 Shannon from the 1943 “Yukka” | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1923-06-10)June 10, 1923 Manhattan, Kansas, U.S. |
| Died | August 16, 1995(1995-08-16) (aged 72) Plano, Texas, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Munday (Munday, Texas) |
| College |
|
| BAA draft | 1949: 1st round, 1st overall pick |
| Drafted by | Providence Steamrollers |
| Playing career | 1948–1950 |
| Position | Shooting guard /small forward |
| Number | 9, 8 |
| Coaching career | 1950–1971 |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1948–1949 | Providence Steamrollers |
| 1949–1950 | Boston Celtics |
Coaching | |
| 1950–1954 | Topeka HS |
| 1954–1964 | Kansas State (assistant) |
| 1964–1971 | Virginia Tech |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 1,323 (10.8 ppg) |
| Assists | 299 (2.5 apg) |
| Games played | 122 |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Howard Payne Shannon (June 10, 1923 – August 16, 1995) was an Americanbasketball player and coach. He played professionally in theBasketball Association of America (BAA) and the early years of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He later coached at the high school and college levels.
Shannon playedcollege basketball for theNorth Texas Green andKansas State Wildcats.[1] After the 1947–48 season with Kansas State, he was ruled ineligible to play by theBig 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 theProvidence Steamrollers of the BAA.[2][3] He averaged 13.4 points per game in1948–49 and was named the league'sRookie 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 the1949 BAA draft to secure his rights. He was selected with thefirst 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 theBoston Celtics for the1949-50 NBA season.
Following his playing career, Shannon became head coach atTopeka High School in Kansas, where he coached from 1950 to 1954 before becoming an assistant toTex Winter atKansas 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 in1967, reaching the Mideast Regional final before falling toDayton. In 1971, Shannon resigned to join Virginia Tech's physical education faculty full-time.[7] Shannon was also coach of the 1960Puerto Rican basketball team in the1960 Olympics.[6]
Howie Shannon died oflung cancer on August 16, 1995, inPlano, Texas.[8]
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | FG% | Field-goal percentage | ||
| FT% | Free-throw percentage | APG | Assists per game | ||
| PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high | ||
| 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 | |
