George F. Harmon (July 16, 1902 – January 30, 1954) was a

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

player for the Mercer Baptists. Harmon was "one of the all-time greats" in Mercer basketball history" and "acknowledged king of the basketball world in so far as Southern circles are concerned." He played at

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

, and along with forward Consuello Smith and center Bob Gamble, led the Baptists to finish as runner-up to North Carolina in the 1922 SoCon tournament. Mercer upset the previous season's champion Kentucky, and Harmon was the tournament's top scorer with 75 points.

Early years

Harmon was born in

Cuthbert, Georgia Cuthbert is a city in, and the county seat of, Randolph County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,520 in 2019. History Cuthbert was founded by European Americans in 1831 as seat of the newly formed Randolph County, after Indian Remo ...

, the son of the Rev. J. A. Harmon and Mrs. Mamie Feagin Harmon.

Mercer

Harmon played football and basketball at

Mercer University Mercer University is a private research university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the state and enrolls more than 9,000 ...

. On the basketball team, Harmon was a running guard and "sharpshooter". His style of

dribbling In sports, dribbling is maneuvering a ball by one player while moving in a given direction, avoiding defenders' attempts to intercept the ball. A successful dribble will bring the ball past defenders legally and create opportunities to score. A ...

aroused cheers from spectators, and once got

fouls Foul may refer to: __NOTOC__ In sports * Foul (sports), an unfair or illegal act during a sports competition, including: ** Foul (association football), in football (soccer) ** Professional foul, in football (soccer) or rugby ** Foul (basketball) ...

called on him in a 1-point loss to the Atlanta Athletic Club. "Maybe the referee was so surprised that such a thing could be done that he was not responsible for what he did." Harmon was "acknowledged king of the basketball world in so far as Southern circles are concerned." He was "one of the all-time greats" in Mercer basketball history". Mercer was the runner-up to North Carolina in the 1922 SoCon tournament, and upset the prior season's champion Kentucky. Harmon was the top scorer of the tournament with 75 points. He was inducted into the Mercer Hall of Fame, with no relatives attending.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harmon, George Mercer Bears men's basketball players Guards (basketball) Mercer Bears football players 1902 births 1954 deaths Sportspeople from Macon, Georgia People from Cuthbert, Georgia Basketball players from Georgia (U.S. state)