Clyde Edward Lovellette ( ; September 7, 1929 – March 9, 2016) was an American professional basketball player. Lovellette was inducted into the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

in 1988. He was the first basketball player in history to play on an

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

championship team, Olympics gold medal basketball team, and NBA championship squad.

Basketball career

Lovellette fostered the trend of tall, physical and high-scoring centers. A two-time All-State performer at Garfield High School in

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

. As a high school junior (1946-47), Lovellette's previously undefeated high school team in

lost in the Indiana state championship finals to

Shelbyville, Indiana Shelbyville is a city in Addison Township, Shelby County, in the U.S. state of Indiana and is the county seat. The population was 20,067 as of the 2020 census. History In 1818, the land that would become Shelbyville was ceded to the U ...

led by Bill Garrett. The six-foot-nine Lovellette later attended the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...

where he became a member of the

Sigma Chi Sigma Chi () International Fraternity is one of the largest North American fraternal literary societies. The fraternity has 244 active (undergraduate) chapters and 152 alumni chapters across the United States and Canada and has initiated more t ...

fraternity. While at the University of Kansas he led Jayhawks to the 1952 NCAA title, capturing MVP honors and scoring a then-NCAA-record 141 points. A two-time first-team All-American at Kansas, Clyde led the Big Seven in scoring in each of his three seasons. Playing for

Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

coach Forrest "Phog" Allen, Lovellette led the nation in scoring his senior year (1952, 28.4 ppg) and was named the Helms College Player of the Year. Lovellette and basketball legend

Dean Smith Dean Edwards Smith (February 28, 1931 – February 7, 2015) was an American men's college basketball head coach. Called a "coaching legend" by the Basketball Hall of Fame, he coached for 36 years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel H ...

were teammates at Kansas. He is still the only college player to lead the nation in scoring and win the NCAA title in the same year. Lovellette's dominance in the paint landed him a place on the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

gold medal team in

Helsinki, Finland Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

and he was the team's dominating player and leading scorer. Lovelette was the 1st Round pick (#9) of the Minneapolis Lakers in the 1952 NBA draft. Following graduation, Lovelette played in 1951-1952 and 1952-1953 seasons for the

Bartlesville 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 ...

. At the pro level, Clyde became one of the first big men to move outside and utilize the one-handed set shot that extended his shooting range and offensive repertoire. This tactic enabled him to play either the small forward, power forward or center positions, forcing the opposition's big man to play out of position. In 1957, Lovelette led Minneapolis to the NBA Western Division Finals by averaging a playoffs career best 24.2 points along with 9.4 rebounds per game. Despite performing big, including scoring 33 points and grabbing 9 rebounds in Game 2 of the series, Lovelette and the Lakers were eliminated by

Bob Pettit Robert Lee Pettit Jr. (born December 12, 1932) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 11 seasons in the NBA, all with the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks (1954–1965). In 1956, he became the first recipient of the NBA's M ...

and the St. Louis Hawks. That offseason, Lovelette was traded to Cincinnati for 5 players, including Hot Rod Hundley and

Monk Meineke Don "Monk" Meineke (October 30, 1930 – September 3, 2013) was an American professional basketball player. Meineke averaged 20.6 points as a junior for the Dayton Flyers, carrying the team to an NIT runner-up finish in 1951. He averaged 2 ...

. A year later he was traded again, this time to St. Louis for Wayne Embry, among others. In 704 NBA games with the Minneapolis Lakers,

Cincinnati Royals The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the olde ...

, St. Louis Hawks and

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

, Lovellette scored 11,947 points (17.0 ppg) and grabbed 6,663 rebounds (9.3 rpg). Selected to play in four NBA All-Star Games, Lovellette was an integral component of championships in Minneapolis (1954) and Boston (1963, 1964). In 1972–73, he coached the Decatur Bullets 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 mi ...

for one season before the team folded. He was paid $150 per game.

Honors

Lovellette is one of only eight players in history to win an NCAA championship, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal.medal Basketball's Triple Crown - The Post Game.com
/ref> He also became the first player to win a championship with both the Boston Celtics and Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers.

Rajon Rondo Rajon Pierre Rondo (, born February 22, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, Rondo played two years of college basketball for ...

became the second player ever in 2020. Lovellette was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982. Lovelette had his #16 jersey retired by the University of Kansas. Lovelette was inducted into the

in 1988. As of 2018, Lovellette is the only player from the 1952 NBA draft to make the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was featured in the 1950s All-Star roster on NBA Live 2007.

Personal

Clyde married Sally Wheeler while attending Kansas University. They had three daughters, Cynthia, Linda, and Cherie After retiring from his career as a professional basketball player he was a elected as Sheriff of

Vigo County, Indiana Vigo County ( ) is a county on the western border of the U.S. state of Indiana. According to the 2020 United States Census, it had a population of 105,994 . Its county seat is Terre Haute. Vigo County is included in the Terre Haute metropolita ...

. He owed a small farm, raising and showing cattle, and engaged in various business activities, and eventually getting his Masters Degree. A
Whites Residential Services
a faith-based school in Wabash County, Indiana for at-risk teenagers, he served for 20 years and was successful in providing a positive influence on their lives. A summer residence in the UP of Michigan ultimately became a full time residence in the small town of Munising in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where he served as the Varsity Basketball Assistant Coach and on the Munising City Council. Clyde came back to Indiana as a full time resident where he eventually passed alway surrounded by his family. Lovellette died from cancer in North Manchester, Indiana at the age of 86.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

References

External links

Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame bioUniversity of Kansas Men's Basketball
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lovellette, Clyde 1929 births 2016 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball players at the 1952 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Indiana Boston Celtics players Centers (basketball) Cincinnati Royals players Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics Minneapolis Lakers draft picks Minneapolis Lakers players Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees National Basketball Association All-Stars National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball People from Petersburg, Indiana Phillips 66ers players Power forwards (basketball) Sportspeople from Terre Haute, Indiana St. Louis Hawks players United States men's national basketball team players