Frank A. Ehmann is an American former
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 known for his
All-American college career at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
.
Ehmann joined
Northwestern from nearby
St. George High School in
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, Wil ...
. He was able to play for the Wildcats as a freshman due to a temporary relaxation of NCAA eligibility rules due to the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
. He made the most of his opportunity, earning a starting role that he would hold for four varsity seasons. After two solid years, Ehmann became a primary scorer for the Wildcats as a junior in the 1953–54 season. He averaged 18.2 points per game and at the end of the season was named second-team All-
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
and Northwestern's most valuable player for the season.
As a senior, Ehmann spent the year in contention for the Big Ten scoring title as he upped his average to 23.9 points per game. He was recognized as a first-team All-Big Ten performer and earned a spot on ''
Look Magazines 10-man All-American team. Ehmann left Northwestern as the school's all-time leading scorer for a career (1,291), season (501 his senior year) and single-game (38) – all since broken.
[ ]
Following the close of his college career, Ehmann toured with a college All-Star team in a series of exhibition games against 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 ...
.
In the
1955 NBA draft, he was selected by the
Syracuse Nationals
The Philadelphia 76ers are an American basketball team currently playing in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 76ers are third in NBA history in wins and playoff appearances.
1946– ...
in the fourth round, but never played in the league. Instead he joined the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
and played amateur basketball on service teams. After his military service, Ehmann entered a career in business in the Chicago area. He once contemplated a return to the business side of basketball in 1989 as a candidate for commissioner of the
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...
(CBA), though he ultimately withdrew his name from consideration.
[ ]
References
External links
College stats @ sports-reference.comNorthwestern Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ehmann, Frank
Date of birth missing (living people)
Living people
All-American college men's basketball players
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Chicago
Forwards (basketball)
Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball players
Syracuse Nationals draft picks
Year of birth missing (living people)