Don Barksdale
After starring at a Berkeley playground, Don Barksdale was recruited to Marin JC and then to UCLA, where he was an All-American basketball player. He earned gold medals with the 1948 U.S. Olympic Team and in the Pan American Games of 1951. In that year, the 28-year-old rookie joined the Baltimore Bullets. Barksdale was the […]
George Yardley
George Yardley was called “The Scoring Machine” when he broke the legendary Hank Luisetti’s Stanford record. He led the San Francisco Stewart’s Chevrolet team to the National AAU Championship in 1951. During the 1957-58 season, he became the first player to score 2,000 points in one NBA season. He played for Fort Wayne, Detroit, and […]
Fred Scolari
A native San Franciscan, Fred Scolari joined the Washington Capitals in 1946. He was 5 feet 10 1/2 inches, a gifted defensive man with an unorthodox off-the-hip shot that helped the Capitols to three playoffs in four seasons. Later he played for Baltimore, Fort Wayne, and Boston of the NBA, and coached the Baltimore Bullets. […]
Al Attles
With the Warriors for 33 seasons, Al Attles played for 11 years and served as head coach for 14 years and general manager for 3 years. Since 1986, he has been the vice president and a consultant to the team. Nicknamed “The Destroyer,” he played in 774 NBA games as guard. As a coach, he […]
K.C. Jones
A graduate of San Francisco’s Commerce High School, K.C. Jones was a member of the 1954-5 and 1955-6 University of San Francisco NCAA basketball champions. K.C. Jones is credited with revolutionizing the concept of defense in college basketball. Selected to the All-America team of 1956, he was also a member of the gold-medal-winning United States […]
Nate Thurmond
Selected by the Golden State Warriors as their first draft choice for the 1963-64 season, Nate Thurmond completed 11 seasons. He was considered by many as the best rebounder in the game. An excellent scorer, he had five consecutive seasons averaging over 20 points per game. In 1974, he became the only player to record […]
Rick Barry
Rick Barry was selected Rookie of the Year after joining the Golden State Warriors for the 1966-67 season. His scoring average as a rookie was 25.7. The next year, his scoring average rose to 35.6, the best in the NBA. He was selected to the NBA All-Star Team eight times and named the most valuable […]
Jim Pollard
Born in Oakland in 1922, Jim Pollard starred at Oakland Tech High School. As a member of Stanford’s 1942 NCAA Championship Team, he won high-scoring honors and was named to the All-Tournament Team. He played eight NBA seasons (1948-1955) with the Minneapolis Lakers, who won five NBA championships. He was elected to the Naismith Basketball […]
Peter “Pete” Newell
Coach Pete Newell led the University of San Francisco to the NIT title in 1949. Ten years later, he led the University of California at Berkeley to the NCAA Championship. And under his leadership, the United States Basketball Team won the 1960 Olympic Gold Medal. These victories represent a triple crown never before achieved. Newell […]
William “Bill” Fenton Russell
University of San Francisco graduate Bill Russell led the Dons in the 1956 national championship and a string of 61 unbeaten games. Twice named All-American and 1956 College Player of the Year, he was key to the 1956 U.S. Olympic championship at Melbourne. He had an outstanding pro basketball career, bringing the Boston Celtics 11 […]