 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1904-08-20)August 20, 1904 Rochester, New York, U.S. |
| Died | December 23, 1997(1997-12-23) (aged 93) Rochester, New York, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school | East (Rochester, New York) |
| Playing career | 1920s–1940s |
| Career history | |
Coaching | |
| 1948–1955 | Rochester Royals |
| Career highlights | |
As owner:
As coach: | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame | |
Lester J. Harrison (August 20, 1904 – December 23, 1997) was an American professionalbasketball player, coach, and team owner and is a member of theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Harrison was born inRochester, New York. He attendedEast High School and led the high school to the championship over West High. The victory inspired him to get in the basketball business. In 1923, Harrison began playing, coaching, and organizingsemi-professional basketball, working for theRochester Seagrams, which were later known as theRochester Ebers in order to appease the newspapers (resistant to liquor advertising).
In 1945, with his brother Joseph (Jack), Harrison founded his own semi-pro team, theRochester Pros; in 1946, the franchise changed its name toRoyals and began play in theNational Basketball League (NBL). Harrison oversaw the NBL iteration of his team for three years, with head coachEddie Malanowicz leading the Royals to three straight NBL finals (of which the team won one, over theSheboygan Red Skins in 1946) and amassing a record of 99 wins and 43 losses. In 1946, Harrison, as team owner, signedLong Island University standoutDolly King; King became the firstAfrican American to have played in the league since 1943 and the first to see substantial playing time for his team. King received taunts from crowds at times, particularly in the playoff series on the road inFort Wayne, Indiana. Fueled by their indignation of the insults directed at King, the Royals won the series at home in Rochester.[1]
After the 1947–48 season, Harrison moved his team to theBasketball Association of America (BAA), and, after his team spent one year in the BAA, served on the committee that brokered the merger of the BAA and NBL and produced theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He became coach of the team in 1948 while Malanowicz stayed as an assistant coach. Harrison was on the sideline for a historic game on January 6, 1951, when the Royals played theIndianapolis Olympians to a game that lasted six overtimes that saw the Royals lose 75–73, which saw eighteen combined points in the overtime periods as a total in a game that encapsulated the pre-shot clock era when it came to stalling with the ball. Harrison collected several talented players for the Royals that includedArnie Risen, nicknamed "Stilts" with his 6'9 frame to go with 6'5Arnie Johnson and 6'7Jack Coleman and a backcourt ofBob Davies andBobby Wanzer. In the 1950–51 season, Royals went 41–27, second behind the perennial threat in theMinneapolis Lakers, who had won the last two championships. The two teams met for a best-of-five Division Finals that saw Rochester pull off three straight wins (including the last two in Rochester) to reach their first NBA Finals. As it turned out, the Royals were the only team to defeat the Lakers in their dynasty era (1948–1954), as the Lakers rebounded to win the next three NBA Finals. In the1951 NBA Finals against theNew York Knicks, the Royals won the first three games before the Knicks won the next three to force Game 7 in Rochester. The Knicks led 74–72 with under three minutes later but Risen and Davies (who combined for 44 points scored in the game) managed to draw quick shots and free throws in the final minutes to give the Royals a 79–75 victory. Harrison noted later that in those days, the NBA did not even have a trophy to give to the team for their championship and there was no parade for the team in the city.[2] Harrison coached the Royals through the 1954–55 season and would retire having led his team to five NBA divisional titles and the 1951 NBA championship.
He remained owner of the Royals to the end of their tenure in Rochester. The1956 NBA draft was the last for the Royals before their move, and they had the first pick of the draft. Owing to a variety of circumstances (Harrison had stated the team's need for a guard to go withMaurice Stokes), the Royals draftedSi Green overBill Russell, who was selected by the St. Louis Hawks before being traded to theBoston Celtics forEd Macauley andCliff Hagan.[3] After the season, the team moved toCincinnati,Ohio prior to the 1957 season, with Harrison selling not long after. He noted his feeling on the matter in a 1993 interview, stating “I couldn’t help it. I lacked a five-letter word — I had no money. What happened to basketball is what I envisioned would happen. I thought even from the start that one day it would become big, real big, and it has.”
Harrison coached many Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers, includingBob Davies,Red Holzman,Bobby Wanzer,Al Cervi,Arnie Risen,Pop Gates andAlex Hannum. He also coached Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterbackOtto Graham,Chuck "The Rifleman" Connors andDel Rice, an MLB player and the manager of theCalifornia Angels in 1972.
Harrison died at Highland Hospital in Rochester on December 23, 1997, at the age of 93. In light of having no wife or children (as was the case with his brother and sister) to leave his belongings to, he bequeathed his Hall of Fame ring, jacket, and artifacts to David and Wendy Dworkin (her mother Barabara was the cousin of Harrison).[4][5]
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester | 1948–49 | 60 | 45 | 15 | .750 | 1st in Western | 4 | 2 | 2 | .500 | Lost inDivision Finals |
| Rochester | 1949–50 | 68 | 51 | 17 | .750 | 2nd in Central | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | Lost in Division Semifinals |
| Rochester | 1950–51 | 68 | 41 | 27 | .603 | 2nd in Western | 14 | 9 | 5 | .643 | WonNBA Championship |
| Rochester | 1951–52 | 66 | 41 | 25 | .621 | 1st in Western | 6 | 3 | 3 | .500 | Lost in Division Finals |
| Rochester | 1952–53 | 70 | 44 | 26 | .629 | 2nd in Western | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | Lost in Division Semifinals |
| Rochester | 1953–54 | 72 | 44 | 28 | .611 | 2nd in Western | 6 | 3 | 3 | .500 | Lost in Division Finals |
| Rochester | 1954–55 | 70 | 29 | 43 | .403 | 3rd in Western | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | Lost in Division Semifinals |
| Career | 476 | 295 | 181 | .620 | 38 | 19 | 19 | .500 |
In view of his having been a member of theboards of directors of the NBL, BAA, and NBA, having helped broker the merger of the NBL and BAA, and having been a proponent of the introduction of the 24-secondshot clock, Harrison was inducted into theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor in 1980. His induction class included Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas, Dallas Shirley and Everett Shelton. In 1990, he was inducted into theInternational Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. For his part, Harrison in his later years stated the importance of Syracuse ownerDanny Biasone (inducted into the Hall of Fame after his death in 2000) in getting the "fans' interest" with theshot clock that he was responsible for lobbying for the NBA to adopt in 1954; Harrison put his full support behind the idea done by Biasone along withLeo Ferris, which still is in use today.[6]
The basketball court at theBlue Cross Arena in Rochester is named in his honor and plays host to the Section V high school basketball tournament each year. It also serves as home court for theRochester Razorsharks of thePremier Basketball League.