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Howie Shannon

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Howie Shannon
Shannon from the 1943 “Yukka”
Personal information
Born(1923-06-10)June 10, 1923
Manhattan, Kansas, U.S.
DiedAugust 16, 1995(1995-08-16) (aged 72)
Plano, Texas, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High schoolMunday (Munday, Texas)
College
BAA draft1949: 1st round, 1st overall pick
Selected by the Providence Steamrollers
Playing career1948–1950
PositionGuard / small forward
Number9, 8
Coaching career1950–1971
Career history
As player:
1948–1949Providence Steamrollers
1949–1950Boston Celtics
As coach:
1950–1954Topeka HS
1954–1964Kansas State (assistant)
1964–1971Virginia Tech
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points1,323 (10.8 ppg)
Assists299 (2.5 apg)
Games played122
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference

Howard Shannon (June 10, 1923 – August 16, 1995) was an American basketball player and coach. He played professionally in the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the early years of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He later coached at the high school and college levels.

Shannon played college basketball for the North Texas Green and Kansas State Wildcats.[1] After the 1947–48 season with Kansas State, he was ruled ineligible to play by the Big Seven after the conference re-interpreted a rule to count freshman and junior college play against a player's four-year limit of college play. Consequently, Shannon signed a one-year contract to play professionally with the Providence Steamrollers of the BAA.[2][3] He averaged 13.4 points per game in 1948–49 and was named the league's Rookie of the Year, a designation not currently recognized by the NBA for that season. Although he had already signed and played with Providence, the team was still required to select him in the 1949 BAA draft to secure his rights. He was selected with the first overall pick of the draft.[4] However, the Steamrollers would fold their organization before the start of the first season with the NBA name. As a result, his rights were picked up by the Boston Celtics for the 1949-50 NBA season.

Following his playing career, Shannon became head coach at Topeka High School in Kansas, where he coached from 1950 to 1954 before becoming an assistant to Tex Winter at Kansas State.[5] In 1964, Shannon was named head coach of Virginia Tech.[6] Shannon coached the Hokies to a 104–67 record and its best NCAA Tournament finish in 1967, reaching the Mideast Regional final before falling to Dayton. In 1971, Shannon resigned to join Virginia Tech's physical education faculty full-time.[7] Shannon was also coach of the 1960 Puerto Rican basketball team in the 1960 Olympics.[6]

Howie Shannon died of lung cancer on August 16, 1995, in Plano, Texas.[8]

BAA/NBA career statistics

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

Regular season

[edit]
Year Team GP FG% FT% APG PPG
1948–49 Providence 55 .364 .804 2.3 13.4
1949–50 Boston 67 .344 .786 2.6 8.8
Career 122 .355 .795 2.5 10.8

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Howie Shannon NBA & ABA statistics Accessed: 4/25/2012
  2. ^ "Kansas State Court Star May Turn Pro". The Tampa Tribune. June 22, 1948. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  3. ^ "Shannon Leaves K-State For Pro Basketball". The Iola Register. June 30, 1948. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  4. ^ Bradley, Robert D. (2013). The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts. Scarecrow Press. p. 11. ISBN 9780810890695.
  5. ^ "Shannon Chosen As Aide to Winter at Manhattan". Lawrence Journal-World. March 23, 1954. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  6. ^ a b "Shannon Named Tech Cage Coach". Free Lance Star. April 13, 1964. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  7. ^ "Shannon Resigns". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. March 31, 1971. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  8. ^ "Also ..." Lakeland Ledger. August 18, 1995. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
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