Chuck Cooper Finally Gets His Due

On Friday, Chuck Cooper finally got his due and was inducted in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. This was an honor that was long overdue. For those who don't know, Cooper, who played his college basketball at Duquesne University, was the first black player to ever be drafted by an NBA team. Of course, Cooper is one of Pittsburgh's most famous sons. He grew up in Pittsburgh and attended Westinghouse High School. After serving in the Navy in the later stages of World War II, he enrolled at Duquesne and starred for the Dukes. He was a four-year starter at Duquesne and earned All-American honors. During his time at Duquesne, he set the school record for total points with 990, propelling the Dukes to a 78'19 record during his tenure.

After his time at Duquesne he was selected in the second round (13^th overall) by the Boston Celtics, becoming the Jackie Robinson of the NBA. Cooper, along with Nat 'Sweetwater' Clifton and Earl 'Big Cat' Lloyd were all drafted in 1950, but Cooper was the highest selection. Clifton became the first African American player to sign an NBA contract, signing a deal with the New York Knicks that offseason. Lloyd was a ninth-round pick in 1950, but was actually the first African American to play in an NBA game, because Washington opened its schedule before either Boston or New York. However, until last week Cooper remained the only one of the three to not have been inducted into the Hall of Fame; Lloyd was enshrined in 2003 and Clifton in 2014.

While being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame is the highest of honors, having the new basketball arena of your alma mater named in your honor certainly ranks up there as well. That is what Duquesne University announced last year when they unveiled plans for the $45 million renovation of the Palumbo Center. The renovations will culminate with the renaming of the building as the UPMC Cooper Field House.

Copper's career NBA numbers were a respectable 6.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game with a 33.9 shooting percentage and in five of his six seasons he helped guide his team to the playoffs, including a trip to the NBA Finals in 1956 with the Fort Wayne Pistons. However, much like Willie O'Ree who broke the color barrier in the NHL, Cooper was not selected for the Hall of Fame because of his stats.

In addition to the grind of an NBA season, imagine also not being able to join teammates at hotels and restaurants and enduring racial slurs and discrimination on a nightly basis. It is this struggle that he endured to pave the way for other black players that rightfully earned him the Hall of Fame nod.

Sadly, Cooper died on February 5, 1984 after a battle with liver cancer. He was just 57. During his relatively short life he was able to compile a rather long list of accomplishments. In addition to his basketball feats, Cooper also achieved many great things off the court. He graduated with a Masters in Social Work from the University of Minnesota and then went on to serve on the Pittsburgh school board. Later he was appointed the director of parks and recreation for the city of Pittsburgh, becoming the first black department head.

Now, 35 years after his death and nearly 70 years after helping to break the NBA's color barrier, he is finally getting his due. It is good to know that his legacy will live on at both the Basketball Hall of Fame, as well as Duquesne's new home for hoops. He even has an exhibit now at the Heinz History Center Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum.

This morning, the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum unveiled a new display to honor Pittsburgh native and Duquesne University basketball star, Chuck Cooper. pic.twitter.com/lwMcQpAGkK

' Heinz History Center (@HistoryCenter) September 10, 2019

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js