JimBob
02-27-2008, 08:30 PM
Basketball pioneer Marques Haynes honored by Legislature
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
2/27/2008 7:12 PM
OKLAHOMA CITY - Marques Haynes, the sensational dribbler for the Harlem Globetrotters of the late 1940s and early 1950s, did not jump at the chance to join the team while in college.
Haynes, who was honored Wednesday by the Oklahoma Legislature, was a star player for the Langston University Lions, which defeated the Globetrotters in a 1946 game in Haynes' senior year.
After the game, Haynes was offered a contract to go on the road with the Globetrotters. He turned them down.
Haynes, who was born in Sand Springs and now lives in Texas, had unparalleled ball-handling skills but said he always knew someone might be able to take the basketball away from him.
He said he also knew that "the one thing they could not possibly take away from me was the education I received at Langston University."
Haynes got his degree and then joined the Globetrotters, becoming a basketball legend in a 51-year career. He later founded and played for the Magicians. He played his last game in Kansas in 1997.
Over the decades, Haynes played in more than 12,000 professional games and scored more than 250,000 points as he traveled 4 million miles, playing in all 50 states and in about 100 countries on six continents.
In 1948, Haynes led the Globetrotters to a 61-59 victory over the Minnesota Lakers in a contest that paved the way for the integration of professional basketball.
He was the first Globetrotter to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame and has received many honors from Oklahoma and other states.
"Without Langston and the state of Oklahoma, of course, I doubt that there would have been any possibility at all for me to have achieved those things I achieved during my professional career," he said from the Senate floor.
Haynes, 81, spoke to senators and also to the House of Representatives during Marques Haynes Appreciation Day in the state.
Sen. Judy Eason-McIntyre, whose mother was a fellow student with Haynes at Langston, said Haynes "cast a shadow over the game eclipsed by few to have ever stepped on a court.
"His career story is a testament to selflessness, dedication and all the qualities needed to achieve greatness in any field. Marques is a great Oklahoma, and we take tremendous pride in his achievements."
I saw the Harlem Magicians vs. Boston Shamrocks play in Stroud circa '58-59 and have an autographed program. Damn, that was a long time ago.:D
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
2/27/2008 7:12 PM
OKLAHOMA CITY - Marques Haynes, the sensational dribbler for the Harlem Globetrotters of the late 1940s and early 1950s, did not jump at the chance to join the team while in college.
Haynes, who was honored Wednesday by the Oklahoma Legislature, was a star player for the Langston University Lions, which defeated the Globetrotters in a 1946 game in Haynes' senior year.
After the game, Haynes was offered a contract to go on the road with the Globetrotters. He turned them down.
Haynes, who was born in Sand Springs and now lives in Texas, had unparalleled ball-handling skills but said he always knew someone might be able to take the basketball away from him.
He said he also knew that "the one thing they could not possibly take away from me was the education I received at Langston University."
Haynes got his degree and then joined the Globetrotters, becoming a basketball legend in a 51-year career. He later founded and played for the Magicians. He played his last game in Kansas in 1997.
Over the decades, Haynes played in more than 12,000 professional games and scored more than 250,000 points as he traveled 4 million miles, playing in all 50 states and in about 100 countries on six continents.
In 1948, Haynes led the Globetrotters to a 61-59 victory over the Minnesota Lakers in a contest that paved the way for the integration of professional basketball.
He was the first Globetrotter to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame and has received many honors from Oklahoma and other states.
"Without Langston and the state of Oklahoma, of course, I doubt that there would have been any possibility at all for me to have achieved those things I achieved during my professional career," he said from the Senate floor.
Haynes, 81, spoke to senators and also to the House of Representatives during Marques Haynes Appreciation Day in the state.
Sen. Judy Eason-McIntyre, whose mother was a fellow student with Haynes at Langston, said Haynes "cast a shadow over the game eclipsed by few to have ever stepped on a court.
"His career story is a testament to selflessness, dedication and all the qualities needed to achieve greatness in any field. Marques is a great Oklahoma, and we take tremendous pride in his achievements."
I saw the Harlem Magicians vs. Boston Shamrocks play in Stroud circa '58-59 and have an autographed program. Damn, that was a long time ago.:D