Clarence Glover (born November 1, 1947) is a retired American
National Basketball Association
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 S ...
(NBA) player, who played in college at
Western Kentucky
Western Kentucky is the western portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It generally includes part or all of several more widely recognized regions of the state.
;Always included
* The Jackson Purchase, the state's westernmost generally recogniz ...
(1968–1971). Glover was a forward at 6'8" and 210 lb.
Early life
Born in
Horse Cave, Kentucky
Horse Cave is a home rule-class city in Hart County, Kentucky, United States. Randall Curry currently serves as mayor of the city and is assisted by a city council that is composed of six members. As of the 2010 census, the population of Hors ...
, Glover attended
Caverna High School
Caverna High School is a small public high school located in Horse Cave, Kentucky, United States. Built in 1950, the school is operated by the Caverna Independent Schools, one of only a handful of school districts in Kentucky that are known to oper ...
in Horse Cave, where he played both baseball and basketball.
College career
Glover helped lead the
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers are the athletic teams that represent Western Kentucky University (WKU), located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, competing in the Co ...
to the
1971 NCAA Final Four.
In the
1971 NCAA tournament Western Kentucky advanced by defeating Jacksonville 74–72, in-state rival Kentucky 107–83 and Ohio State 81–78 to reach the Final Four. In the Final Four, the Hilltoppers lost to the
Villanova Wildcats
The Villanova Wildcats are the athletic teams of Villanova University. They compete in the Big East (NCAA Division I) for every sport; except football and rowing where they compete in the Colonial Athletic Association (Football Championship Sub ...
92–89 in double overtime. They then defeated Kansas 77–75 in the NCAA Third place game. Glover had 16 points, 17 rebounds and 3 assists against Jacksonville; 18 points, 17 rebounds and 8 assists in the win vs Kentucky; 11 points, 22 rebounds and 2 assists in the win over Ohio State. In the Final Four, Glover had 12 points and 20 rebounds in the loss to Villanova and 10 points 13 points and 3 assists in his career finale in the win vs Kansas.
The 6.8" Glover averaged 8.4 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists for the season.
The 1971
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers are the athletic teams that represent Western Kentucky University (WKU), located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, competing in the Co ...
was the first non-
HBU Kentucky collegiate basketball team to start five African-American players. Coach
John Oldham John Oldham may refer to:
*John Oldham (colonist) (1592–1636), early Puritan settler in Massachusetts
*John Oldham (poet) (1653–1684), English poet
* John Oldham (psychiatrist), American psychiatrist
*John Oldham (engineer) (1779–1840), Iris ...
started Glover,
Jim McDaniels
James Ronald McDaniels (April 2, 1948 – September 6, 2017) was an American professional basketball player. McDaniels played collegiately for Western Kentucky University and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1971 American Basketball Associat ...
,
Jim Rose,
Jerry Dunn and Rex Bailey. McDaniels had recruited Glover and the others after signing at WKU. Oldham was pressured not to start all five together, but said "they are my best five players."
For his career at Western Kentucky, Glover averaged 6.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 80 games.
Professional career
Glover was drafted in the 1st Round (#10 overall) in the
1971 NBA draft by 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 ...
. Glover was also drafted by 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 ...
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, ...
(ABA). He was also strongly pursued by the
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 ABA but chose to sign on with the Celtics mentioning better competition and better money.
Glover wore #28 with the Celtics in 1971–1972. Glover played 25 games for the 56–26 Celtics under Coach
Tommy Heinsohn
Thomas William Heinsohn (August 26, 1934 – November 9, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. He was associated with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) for six decades as a player, coach and broadcast ...
and averaged 2.6 points and 1.8 rebounds in 4.8 minutes per game.
Glover then joined the
Hartford Chiefs
The Hartford Chiefs was the final name of the American minor league baseball franchise representing Hartford, Connecticut, that played in the Eastern League (then Class A) between 1938 and 1952.
The Hartford team, which played at Bulkeley Stadiu ...
of the Eastern League. He came back to the Celtics for his second season and was among 18 players for 12 spots. Celtics General Manager
Red Auerbach
Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach (September 20, 1917 – October 28, 2006) was an American professional basketball coach and executive. He served as a head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA), most notably with the Boston Celtics. ...
, said: "Glover appears to have poise now and he's improved 200 percent on his outside shot, but he still needs improvement. What bothered me about Clarence when he first joined the team was that he was strung like a violin which is out of tune and always busting. He was releasing the ball for a shot too soon after getting it on the fastbreak and blowing layups. I don't mind a couple of mistakes but he was making too many."
In October 1972, Celtics waived Glover.
Personal
Following his basketball career, Glover had a career in Education and coaching, He began a lengthy career as an administrator in Kentucky Public Schools in 1995, and worked as the assistant principal at Farnsley Middle School. Glover was a co-founder of Frenchburg Academy, a year-round school for high school at-risk students.
Glover has served on numerous higher education boards and is the namesake of the "Clarence Glover Scholarship Fund" at Western Kentucky University.
Honors
* Glover was inducted into the Western Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007.
References
External links
NBA stats @ basketballreference.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glover, Clarence
1947 births
Living people
African-American basketball players
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Kentucky
Boston Celtics draft picks
Boston Celtics players
Hartford Capitols players
People from Hart County, Kentucky
Small forwards
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball players
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American sportspeople