Laddie Gale

Laddie Gale
Gale in 1939
Personal information
Born(1917-04-22)April 22, 1917
Grants Pass, Oregon, U.S.
DiedJuly 29, 1996(1996-07-29) (aged 79)
Gold Beach, Oregon, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Career information
High schoolOakridge (Oakridge, Oregon)
CollegeOregon (1936–1939)
PositionForward
Career history
1939–1940Detroit Eagles
Career highlights and awards
Basketball Hall of Fame

Lauren "Laddie" Gale (April 22, 1917 – July 29, 1996) was an American collegiate and professional basketball player.

NCAA championship

A native of Oakridge, Oregon,[1] the 6'4" Gale played forward for the University of Oregon under head coach Howard Hobson. He was the second-tallest player (behind 6'8" Urgel "Slim" Wintermute) on the team, which was dubbed "The Tall Firs."[1]

Gale led the Ducks in scoring in 1938 and 1939, earning All-Pacific Coast Conference honors in each season. In 1939, Gale led the Ducks to a national championship in the first-ever Division I men's basketball tournament.[2]

Professional career and later years

After graduation, Gale played professionally in 1939 and 1940 for the Detroit Eagles of the National Basketball League.[3] He left the Eagles in to serve in World War II,[3] reportedly after being the first Oregon draftee selected by lottery.[1] After the war, he played on several semi-pro teams and retired from basketball in 1949.[3]

He died in Gold Beach, Oregon, on July 29, 1996.[1]

Halls of Fame

For his stellar collegiate play, for being the first college player regularly to employ a one-handed shot, and for helping to popularize the sport of basketball in the American West, Gale was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1977[2] and was an inaugural inductee of the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1980.[4] He is also a member of the University of Oregon Hall of Fame.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Hall of Famer Laddie Gale dies at 79". The Oregonian. July 31, 1996.
  2. ^ a b "Lauren "Laddie" Gale". Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2007-08-04. Retrieved 2007-05-23.
  3. ^ a b c "Laddie Gale". HickokSports.com. Archived from the original on 2002-02-23. Retrieved 2007-05-23.
  4. ^ "Hall of Fame Roll of Honor Members". Oregon Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2011.