Horace Albert "Bones" McKinney (January 1, 1919 – May 16, 1997) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player and coach. A 6'6"

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger t ...

who played at both

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universit ...

(2 seasons) and the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

(1 season, after U.S. Army service during World War II interrupted his college career), McKinney had a six-year playing career in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

, most of them with the now-defunct

Washington Capitols The Washington Capitols were a former Basketball Association of America (forerunner of the National Basketball Association) team based in Washington, D.C. from 1946 to 1951. The team was coached from 1946 to 1949 by NBA Hall of Famer Red Auerbac ...

. He also played for the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

. His final year with the Capitols (in the 1950–51 season), McKinney was a

player-coach A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...

; the team folded midway through the season. McKinney, known for his sideline antics, would later coach the

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

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, leading them to two

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

titles and an appearance in the Final Four in 1962. McKinney also coached

Carolina Cougars The Carolina Cougars were a basketball franchise in the American Basketball Association that existed from 1969 through 1974. The Cougars were originally a charter member of the ABA as the Houston Mavericks in 1967. The Mavericks moved to North Ca ...

of the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

from 1969 through 1971. He coached them to a 42–42 record during the 1969–70 season, good for third place in the East Division. The Cougars then lost in the first round of the

1970 ABA playoffs The 1970 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1969-1970 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Indiana Pacers defeating the Western Division champion Los Angeles Stars, f ...

to the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

, 4 games to 0. As the 1970–71 season got under way, McKinney was named a vice president of the team. After a 17–25 start, halfway through the season McKinney was replaced as head coach by his assistant coach Jerry Steele. Steele also went 17-25 for the remainder of the season for a 34–50 record that failed to get the Cougars into the

1971 ABA playoffs The 1971 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1970-71 ABA season, 1970-1971 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Division (ABA), Western Division champion Utah Stars defeating the Eastern D ...

. During the 1970–71 season, McKinney provided color commentary for the television broadcast of the 1971 ABA All Star Game. Subsequently, McKinney would have a long and successful career as a color analyst for television broadcasts of ACC basketball games. McKinney's picture hangs in the North Carolina History Museum's North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame and one of his basketball jerseys is also displayed there. He was also a graduate of

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in Wake Forest, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. in Wake Forest, North Carolina. It was created in 1950 to meet a need in ...

and an ordained minister of the

Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The wor ...

."The Erupting Antics of 'Mr. Bones,'" ''LIFE'' (magazine), February 22, 1960.
Retrieved August 25, 2020

BAA/NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Head coaching record

College

References

External links

BasketballReference.com: Bones McKinney (as coach)
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKinney, Bones 1919 births 1997 deaths 20th-century Christians American Basketball Association announcers American Basketball Association executives American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Baptists from North Carolina Basketball coaches from North Carolina Basketball players from North Carolina Boston Celtics players Carolina Cougars coaches NC State Wolfpack men's basketball players North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players People from Pamlico County, North Carolina Player-coaches Small forwards Southern Baptist ministers Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball coaches Washington Capitols coaches Washington Capitols players 20th-century Baptist ministers from the United States