Frederick "Curly" Neal (May 19, 1942 – March 26, 2020) was an American

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 who played with the

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name ''Harlem'' because of i ...

, instantly recognizable with his shaved bald head. Following in the footsteps of

Marques Haynes Marques Haynes (March 10, 1926 – May 22, 2015) was an American professional basketball player and member of the Harlem Globetrotters, notable for his ability to dribble the ball and keep it away from defenders. According to the 1988 film ''Harl ...

, Neal became the Trotters' featured ballhandler, a key role in the team's exhibition act.

Early life

Born in

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

, Neal attended James B. Dudley High School and

Johnson C. Smith University Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) is a private historically black university in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The univer ...

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

from 1959 to 1963. At Smith, he averaged 23.1 points a game and was named All-

Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. CIAA institutions mostly consist of historically black coll ...

(CIAA) guard.

Career

Neal played for 22 seasons (from 1963 to 1985) with the Globetrotters, appearing in more than 6,000 games in 97 countries. His shaved head earned him his nickname, a reference to the

Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeared ...

Curly Howard Jerome Lester Horwitz (; October 22, 1903 – January 18, 1952), known professionally as Curly Howard, was an American actor and comedian. He was best known as a member of the American comedy team the Three Stooges, which also featured his elder ...

, and made him one of the most recognizable Globetrotters. In the 1970s, an animated version of Neal starred with various other Globetrotters in the

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...

animated cartoon ''

'' as well as its spinoff, ''

The Super Globetrotters ''The Super Globetrotters'' is a 30-minute Saturday-morning cartoon, Saturday morning animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera, Hanna-Barbera Productions. It premiered on NBC on September 22, 1979 and ran for 13 episodes. It was a Spin-off (media) ...

''. The animated Globetrotters also made three appearances in ''

The New Scooby-Doo Movies ''The New Scooby-Doo Movies'' is an American animated mystery comedy television series produced by Hanna-Barbera for CBS. It is the second animated television series in the studio's ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise, and follows the first incarnation, ''Sc ...

''. Neal himself appeared with

Meadowlark Lemon Meadow Lemon III (April 25, 1932 – December 27, 2015),"Meadowlark Lemo ...

, and his other fellow Globetrotters in a live-action Saturday morning TV show, ''

The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine ''The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine'' was a Saturday morning variety show featuring players from the basketball team the Harlem Globetrotters singing, dancing, and performing comedy sketches. Broadcast from 1974 to 1975, it was produced by F ...

'', in 1974–75, which also featured

Rodney Allen Rippy Rodney Allen Rippy (born July 29, 1968) is a former American child actor, television personality, marketing director, producer, and politician. He appeared in TV commercials for the fast-food chain Jack in the Box in the early 1970s, as well as ...

and

Avery Schreiber Avery Lawrence Schreiber (April 9, 1935 – January 7, 2002) was an American actor and comedian. He was a veteran of stage, television, and movies who came to prominence in the 1960s in a comedy duo with Jack Burns. He acted in an array of roles ...

. Neal also appeared in '' The White Shadow'', ''

The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island ''The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island'' is a 1981 made-for-television comedy film. It is the third of three movies that reunited the cast of the 1964–1967 sitcom ''Gilligan's Island''. The film aired on NBC on May 15, 1981. Plot The f ...

'', and ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy/drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986; in addition, four three-hour specials aired in 1986, 1987, and 1990. The series was set on the luxury passenger cruise ship MS ''Pac ...

''. On January 11, 2008, the Globetrotters announced that Neal's number 22 would be

retired Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...

on February 15 in a special ceremony at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

as part of "Curly Neal Weekend."Globetrotters to retire No. 22 during Curly Neal Weekend

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

. Published January 11, 2008. Retrieved October 23, 2009. Neal was just the fifth Globetrotter in the team's 82-year history to have his number retired, joining

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a Center (basketball), center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 yea ...

(13),

Meadowlark Lemon Meadow Lemon III (April 25, 1932 – December 27, 2015),"Meadowlark Lemo ...

(36),

(20) and

Goose Tatum Reece "Goose" Tatum (May 31, 1921 – January 18, 1967) was an American Negro league baseball and basketball player. In 1942, he was signed to the Harlem Globetrotters and had an 11-year career with the team. He later formed his own team known ...

(50). On January 31, 2008, it was announced that Neal would be inducted into the

North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame The North Carolina Museum of History is a history museum located in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. It is an affiliate through the Smithsonian Affiliations program. The museum is a part of the Division of State History Museums, Office of Archives ...

. He was also granted the

' prestigious "Legends" ring, which is presented to those who make major humanitarian contributions and work for the Harlem Globetrotters organization.

Personal life and death

A mural commemorating Neal's achievements both as a Globetrotter and his time playing for Dudley High School is painted in the basketball gym of the Hayes-Taylor Memorial

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

at 1101 East Market Street in Greensboro. He had two daughters, Rocurl (Raquel) and Laverne Neal, and six grandchildren, David, Dante, Jayden, Brandon, Deja, and Hailey. Neal lived in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

with his fiancée Linda Ware until his death. On March 26, 2020, Neal died at his home outside Houston at the age of 77.Harlem Globetrotter legend Fred “Curly” Neal passes away
hbcugameday.com, Steven J. Gaither, 26 March 2020

References

External links

*
Fred "Curly" Neal
at the

site {{DEFAULTSORT:Neal, Curly 1942 births 2020 deaths American men's basketball players Basketball players from Greensboro, North Carolina Harlem Globetrotters players Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls basketball players Point guards