Roy A. Clifford (June 14, 1900 – June 12, 1996) was the 2nd head coach of the

Cleveland Rebels The Cleveland Rebels were a basketball team in the Basketball Association of America (BAA), a forerunner of the modern National Basketball Association (NBA), based in Cleveland. Franchise history The Rebels were an inaugural franchise in the BAA ...

. Clifford grew up in Lansing, Michigan graduating from

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

, known then as Western State Normal School, in 1924. That September he became the head basketball coach at Collinwood High School in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, coaching from 1924–1928. His 1928 Collinwood team had a perfect, undefeated season of 14–0. Clifford also coached the high school varsity soccer teams during this era. From 1929–1946 Clifford was the head basketball coach at

Western Reserve University Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

(now Case Western Reserve University) and was inducted into their hall of fame in 1981. During the

1946–47 BAA season The 1946–47 BAA season was the inaugural season of the Basketball Association of America. The league launched with 11 teams playing a 60-game schedule. The postseason tournament (the 1947 BAA Playoffs) at its conclusion, ended with the Philadel ...

, Clifford assumed the role as head coach of the Cleveland Rebels on February 12, 1947 after the resignation of

Dutch Dehnert Henry G. "Dutch" Dehnert (April 5, 1898 – April 20, 1979) was an American basketball player whose career lasted from 1915 to 1935. Dehnert, a bulky forward born in New York City, New York, is mostly known for his time with the Original Celtic ...

. Clifford led the team into the playoffs. The franchise folded after just one season.

References

1900 births 1996 deaths Basketball coaches from Michigan Basketball players from Michigan Case Western Spartans men's basketball coaches Cleveland Rebels coaches College men's basketball head coaches in the United States American men's basketball players {{1900s-US-basketball-bio-stub