 Harge as a member of theUtah Stars, circa 1972 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1941-03-14)March 14, 1941 (age 84) Anguilla, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Northeastern (Detroit,Michigan) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 1964: 2nd round, 11th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Playing career | 1967–1973 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 30, 33, 41 |
| Career history | |
| 1967–1968 | Pittsburgh Pipers |
| 1968–1970 | Oakland Oaks /Washington Caps |
| 1970 | Carolina Cougars |
| 1971–1972 | The Floridians |
| 1972,1972 | Utah Stars |
| 1972 | Carolina Cougars |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career ABA statistics | |
| Points | 4,396 (10.3 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 4,955 (11.6 rpg) |
| Assists | 736 (1.7 apg) |
Stats atBasketball Reference  | |
Ira Lee Harge (born March 14, 1941) is an American former professionalbasketball player. Born inAnguilla, Mississippi, Harge played high school basketball inDetroit,Michigan before starring in college at theUniversity of New Mexico. He played professionally in theAmerican Basketball Association for six seasons, playing on two ABA championship teams. Harge earned a master's degree in education from UNM in 1969 and became a coach and teacher inAlbuquerque after his playing career ended.
Harge initially enrolled atBowling Green but was forced to cut short his freshman year and return home when his father became ill.[1] He then went to Burlington Junior College in Iowa, where he was named a Juco All-American as a freshman after averaging 31 points and 21 rebounds a game. He averaged 39 a game in the JC national championship tournament, including a high game of 47 points.[2]He averaged 26.4 a game as a sophomore, leading Burlington to a conference title.[3]
Harge transferred as a junior toNew Mexico in 1962 to play for new Lobo coachBob King,[2] and together they would transform the program over the next two years. The Lobos had been dismal during theprevious eight seasons, going 42–149 (.220). During their two seasons with Harge, the Lobos went 39–15 (.722), becoming a nationally rankedNIT finalist and setting the table for the continued success of the UNM program.[4]
In 1962–63, the Lobos began the season 9–2, including wins over Texas Tech and at rival New Mexico State.[5] They were 14–4 before losing five straightWAC conference games, four of those on the road. They finished the season 16–9, the best Lobo record in seventeen years. Harge led the team, averaging 21.1 points and 13.2 rebounds a game, setting then-Lobo records for points and rebounds in a season.[6] Harge also spearheaded a defense thatgave up fewer than 58 points a game on the season,[7] and the team's success led to the first sell out of a Lobo home game.[8]
Harge was selected with the 4th pick in the 2nd round (11th overall) in the1964 NBA draft by thePhiladelphia 76ers. Previously, in1963, he was also selected with the 4th pick, but in the 7th round (57th overall) by theDetroit Pistons. But Harge opted to play professionally in theAmerican Basketball Association.
Harge played six seasons (1967–1973) in the ABA as a member of thePittsburgh Pipers (1967–68),Oakland Oaks /Washington Caps (1968–1970),Carolina Cougars (1970–1971 and 1973),Floridians (1971–1972), andUtah Stars (1971–1973). He played on the Pittsburgh Pipers team that won the1968 ABA Championship, and he won the1969 ABA Championship with the Oakland Oaks. Harge maintained adouble-double average (10.3 points, 11.6rebounds) over the course of his ABA career and ranks tenth on the ABA's all-time list for total rebounds (4,955).[9]
Harge earned a degree from UNM in education and coached and taught in the Albuquerque Public School system from 1965 to 1967, before returning to basketball.[10] While he was playing in the ABA, he completed a master's degree in education at UNM.[11] After his playing career ended, he returned to reside in Albuquerque.
In 1986, Harge was inducted into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame,[12] and in 1993 he was inducted into the UNM Athletics Hall of Honor.[13]
| 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 |
| * | Led the league |
| † | Denotes seasons in which Williams's team won anABA championship |
Source[9]
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967–68 | Pittsburgh | 52* | 31.8 | .399 | – | .647 | 11.4 | .7 | 9.1 |
| Oakland | 30* | 34.9 | .397 | – | .728 | 14.8 | 2.0 | 11.8 | |
| 1968–69† | Oakland | 78 | 26.9 | .465 | – | .615 | 10.5 | 1.2 | 8.5 |
| 1969–70 | Washington | 84* | 35.6 | .468 | – | .678 | 14.0 | 2.4 | 12.2 |
| 1970–71 | Carolina | 29 | 30.8 | .453 | .000 | .512 | 11.7 | 2.0 | 10.5 |
| Florida | 53 | 38.5 | .463 | .500 | .692 | 14.1 | 2.7 | 15.4 | |
| 1971–72 | Florida | 53 | 34.1 | .456 | .000 | .683 | 11.8 | 1.9 | 11.2 |
| Utah | 31 | 14.7 | .492 | – | .741 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 4.4 | |
| 1972–73 | Utah | 13 | 7.7 | .409 | – | .667 | 2.8 | .5 | 1.7 |
| Carolina | 4 | 19.3 | .278 | – | .500 | 5.8 | .8 | 3.0 | |
| Career | 427 | 30.8 | .450 | .333 | .661 | 11.6 | 1.7 | 10.3 | |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969† | Oakland | 16 | 27.8 | .417 | – | .615 | 12.0 | 1.3 | 7.1 |
| 1970 | Washington | 7 | 38.1 | .448 | .000 | .611 | 13.6 | 2.7 | 10.1 |
| 1971 | Florida | 6 | 38.8 | .561 | .000 | .579 | 16.3 | 2.0 | 17.2 |
| 1972 | Utah | 10 | 10.6 | .440 | – | .714 | 4.0 | .8 | 2.7 |
| Career | 39 | 26.9 | .468 | .000 | .614 | 10.9 | 1.6 | 8.1 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962–63 | New Mexico | 25 | 25 | .541 | .631 | 13.2 | 21.1 | |||||
| 1963–64 | New Mexico | 29 | 29 | .432 | .649 | 10.5 | 16.8 | |||||
| Career | 54 | 54 | .484 | .640 | 11.8 | 18.8 |
