Hal Greer

• Born: June 26, 1936
• Birthplace: Huntington, West Virginia
• Died: April 14, 2018
• Place of death: Arizona

Sport: Basketball

Early Life

Hal Greer was born on June 26, 1936, in Huntington, West Virginia. He was the youngest of nine children. His father worked on the railroads in the Huntington area, and his mother died at an early age. Greer's father remarried, and his parents became strong supporters of their children and encouraged Greer to develop his basketball skills.

Greer played basketball at Douglas High School in Huntington. Douglas was an all-black high school. Prior to 1954, segregated high schools and athletic teams existed in the United States. Greer was an average high school basketball player until Zelma Davis, his coach, inspired him to improve his skills. Davis is recognized as one of West Virginia’s outstanding high school basketball coaches. Under Davis’s leadership, Greer became an all-state performer in high school.

The Road to Excellence

In 1954, Greer was recruited by coach Cam Henderson to attend Marshall University, located in Huntington. He agreed to attend Marshall and became the first black athlete to break the color barrier in West Virginia college sports. Greer began to have an immediate impact on the basketball program at Marshall. He averaged more than 19 points and 10 rebounds per game, and he was able to develop an accurate one-hand jump shot. When he graduated, he held Marshall’s career record for field goal percentage, at 54 percent. Greer used his ball-handling, playmaking, and shooting ability to lead Marshall to the 1956 Mid-American Conference Championships. This was the only time in the school’s history that the team won this conference basketball championship—Marshall moved to Conference USA in 2005.

College coaches and fans began to recognize Greer's basketball talents. In 1958, he was selected as a member of the North college all-star team. During this all-star game, he scored 17 points and helped his team defeat the South 111–109. Hal concluded an outstanding basketball career at Marshall University, holding numerous records that stood for many years.

The Emerging Champion

In 1958, after graduating from Marshall University, Greer was selected by the National Basketball Association’s (NBA’s) Syracuse Nationals. He was coached at first by Paul Seymour and then by Alex Hannum. His rookie year with Syracuse was not very successful. He saw limited playing time and averaged only 11 points per game. One of the highlights of his rookie year came on February 14, 1959, when he scored 39 points in one half against the Boston Celtics.

Greer played during the so-called Golden Era of the NBA, with such players as Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, K. C. Jones, Bob Pettit, Elgin Baylor, and Jerry West. Despite the elite competition, Greer became an NBA All-Star. As a result of much practice and dedication, his average increased to more than 22 points per game during the 1961–1962 season. He continued to develop his playmaking, ball-handling, and shooting skills. During the 1965–1966 season, he finished among the top ten in free throw percentage (.804) and assists, with about 5 assists per game.

During the 1963–1964 NBA season, the Syracuse Nationals moved to Philadelphia, where they became known as the 76ers. Dolph Schayes, who had been an outstanding player, became Greer's coach. During this season, Wilt Chamberlain was traded to Philadelphia from San Francisco. The addition of Wilt Chamberlain helped the 76ers win the Eastern Division in 1966, a season in which Hal averaged more than 20 points per game. In 1967, the team won its first NBA Championship. During this season Greer entered the 10,000-career-point club.

Greer retired from playing in 1973, with his last 76ers team performing notoriously poorly to a 9–73 record. He concluded his NBA playing career with 21,586 points, and his 1,122 games played was a record at the time. In 1976 the 76ers retired his jersey number 15, the first time the team so honored any player.

Legacy

Hal Greer was one of the most outstanding players in the NBA during his fifteen-year career with Syracuse and Philadelphia. He is considered one of the most dominant and durable guards of all time, and few players have been able to emulate his work ethic. From 1961 to 1970, he played on ten NBA All-Star teams. His most memorable All-Star game was in 1968: he played only 17 minutes, hit 8 field goals without missing, and scored 21 points. For this performance he was selected most valuable player. The 1966–1967 Philadelphia 76ers team, led by Greer and Chamberlain, is considered one of the best in NBA history, and ended the Boston Celtics’ streak of eight consecutive championships. In 1996, Hal was selected as a member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.

Greer is also remembered for overcoming the barriers of racial segregation at Marshall University. He remains a legend at the college, where his uniform number is retired. The city of Huntington, West Virginia, in recognition of Hal’s athletic and personal achievements, named a street on his behalf, Hal Greer Boulevard. This street runs through his old neighborhood in Huntington.

Throughout his career and after, Greer was actively involved with community projects and often participated in celebrity events. To help raise money for those in need, he often donated autographed basketballs to charitable auction events. He also remained a strong supporter of the Marshall University athletic program. Away from basketball, Greer took ownership of a marketing firm after his retirement.

Personal Life

Greer and his wife, Mayme, who held a doctorate in mathematics, had two daughters and a son. Greer died at the age of eighty-one on April 14, 2018. The 76ers honored him during their play-off run that year by wearing armbands with his number.

Bibliography

Bjarkman, Peter C. The Biographical History of Basketball. Lincolnwood, Ill.: Masters Press, 2000.

Goldstein, Richard. "Hal Greer, Hall of Fame Jump Shooter for 76ers, Is Dead at 81." The New York Times, 16 Apr. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/04/16/obituaries/hal-greer-hall-of-fame-jump-shooter-for-76ers-is-dead-at-81.html. Accessed 20 Nov. 2018.

"Hal Greer: Complete Bio." NBA Encyclopedia: Playoff Edition, NBA Media Ventures, 2018, www.nba.com/history/players/greer‗bio.html. Accessed 20 Nov. 2018.

Hareas, John. NBA’s Greatest. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2003.

Lynch, Wayne. Season of the 76ers: The Story of Wilt Chamberlain and the 1967 NBA Champion Philadelphia 76ers. New York: Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press, 2002.

Macnow, Glen, and Big Daddy Graham. The Great Book of Philadelphia Sports Lists. Philadelphia: Running Press, 2006.

Shouler, Kenneth A. The Experts Pick Basketball’s Best Fifty Players in the Last Fifty Years. Lenexa, Kans.: Addax, 1998.