Laddie Gale
American basketball player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lauren "Laddie" Gale (April 22, 1917 – July 29, 1996) was an American collegiate and professional basketball player.
Gale in 1939 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 22, 1917 Grants Pass, Oregon, U.S. |
| Died | July 29, 1996 (aged 79) Gold Beach, Oregon, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Oakridge (Oakridge, Oregon) |
| College | Oregon (1936–1939) |
| Position | Forward |
| Career history | |
| 1939–1940 | Detroit Eagles |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Basketball Hall of Fame | |
NCAA championship
A native of Oakridge, Oregon,[1] the 6'4" Gale played forward for the University of Oregon under head coach Howard Hobson. He was the second-tallest player (behind 6'8" Urgel "Slim" Wintermute) on the team, which was dubbed "The Tall Firs."[1]
Gale led the Ducks in scoring in 1938 and 1939, earning All-Pacific Coast Conference honors in each season. In 1939, Gale led the Ducks to a national championship in the first-ever Division I men's basketball tournament.[2]
Professional career and later years
After graduation, Gale played professionally in 1939 and 1940 for the Detroit Eagles of the National Basketball League.[3] He left the Eagles in to serve in World War II,[3] reportedly after being the first Oregon draftee selected by lottery.[1] After the war, he played on several semi-pro teams and retired from basketball in 1949.[3]
He died in Gold Beach, Oregon, on July 29, 1996.[1]
Halls of Fame
For his stellar collegiate play, for being the first college player regularly to employ a one-handed shot, and for helping to popularize the sport of basketball in the American West, Gale was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1977[2] and was an inaugural inductee of the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1980.[4] He is also a member of the University of Oregon Hall of Fame.
