Clyde Lovellette
![]() Lovellette with his mother in 1956 | |||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||
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Born | Petersburg, Indiana | September 7, 1929||||||||||||||
Died | March 9, 2016 North Manchester, Indiana | (aged 86)||||||||||||||
Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | ||||||||||||||
Listed weight | 234 lb (106 kg) | ||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||
High school | Garfield (Terre Haute, Indiana) | ||||||||||||||
College | Kansas (1950–1952) | ||||||||||||||
NBA draft | 1952: 1st round, 9th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
Selected by the Minneapolis Lakers | |||||||||||||||
Playing career | 1952–1964 | ||||||||||||||
Position | Center / Power forward | ||||||||||||||
Number | 4, 34, 89 | ||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||
1952–1953 | Phillips 66ers | ||||||||||||||
1953–1957 | Minneapolis Lakers | ||||||||||||||
1957–1958 | Cincinnati Royals | ||||||||||||||
1958–1962 | St. Louis Hawks | ||||||||||||||
1962–1964 | Boston Celtics | ||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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Career NBA statistics | |||||||||||||||
Points | 11,947 (17.0 ppg) | ||||||||||||||
Rebounds | 6,663 (9.5 rpg) | ||||||||||||||
Assists | 1,165 (1.7 apg) | ||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||||
Basketball Hall of Fame as player | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Clyde Edward Lovellette (/loʊˈvɛlɛt/ loh-VEL-et;[1] September 7, 1929 – March 9, 2016) was an American professional basketball player. He was the first basketball player in history to play on an NCAA championship team, Olympics gold medal basketball team, and NBA championship squad. As a high school junior (1946/47), Lovellette's previously undefeated high school team in Terre Haute, Indiana lost in the Indiana state championship finals to Shelbyville, Indiana led by Bill Garrett.
Lovellette fostered the trend of tall, physical and high-scoring centers. A two-time All-State performer at Garfield High School in Terre Haute, Indiana, the six-foot-nine Lovellette later attended the University of Kansas where he became a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. While at the University of Kansas he led Jayhawks to the 1952 NCAA title, capturing MVP honors and scoring a then-NCAA-record 141 points. A two-time first-team All-American at Kansas,[1] Clyde led the Big Seven in scoring in each of his three seasons. Playing for Basketball Hall of Fame coach Forrest "Phog" Allen, Lovellette led the nation in scoring his senior year (1952, 28.4 ppg) and was named the Helms College Player of the Year. Lovellette and basketball legend Dean Smith were teammates at Kansas. He is still the only college player to lead the nation in scoring and win the NCAA title in the same year. Lovellette's dominance in the paint landed him a place on the 1952 Summer Olympics gold medal team in Helsinki, Finland and he was the team's dominating player and leading scorer.[2]
At the pro level, Clyde became one of the first big men to move outside and utilize the one-handed set shot that extended his shooting range and offensive repertoire. This tactic enabled him to play either the small forward, power forward or center positions, forcing the opposition's big man to play out of position.[3] In 704 NBA games with the Minneapolis Lakers, Cincinnati Royals, St. Louis Hawks and Boston Celtics, Lovellette scored 11,947 points (17.0 ppg) and grabbed 6,663 rebounds (9.3 rpg). Selected to play in three NBA All-Star Games, Lovellette was an integral component of championships in Minneapolis (1954) and Boston (1963, 1964).
Lovellette is one of only seven players in history to win an NCAA Championship, an NBA Championship, and an Olympic Gold Medal,[4] and for all of his accolades, Lovellette was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982, and into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988. As of 2018, Lovellette is the only player from the 1952 NBA draft to make the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He is also featured in the 1950s All-Star roster on NBA Live 2007.
After retiring he participated in a variety of activities including serving as Sheriff of Vigo County, Indiana, farming, business activities, and then found a position at Whites Residential Services, a faith-based school in Wabash County, Indiana for at-risk teenagers where he served for 20 years and was successful in providing a positive influence on their lives. He resided at one time in the small town of Munising in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where he served as the Varsity Basketball Assistant Coach and on the city council.
Lovellette died from cancer in North Manchester, Indiana at the age of 86.[5]
NBA career statistics
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
† | Denotes seasons in which Lovellette won an NBA championship |
Regular season
Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1953–54† | Minneapolis | 72 | 17.4 | .423 | .695 | 5.8 | 0.7 | 8.2 |
1954–55 | Minneapolis | 70 | 33.7 | .435 | .686 | 11.5 | 1.4 | 18.7 |
1955–56 | Minneapolis | 71 | 35.5 | .434 | .721 | 14.0 | 2.3 | 21.5 |
1956–57 | Minneapolis | 69 | 36.1 | .426 | .717 | 13.5 | 2.0 | 20.8 |
1957–58 | Cincinnati | 71 | 36.5 | .441 | .743 | 12.1 | 1.9 | 23.4 |
1958–59 | St. Louis | 70 | 22.8 | .454 | .820 | 8.6 | 1.3 | 14.4 |
1959–60 | St. Louis | 68 | 28.7 | .468 | .821 | 10.6 | 1.9 | 20.8 |
1960–61 | St. Louis | 67 | 31.5 | .453 | .830 | 10.1 | 2.6 | 22.0 |
1961–62 | St. Louis | 40 | 29.8 | .471 | .829 | 8.8 | 1.7 | 20.9 |
1962–63† | Boston | 61 | 9.3 | .428 | .745 | 2.9 | 0.4 | 6.5 |
1963–64† | Boston | 45 | 9.7 | .420 | .789 | 2.8 | 0.5 | 6.7 |
Career | 704 | 27.1 | .443 | .757 | 9.5 | 1.6 | 17.0 | |
All-Star | 3 | 23.7 | .475 | .500 | 9.3 | 1.3 | 13.3 |
Playoffs
Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1954† | Minneapolis | 13 | 20.4 | .450 | .483 | 9.7 | 0.5 | 10.5 |
1955 | Minneapolis | 7 | 28.1 | .449 | .725 | 9.1 | 0.4 | 16.7 |
1956 | Minneapolis | 3 | 23.0 | .487 | .594 | 8.3 | 2.0 | 19.0 |
1957 | Minneapolis | 5 | 36.2 | .432 | .731 | 9.4 | 2.2 | 24.2 |
1958 | Cincinnati | 2 | 36.0 | .387 | .643 | 10.5 | 0.5 | 16.5 |
1959 | St. Louis | 6 | 26.8 | .500 | .786 | 9.8 | 1.3 | 15.3 |
1960 | St. Louis | 14 | 30.4 | .393 | .824 | 10.8 | 2.8 | 17.6 |
1961 | St. Louis | 8 | 23.9 | .404 | .660 | 6.5 | 1.4 | 15.4 |
1963† | Boston | 6 | 6.7 | .269 | .667 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 3.0 |
1964† | Boston | 5 | 8.0 | .235 | 1.000 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 4.0 |
Career | 69 | 23.8 | .416 | .684 | 8.1 | 1.3 | 14.0 |
References
- ^ a b Litsky, Frank; McDonald, William (March 10, 2016), "Clyde Lovellette, Hall of Famer Who Brought Size and Skill to Basketball, Dies at 86", The New York Times
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Clyde Lovellette Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2016-12-04. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "Hall of Famers: Clyde E. Lovellette". www.hoophall.com. Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2012-09-11. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
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- ^ "KU basketball legend Clyde Lovellette dies at age 86", The Kansas City Star, March 9, 2016
External links
- 1929 births
- 2016 deaths
- All-American college men's basketball players
- Basketball players at the 1952 NCAA Men's Division I Final Four
- Basketball players at the 1952 Summer Olympics
- Basketball players from Indiana
- Boston Celtics players
- Cincinnati Royals players
- Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players
- Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics
- Minneapolis Lakers draft picks
- Minneapolis Lakers players
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
- National Basketball Association All-Stars
- National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
- Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball
- People from Petersburg, Indiana
- Phillips 66ers players
- Sportspeople from Terre Haute, Indiana
- St. Louis Hawks players
- United States men's national basketball team players
- American men's basketball players