This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 12/31/2005.
Coaching at all levels for 51 years Ernest Blood compiled a remarkable 1,268-168 record. He is best known for his Passaic (NJ) "Wonder Teams" of 1915-24, who went 200-1 including a 159-game win streak and seven New Jersey State Championships. A superb multi-sport athlete, Vic Hanson is the only individual enshrined in both the College Football and the Basketball halls of fame. Hanson won nine varsity letters at Syracuse and led the hoop team to a three-year 48-7 record. George Hepbron was one of basketball's first referees and rules pioneers. He served as editor and rules interpreter of both the men's and women's Basketball Guides, and was the first secretary of the AAU Basketball Committee in 1896. Frank Keaney was the architect of the modern "run and shoot" offense at Rhode Island. His 1939 team was the first to average more than 50 points per game. He compiled 403 wins in 27 years, never had a loosing season, and coached the school to four NITs. Coach Ward "Piggy" Lambert compiled a 371-152 record at Purdue, including the 1932 national championship and 11 Big Ten titles. He later served in various administrative capacities, including Commissioner of the National Basketball League. Player Branch McCracken did duty at center, forward and guard for Indiana, scoring 528 career points and earning All-America honors in the late 1920s. As coach of Indiana and Ball State, McCracken won 450 games in 32 seasons and guided the Hoosiers to the 1940 and 1953 NCAA Championships. Known as "Stretch," for his large (at that time) 6'6" frame, Charles Murphy teamed with John Wooden at Purdue. A top defensive player, Murphy captained the Boilermaker squad that won the 1930 Big Ten title. H.V. Porter is credited with inventing the fan-shaped backboard in 1933. He published the first high school rulebook in 1936, and served as the first Executive Secretary of the National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations. Player John Wooden, before he became one of the most famous coaches ever, enjoyed an All-America career at Purdue University, where he was known as the "Indiana Rubber Man" for his hustle. The 1932 College Player of the Year led the Boilermakers to the National Championship. He was the first individual enshrined as both a player and as a coach in the Basketball Hall of Fame. All are Silver Relief medallions. Blood is in excellent condition; several slight scratches on background. Hanson, Hepbron, Keaney, McCracken and Murphy are in NM condition. Lambert is in very good condition; chipped at bottom edge. Porter is in excellent condition; slight scratch on chin. Wooden is in excellent condition; very slight scratches on nose and chin.