Ira Lee Harge (born March 14, 1941) is a retired American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. Born in Anguilla, Mississippi, Harge played high school basketball in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

before starring in college at the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

. He played professionally in the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, leading to four A ...

for six seasons, playing on two ABA championship teams. Harge earned a master's degree in education from UNM in 1969 and became a coach and teacher in

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding i ...

after his playing career ended.

College career

Burlington Junior College

Harge initially enrolled at

Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...

but was forced to cut short his freshman year and return home when his father became ill. He then went to Burlington Junior College in Iowa, where he was named a Juco All-American as a freshman after averaging 31 points and 21 rebounds a game. He averaged 39 a game in the JC national championship tournament, including a high game of 47 points. He averaged 26.4 a game as a sophomore, leading Burlington to a conference title.

University of New Mexico

Harge transferred as a junior to

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

in 1962 to play for new Lobo coach Bob King, and together they would transform the program over the next two years. The Lobos had been dismal during the previous eight seasons, going 42–149 (.220). During their two seasons with Harge, the Lobos went 39–15 (.722), becoming a nationally ranked NIT finalist and setting the table for the continued success of the UNM program. In 1962–63, the Lobos began the season 9–2, including wins over Texas Tech and at rival New Mexico State. They were 14–4 before losing five straight WAC conference games, four of those on the road. They finished the season 16–9, the best Lobo record in seventeen years. Harge led the team, averaging 21.1 points and 13.2 rebounds a game, setting then-Lobo records for points and rebounds in a season. Harge also spearheaded a defense that gave up fewer than 58 points a game on the season, and the team's success led to the first sell out of a Lobo home game.

College stats

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1962–63 , style="text-align:left;", New Mexico , 25 , , 25 , , , , .541 , , , , .631 , , 13.2 , , , , , , , , 21.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1963–64 , style="text-align:left;", New Mexico , 29 , , 29 , , , , .432 , , , , .649 , , 10.5 , , , , , , , , 16.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", , 54 , , 54 , , , , .484 , , , , .640 , , 11.8 , , , , , , , , 18.8 , - * Bold indicates team leader

Professional career

Harge was selected with the 4th pick in the 2nd round (11th overall) in the

1964 NBA draft The 1964 NBA draft was the 18th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 4, 1964, before the 1964–65 season. In this draft, nine NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball player ...

by the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

. Previously, in

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

, he was also selected with the 4th pick, but in the 7th round (57th overall) by the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

. But Harge opted to play professionally in the

. Harge played six seasons (1967–1973) in the ABA as a member of the Pittsburgh Pipers (1967–68),

Oakland Oaks Oakland Oaks may refer to one of the following sport teams, listed chronologically: * Oakland Oaks (PCL), a minor league baseball team that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 to 1955 *Oakland Oaks (ice hockey), a professional ice hockey t ...

Washington Caps The Washington Caps were an American Basketball Association team from 1969 through 1970. The franchise had previously been the Oakland Oaks. From 1970 through 1976 the team played as the Virginia Squires. Origins With the formation of the ABA in ...

(1968–1970),

Carolina Cougars The Carolina Cougars were a basketball franchise in the American Basketball Association that existed from 1969 through 1974. The Cougars were originally a charter member of the ABA as the Houston Mavericks in 1967. The Mavericks moved to North Ca ...

(1970–1971 and 1973), Floridians (1971–1972), and

Utah Stars The Utah Stars were an American Basketball Association (ABA) team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Under head coach Bill Sharman the Stars were the first major professional basketball team to use a pre-game shootaround. History prior to moving t ...

(1971–1973). He played on the Pittsburgh Pipers team that won the 1968 ABA Championship, and he won the 1969 ABA Championship with the Oakland Oaks. Harge maintained a

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

average (10.3 points, 11.6

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

) over the course of his ABA career and ranks tenth on the ABA's all-time list for total rebounds (4,955).

Post-playing career

Harge earned a degree from UNM in education and coached and taught in the Albuquerque Public School system from 1965–67, before returning to basketball. While he was playing in the ABA, he completed a master's degree in education at UNM. After his playing career ended, he returned to reside in Albuquerque. In 1986, Harge was inducted into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame, and in 1993 he was inducted into the UNM Athletics Hall of Honor.Hall of Honor
New Mexico Athletics Official Site

Notes

External links

Basketball-Reference.com
Ira Harge
New Mexico Athletics Official Site {{DEFAULTSORT:Harge, Ira 1941 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from Mississippi Carolina Cougars players Centers (basketball) Detroit Pistons draft picks Junior college men's basketball players in the United States Miami Floridians players New Mexico Lobos men's basketball players Oakland Oaks players People from Anguilla, Mississippi Philadelphia 76ers draft picks Pittsburgh Pipers players Utah Stars players Washington Caps players Northeastern High School (Michigan) alumni