm team|farmed players]] to larger NBA teams including Syracuse and the [[New York Knicks]].<ref>{{harvnb|Holy Cross|2020}}; <br/>For farming see: {{cite news | title = Cage Stars | newspaper = The Times Leader | date = November 2, 1950 | url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/24035548/abl-season-1950-1951-part-2/ | location = Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania | access-date = April 28, 2023 | archive-date = April 28, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230428055630/https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/?next_url=/ezproxy/r/ezp.2aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubmV3c3BhcGVycy5jb20vY2xpcC8yNDAzNTU0OC9hYmwtc2Vhc29uLTE5NTAtMTk1MS1wYXJ0LTIv | url-status = live }}</ref> Chollet became a top-scorer in the ABL and was recalled by Syracuse but barely played after an early ankle injury.<ref>{{harvnb|Vargas|2013|p=78}}; <br/>For scoring see: {{cite news | title = Leroy Chollet Still 5th in ABL Scoring Race | date = January 23, 1951 | newspaper = The Buffalo News | location = Buffalo, New York | url = https://www.newspapers.com/image/866432700/ | page = 11 | access-date = April 28, 2023 | archive-date = April 28, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230428055629/https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/?next_url=/ezproxy/r/ezp.2aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubmV3c3BhcGVycy5jb20vaW1hZ2UvODY2NDMyNzAwLw-- | url-status = live }} <br/>For recall to Syracuse see:{{cite news | title = Chollet Recalled, Lofgran Farmed | date = February 11, 1951 | newspaper = Press and Sun-Bulletin | page = 4 | url = https://www.newspapers.com/image/261400865/ | access-date = April 28, 2023 | archive-date = April 28, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230428055629/https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/?next_url=/ezproxy/r/ezp.2aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubmV3c3BhcGVycy5jb20vaW1hZ2UvMjYxNDAwODY1Lw-- | url-status = live }}</ref> His last season of professional basketball was with another ABL team, the [[Elmira Colonels]].{{sfn|Vargas|2013|p=78}} He announced during the season that he was retiring from professional basketball and hoping to find a stable coaching position.<ref>{{cite news | title = Pro Gridders in Syracuse; Chollet Enters New Field | last = Kuss | first = Leo | date = September 5, 1952 | newspaper = Elmira Advertiser | location = Elmira, New York | url = https://www.newspapers.com/image/279460810/ | access-date = April 28, 2023 | archive-date = April 28, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230428055631/https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/?next_url=/ezproxy/r/ezp.2aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubmV3c3BhcGVycy5jb20vaW1hZ2UvMjc5NDYwODEwLw-- | url-status = live }}</ref>{{sfn|Holy Cross|2020}}
 == Later life ==
-After his professional basketball career, Chollet moved to his wife's hometown, [[Lakewood, Ohio]].{{sfn|Lewis|2020}} Upon learning of the new Catholic high school being built for the area, [[St. Edward High School (Ohio)|St. Edward High School]], Chollet got a construction job there. He later worked at St. Edwards as a teacher and coach. He was the varsity head coach from 1956&ndash;1960 and retired in 1985.<ref>{{harvnb|Vargas|2013|p=79}} <br/>See also: {{cite news |title=Chollet Is New Cage Coach at St. Edward |work=The Plain Dealer |location=Cleveland, OH |date=1956-06-03 |page=5-C }}</ref> He was an administrator for community sports programs at the Lakewood Recreation Department from 1960&ndash;1980 and tended bar at local landmark Kluck's.{{sfn|Vargas|2013|pp=79,104}} Chollet died in 1998 and was buried at Milan Cemetery.<ref>{{harvnb|Vargas|2013|p=104}} cites: {{cite news | title = Leroy Chollet, St. Ed's Teacher Coach | last = Baranick | first = Alana | newspaper = Cleveland Plain Dealer | date = 14 June 1998}} <br/>See also: {{cite news | title = Leroy P. Chollet, Canisius College basketball great | newspaper = The Buffalo News | date = 16 June 1998 | page = 12}}</ref>
+After his professional basketball career, Chollet moved to his wife's hometown, [[Lakewood, Ohio]].{{sfn|Lewis|2020}} Upon learning of the new Catholic high school being built for the area, [[St. Edward High School (Ohio)|St. Edward High School]], Chollet got a construction job there. He later worked at St. Edwards as a teacher and coach. He was the varsity head coach from 1956 to 1960 and retired in 1985.<ref>{{harvnb|Vargas|2013|p=79}} <br/>See also: {{cite news |title=Chollet Is New Cage Coach at St. Edward |work=The Plain Dealer |location=Cleveland, OH |date=June 3, 1956 |page=5-C }}</ref> He was an administrator for community sports programs at the Lakewood Recreation Department from 1960 to 1980 and tended bar at local landmark Kluck's.{{sfn|Vargas|2013|pp=79,104}} Chollet died in 1998 and was buried at Milan Cemetery.<ref>{{harvnb|Vargas|2013|p=104}} cites: {{cite news | title = Leroy Chollet, St. Ed's Teacher Coach | last = Baranick | first = Alana | newspaper = Cleveland Plain Dealer | date = June 14, 1998}} <br/>See also: {{cite news | title = Leroy P. Chollet, Canisius College basketball great | newspaper = The Buffalo News | date = June 16, 1998 | page = 12}}</ref>
 == Statistics ==
@@ Line 96: / Line 99: @@
 !APG
 !PPG
+!class="unsortable"|<ref>For NBA Statisitics: {{cite web | url = https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/chollle01.html | title = Leroy Chollet | website = [[Sports Reference]] | access-date = April 28, 2023}} <br/>For ABL statistics: {{cite web | url =  https://www.statscrew.com/basketball/stats/p-chollle01 | title = Leroy Chollet | website = Stats Crew | access-date = April 28, 2023}}</ref>
 |-
 | style="text-align:left; |{{nbay|1949}}
@@ Line 104: / Line 108: @@
 |.625
 |0.8
-|3.2
+|colspan=2 |3.2
 |-
 | style="text-align:left; |{{nbay|1950}}
@@ Line 113: / Line 117: @@
 |.632
 |0.9
+|colspan=2 |1.7
-|3.2
 |-
 | style="text-align:left;" |1950–51
@@ Line 122: / Line 126: @@
 |'''–'''
 |–
-|'''11.1'''
+|colspan=2 |'''11.1'''
 |-
 | style="text-align:left; |1951–52
@@ Line 131: / Line 135: @@
 |–
 |–
-|8.0
+|colspan=2 |8.0
 |}
 === College ===
 {| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
 |-
@@ Line 143: / Line 148: @@
 !FT%
 !PPG
+!class="unsortable"|<ref>For Loyola Statisitics: {{harvnb|Vargas|2013|loc=Appendix I}}. <br/>For Canisus statistics: {{cite web | url = https://gogriffs.com/documents/2017/9/23//MBB_Stats_45_50.pdf | title = Canisius Men's Basketball Statistics 1945&ndash;1950 | access-date = April 28, 2023}}</ref>
 |-
 | style="text-align:left;" |1944–45
@@ Line 149: / Line 155: @@
 |–
 |–
-|12.5
+|colspan=2 |12.5
 |-
 | style="text-align:left;" |1946–47
@@ Line 156: / Line 162: @@
 |.327
 |.661
-|12.3
+|colspan=2 |12.3
 |-
 | style="text-align:left; |1947–48
@@ Line 163: / Line 169: @@
 |.308
 |.681
-|12.7
+|colspan=2 |12.7
 |-
 | style="text-align:left;" |1948–49
@@ Line 170: / Line 176: @@
 |.344
 |.700
-|'''14.9'''
+|colspan=2 |'''14.9'''
 |}
@@ Line 178: / Line 184: @@
 ==References==
 {{refbegin}}
-* {{cite book | title = Football: The Ivy League Origins of an American Obsession | last = Bernstein | first = Mark | date = 19 September 2001 | isbn = 978-0812236279 | publisher = University of Pennsylvania Press}}
+* {{cite book | title = Football: The Ivy League Origins of an American Obsession | last = Bernstein | first = Mark | date = September 19, 2001 | isbn = 978-0812236279 | publisher = University of Pennsylvania Press}}
-* {{cite news | title = In its early years, NBA blocked black players | last = Bowen | first = Fred | date = 15 February 2017 | access-date = 31 March 2023 | newspaper = The Washington Post | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/in-nbas-early-years-black-players-werent-welcome/2017/02/15/664aa92e-f1fc-11e6-b9c9-e83fce42fb61_story.html | archive-date = March 14, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230314172118/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/in-nbas-early-years-black-players-werent-welcome/2017/02/15/664aa92e-f1fc-11e6-b9c9-e83fce42fb61_story.html | url-status = live }}
+* {{cite news | title = In its early years, NBA blocked black players | last = Bowen | first = Fred | date = February 15, 2017 | access-date = March 31, 2023 | newspaper = The Washington Post | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/in-nbas-early-years-black-players-werent-welcome/2017/02/15/664aa92e-f1fc-11e6-b9c9-e83fce42fb61_story.html | archive-date = March 14, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230314172118/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/in-nbas-early-years-black-players-werent-welcome/2017/02/15/664aa92e-f1fc-11e6-b9c9-e83fce42fb61_story.html | url-status = live }}
-* {{cite magazine | title = Old Days and Changed Ways | last = Hannum | first = Alex | others = with Frank Deford | url = https://vault.si.com/vault/1968/11/25/old-days-and-changed-ways | access-date = 30 March 2023 | magazine = Sports Illustrated | date = 25 November 1968 | volume = 29 | issue = 22 | archive-date = March 30, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230330090634/https://vault.si.com/vault/1968/11/25/old-days-and-changed-ways | url-status = live }} 0038822X.
+* {{cite magazine | title = Old Days and Changed Ways | last = Hannum | first = Alex | others = with Frank Deford | url = https://vault.si.com/vault/1968/11/25/old-days-and-changed-ways | access-date = March 30, 2023 | magazine = Sports Illustrated | date = November 25, 1968 | volume = 29 | issue = 22 | archive-date = March 30, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230330090634/https://vault.si.com/vault/1968/11/25/old-days-and-changed-ways | url-status = live }} 0038822X.
-* {{cite news | title = How the NBA's 75th anniversary sweeps away its early history | last = Harris | first = Curtis | newspaper = The Washington Post | date = 21 January 2022 | access-date = 30 March 2023 | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/01/21/nba-history-nbl-baa | archive-date = May 19, 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220519065305/https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/01/21/nba-history-nbl-baa/ | url-status = live }}
+* {{cite news | title = How the NBA's 75th anniversary sweeps away its early history | last = Harris | first = Curtis | newspaper = The Washington Post | date = January 21, 2022 | access-date = March 30, 2023 | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/01/21/nba-history-nbl-baa | archive-date = May 19, 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220519065305/https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/01/21/nba-history-nbl-baa/ | url-status = live }}
-* {{cite web | url = https://wearehc.net/honors/hall-of-fame/leroy-chollet/65 | title = Leroy Chollet (2020) Hall of Fame | publisher = [[Holy Cross School (New Orleans)|Holy Cross]] | date = 2020 | author = Holy Cross Athletics | access-date = 29 March 2023 | ref = {{Sfnref|Holy Cross|2020}} | archive-date = March 29, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230329063858/https://wearehc.net/honors/hall-of-fame/leroy-chollet/65 | url-status = live }}
+* {{cite web | url = https://wearehc.net/honors/hall-of-fame/leroy-chollet/65 | title = Leroy Chollet (2020) Hall of Fame | publisher = [[Holy Cross School (New Orleans)|Holy Cross]] | date = 2020 | author = Holy Cross Athletics | access-date = March 29, 2023 | ref = {{Sfnref|Holy Cross|2020}} | archive-date = March 29, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230329063858/https://wearehc.net/honors/hall-of-fame/leroy-chollet/65 | url-status = live }}
-*{{cite web | url = https://gogriffs.com/honors/hall-of-fame/leroy-chollet/5 | title = Leroy Chollet (1964) - Hall of Fame | publisher = Canisius College Athletics | access-date = 30 March 2023 | ref = {{Sfnref|Canisius|1964}} | archive-date = March 30, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230330094832/https://gogriffs.com/honors/hall-of-fame/leroy-chollet/5 | url-status = live }}
+*{{cite web | url = https://gogriffs.com/honors/hall-of-fame/leroy-chollet/5 | title = Leroy Chollet (1964) - Hall of Fame | publisher = Canisius College Athletics | access-date = March 30, 2023 | ref = {{Sfnref|Canisius|1964}} | archive-date = March 30, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230330094832/https://gogriffs.com/honors/hall-of-fame/leroy-chollet/5 | url-status = live }}
-* {{cite news | title = Black History Month: Chollet brothers overcame Louisiana's history of segregation to become great New Orleans trio of athletic siblings | url = https://www.nola.com/sports/black-history-month-chollet-brothers-overcame-louisianas-history-of-segregation-to-become-great-new-orleans/article_7fb014c0-5686-11ea-bf97-ff36e33f56bc.html | last = Lewis | first = Ted | date = 23 February 2020 | access-date = 29 March 2023 | work = Nola.com | publisher = Times Picayune | archive-date = March 12, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230312201413/https://www.nola.com/sports/black-history-month-chollet-brothers-overcame-louisianas-history-of-segregation-to-become-great-new-orleans/article_7fb014c0-5686-11ea-bf97-ff36e33f56bc.html | url-status = live }}
+* {{cite news | title = Black History Month: Chollet brothers overcame Louisiana's history of segregation to become great New Orleans trio of athletic siblings | url = https://www.nola.com/sports/black-history-month-chollet-brothers-overcame-louisianas-history-of-segregation-to-become-great-new-orleans/article_7fb014c0-5686-11ea-bf97-ff36e33f56bc.html | last = Lewis | first = Ted | date = February 23, 2020 | access-date = March 29, 2023 | work = Nola.com | publisher = Times Picayune | archive-date = March 12, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230312201413/https://www.nola.com/sports/black-history-month-chollet-brothers-overcame-louisianas-history-of-segregation-to-become-great-new-orleans/article_7fb014c0-5686-11ea-bf97-ff36e33f56bc.html | url-status = live }}
-* {{cite news | author = NBA.com staff | ref = {{Sfnref|NBA|2021}} | url = https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-legend-dolph-schayes | access-date = 30 March 2023 | title = Legends profile: Dolph Schayes | date = 13 September 2021 | archive-date = March 30, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230330090623/https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-legend-dolph-schayes | url-status = live }}
+* {{cite news | author = NBA.com staff | ref = {{Sfnref|NBA|2021}} | url = https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-legend-dolph-schayes | access-date = March 30, 2023 | title = Legends profile: Dolph Schayes | date = September 13, 2021 | archive-date = March 30, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230330090623/https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-legend-dolph-schayes | url-status = live }}
-* {{cite news | title = Black History Month Profile: Leroy Chollet (Loyola) | url = https://ssacsports.com/news/2023/2/27/ssac-black-history-month-profile-leroy-chollet-loyola.aspx | date = 27 February 2023 | location = Montgomery, Alabama | access-date = 29 March 2023 | author = SSAC | work = Southern States Athletic Conference | archive-date = March 29, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230329063858/https://ssacsports.com/news/2023/2/27/ssac-black-history-month-profile-leroy-chollet-loyola.aspx | url-status = live }}
+* {{cite news | title = Black History Month Profile: Leroy Chollet (Loyola) | url = https://ssacsports.com/news/2023/2/27/ssac-black-history-month-profile-leroy-chollet-loyola.aspx | date = February 27, 2023 | location = Montgomery, Alabama | access-date = March 29, 2023 | author = SSAC | work = Southern States Athletic Conference | archive-date = March 29, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230329063858/https://ssacsports.com/news/2023/2/27/ssac-black-history-month-profile-leroy-chollet-loyola.aspx | url-status = live }}
-* {{cite book | title = Fight, Grin & Squarely Play the Game: The 1945 Loyola New Orleans Basketball Championship & Legacy | date = 2 July 2013
+* {{cite book | title = Fight, Grin & Squarely Play the Game: The 1945 Loyola New Orleans Basketball Championship & Legacy | date = July 2, 2013
- | first = Ramon Antonio | last = Vargas | isbn = 978-1609499181 }}
+| first = Ramon Antonio | last = Vargas | isbn = 978-1609499181 }}
 {{refend}}
 ==External links==
+{{external media
-*[https://gogriffs.com/documents/2017/9/23//MBB_Stats_45_50.pdf Canisius Men's Basketball Statistics 1945&ndash;1950]
+| topic  =  High resolution photographs from the Canisius College Archives
-*[https://www.statscrew.com/basketball/stats/p-chollle01 ABL statistics]
+| title  = Archival photographs
+| image1 = [https://nyheritage.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16694coll82/id/387/rec/1 Canisius president, Father Raymond Schouten, presents an award.]
+| image2 = [https://nyheritage.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16694coll82/id/433/rec/4 Chollet steals the ball from Notre Dame.]
+| image3 = [https://nyheritage.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16694coll82/id/436/rec/2 Chollet grabs a rebound near the basket.]
+}}
+*[https://www.statscrew.com/basketball/stats/p-chollle01 ABL statistics] from Stats Crew
 *{{basketballstats|bbr=c/chollle01|name=Leroy Chollet}}