Gordon "Shorty" Carpenter (September 24, 1919 – March 8, 1988) 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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player, and part of gold medal winning American basketball team at the
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...
.
Born in
Ash Flat, Arkansas
Ash Flat is a city in Fulton and Sharp counties in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The population was 1,137 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Sharp County.
History
Ash Flat was established in 1856. The community was so named for a g ...
and nicknamed ''Shorty'' despite his 6-foot, 6 inch frame, Carpenter played his college basketball at the
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...
, where he was an All-
Southwest Conference
The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference included schools from Oklahoma ...
performer in 1943. He later played
AAU basketball for both the Phillips 66ers and Denver Chevrolets, making AAU All-American teams each year from 1943 to 1947.
He coached the
United States men's national basketball team
The USA Basketball Men's National Team, commonly known as the United States men's national basketball team, is the basketball team representing the United States. They are the most successful team in international competition, winning medals in ...
at the
1950 FIBA World Championship, winning the silver medal.
Carpenter was named to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and the Helms Athletic Hall of Fame. Following his playing career, he became a
referee with the
Big Eight Conference.
Gordon Carpenter , Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame
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References
External links
profile as player basketpedya.com
profile as coach basketpedya.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carpenter, Gordon
1919 births
1988 deaths
American men's basketball coaches
American men's basketball players
Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball players
Arkansas Razorbacks men's track and field athletes
Basketball coaches from Arkansas
Basketball players at the 1948 Summer Olympics
Basketball players from Arkansas
Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball
People from Sharp County, Arkansas
Phillips 66ers players
United States men's national basketball team coaches
United States men's national basketball team players
Forwards (basketball)