Paul Jack "Lefty" Courty (September 14, 1925 – December 10, 2008), from

Windsor, Missouri Windsor is a city in Henry and Pettis counties, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,901 at the 2010 census. History Windsor was laid out in 1855, and originally known as Belmont. Its name was changed to Windsor in 1859, after Windsor C ...

, was an American basketball player who had a successful career at the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

from 1945 to 1949. He then played in the

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has ...

(AAU) for the

Phillips 66ers The Phillips 66ers (also known as the Oilers) were an amateur basketball team located in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and sponsored and run by the Phillips Petroleum Company. The 66ers were a national phenomenon that grew from a small-town team to an ...

despite being selected in the 1949 BAA draft by the

Providence Steamrollers The Providence Steamrollers were a Basketball Association of America team based in Providence, Rhode Island. As of 2022, the Steamrollers were the last professional sports franchise from one of the Big Four leagues to be based in Rhode Island. ...

. Courty was a three-time all-conference selection while an

Oklahoma Sooner The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Ru ...

. As a sophomore in 1946–47, he was a key player on the squad that advance to the 1947 NCAA national championship game before losing to Holy Cross. Courty led the team in scoring in his final two seasons, both of which saw him get named an

NCAA All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

. Professionally, he decided to pursue a career playing for the

, a powerful AAU squad during the mid-20th century. He played for three seasons before calling it quits in July 1952. Courty remained at the

Phillips Petroleum Company Phillips Petroleum Company was an American oil company incorporated in 1917 that expanded into petroleum refining, marketing and transportation, natural gas gathering and the chemicals sectors. It was Phillips Petroleum that first found oil in the ...

, the company sponsoring the 66ers, in a professional capacity after his basketball career ended.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Courty, Paul 1925 births 2008 deaths All-American college men's basketball players Basketball players from Missouri Forwards (basketball) Oklahoma Sooners baseball players Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball players People from Windsor, Missouri Phillips 66ers players Providence Steamrollers draft picks American men's basketball players