1960 United States men's Olympic basketball team
Encyclopedia
The 1960 United States men's Olympic basketball team competed in the Games of the XVII Olympiad
, representing the United States of America. The team, coached by California Golden Bears
coach Pete Newell
, dominated the competition, winning its games by an average of 42.4 points per game. The team is considered by many to be the best amateur basketball team of all time and was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a unit in 2010.
and Oscar Robertson
, an NAIA
All-Star team, and the AAU
Champion Peoria Caterpillar Cats. The NCAA All-Stars won the competition convincingly, and so Pete Newell was named coach with Warren Womble
as his assistant.
The trials came at a time when the AAU and NCAA were wrestling for control of USA Basketball
and the make-up of the team represented that uneasy truce as the team was made up of seven collegiate stars, four AAU players and one representative of the US Armed Forces
(guard Adrian Smith
). This compromise meant that many top college players were left off the team, including Ohio State's John Havlicek
and Providence
guard Lenny Wilkens
.
, averaging 101.9 points per game and holding their opponents to 59.5. Five Americans averaged double-figures - Oscar Robertson (17.0), Jerry Lucas
(17.0), Jerry West (13.8), Terry Dischinger
(11.8) and Adrian Smith (10.9). Lucas was the star of the medal round, as he scored 25 points in the gold medal game against Brazil
, matching his total in the previous game against host Italy
.
and four players from the team - Robertson, Lucas, West and Walt Bellamy have individually been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, as have head coach Pete Newell and Dutch Lonborg
, who was on Newell's staff as team manager. Other career distinctions by team members include Dischinger's NBA Rookie of the Year Award
(an award also received by Robertson, Bellamy, and Lucas) and Adrian Smith's NBA All-Star Game MVP in 1966. The team was elected to the US Olympic Hall of Fame in 1984.
In 2010, along with the "Dream Team,"
the 1960 US Olympic men's basketball team was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a unit. The election marks only the seventh and eighth teams so honored.
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
, representing the United States of America. The team, coached by California Golden Bears
California Golden Bears
The California Golden Bears is the nickname used for 29 varsity athletic programs and various club teams of the University of California, Berkeley...
coach Pete Newell
Pete Newell
Peter Francis Newell was an American college men's basketball coach and basketball instructional coach. He coached for 15 years at the University of San Francisco, Michigan State University and the University of California, Berkeley, compiling an overall record of 234 wins and 123 losses...
, dominated the competition, winning its games by an average of 42.4 points per game. The team is considered by many to be the best amateur basketball team of all time and was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a unit in 2010.
Roster
| Name | Position | Height | Weight | Age | Home Town | Team/School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jay Arnette Jay Arnette Jay Hoyland Arnette is an American former professional basketball player.A 6'2" guard from the University of Texas, Arnette competed at the 1960 Summer Olympics, where he won a gold medal with the United States national basketball team... |
Guard | 6-2 | 175 | 21 | Austin, TX Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in... |
Texas Texas Longhorns men's basketball The Texas Longhorns men's basketball team represents The University of Texas at Austin in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. The Longhorns currently compete in the Big 12 Conference.... |
| Walt Bellamy | Center | 6-11 | 217 | 21 | Baltimore, MD Baltimore Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore... |
Indiana Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball The Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Indiana University . The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the NCAA. The Hoosiers play on Branch McCracken Court at the Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana on the IU... |
| Bob Boozer Bob Boozer Robert Louis "Bob" Boozer is a retired American professional basketball player. Boozer was born and raised in North Omaha, Nebraska and graduated from Tech High in Omaha.... |
Forward | 6-8 | 220 | 23 | Omaha, NE Omaha, Nebraska Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River... |
Peoria Caterpillars (Kansas State Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball The Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball team represents Kansas State University in college basketball competition. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and is a member of the Big 12 Conference. The current head coach is Frank Martin.... ) |
| Terry Dischinger Terry Dischinger Terence Gilbert "Terry" Dischinger is a retired American basketball player in the NBA. He currently practices orthodontics.-High school career:... |
Forward | 6-6 | 190 | 19 | Terre Haute, IN Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and... |
Purdue Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball The Purdue Boilermakers basketball team is a college basketball program that competes in NCAA Division I and is a member of the Big Ten Conference. Purdue basketball holds the record for most Big Ten Championships with 22, along with being the only program in the conference to boast winning records... |
| Burdette Haldorson Burdette Haldorson Burdette Eliele "Burdie" Haldorson was an American basketball player who competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics and in the 1960 Summer Olympics... |
Forward | 6-7 | 207 | 26 | Austin, MN Austin, Minnesota As of the census of 2000, there were 23,314 people, 9,897 households, and 6,076 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,168.2 people per square mile . There were 10,261 housing units at an average density of 954.3 per square mile... |
Phillips 66ers Phillips 66ers The Phillips 66ers basketball team was an amateur squad sponsored and run by the Phillips Petroleum Company. The team, which began play in 1919, participated in the Amateur Athletic Union, the nation’s premier basketball league before the National Basketball Association... (Colorado Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball The Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in the Pacific-12 Conference.The Buffaloes have competed in ten NCAA Tournaments, making it to the Final Four twice , and... ) |
| Darrall Imhoff Darrall Imhoff Darrall Tucker Imhoff is an American former professional basketball player. He spent twelve seasons in the NBA , playing for half a dozen teams... |
Center | 6-11 | 220 | 21 | Berkeley, CA Berkeley, California Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington... |
California California Golden Bears The California Golden Bears is the nickname used for 29 varsity athletic programs and various club teams of the University of California, Berkeley... |
| Allen Kelley Allen Kelley Earl Allen Kelley is a former American basketball player who competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics.He was part of the American basketball team, which won the gold medal in 1960.... |
Guard | 5-11 | 164 | 27 | McCune, KS McCune, Kansas McCune is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States. The population was 405 at the 2010 census.-Geography:McCune is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.... |
Peoria Caterpillars (Kansas) |
| Lester Lane Lester Lane Lester E. Lane was an American basketball player who competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics.Lane was born in Purcell, Oklahoma.He was part of the American basketball team, which won the gold medal in 1960.... |
Guard | 5-11 | 165 | 28 | Purcell, OK Purcell, Oklahoma Purcell is located in the outer south suburban area of Oklahoma City. It is often called "Quarterhorse Capital of the World" and it is the county seat of McClain County , Oklahoma, United States; it also extends a short distance into Cleveland County. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census... |
Wichita Vickers (Oklahoma Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball -1908-1980:The Sooners enjoyed moderate success on the court during this era, posting only 16 losing records in their first 72 seasons. They were coached by 9 different coaches during this period, beginning with Bennie Owen , and ending with Dave Bliss in 1980... ) |
| Jerry Lucas Jerry Lucas Jerry Ray Lucas was a basketball player from the 1950s to the 1970s, and is now a memory education expert. In 1996, the NBA's 50th anniversary, he was named one of the 50 greatest players in National Basketball Association history... |
Forward | 6-8 | 220 | 20 | Middletown, OH Middletown, Ohio Middletown is an All-America City located in Butler and Warren counties in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Formerly in Lemon, Turtlecreek, and Franklin townships, Middletown was incorporated by the Ohio General Assembly on February 11, 1833, and became a city in 1886... |
Ohio State Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball The Lucas Sapp men's basketball team represents The Ohio State University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. The Buckeyes are a member of the Big Ten Conference. The Buckeyes won their only National Championship in 1960 and have made a total of 21 NCAA Tournament appearances... |
| Oscar Robertson Oscar Robertson Oscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks... |
Forward | 6-5 | 220 | 21 | Indianapolis, IN Indianapolis Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S... |
Cincinnati Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball The Cincinnati Bearcats basketball team is the NCAA Division I men's basketball program of the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. They currently compete in the Big East Conference and are coached by Mick Cronin. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in... |
| Adrian Smith Adrian Smith (basketball) Adrian Howard Smith is a retired American Northeast Mississippi Community College, University of Kentucky, NBA, and ABA player.... |
Guard | 6-0 | 175 | 23 | Farmington, KY Farmington, Kentucky Farmington is a census-designated place in Graves County, Kentucky, United States. Farmington is located 7 miles southeast of Mayfield and 13 miles west of Murray... |
U.S. Armed Forces (Kentucky Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball The Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team, representing the University of Kentucky, is the winningest in the history of college basketball, both in all-time wins and all-time winning percentage. Kentucky's all-time record currently stands at 2058–647... ) |
| Jerry West Jerry West Jerry Alan West is a retired American basketball player who played his entire professional career for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . His nicknames include "Mr... |
Guard | 6-2 | 185 | 22 | Chelyan, WV Chelyan, West Virginia Chelyan is an unincorporated census-designated place in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States. Chelyan is located on the south bank of the Kanawha River southeast of Chesapeake. It is served by Exit 85 of the West Virginia Turnpike. As of the 2010 census, its population was 776.Former NBA... |
West Virginia West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball The West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team represents West Virginia University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. It is a member of the Big East Conference. West Virginia most recently reached the Final Four of the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, led by... |
Olympic trials
Trials for the team were held in March and April of 1960 in Denver. The trials were conducted in the form of an eight team tournament including teams from the reigning NCAA National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes, a team of NCAA All-Stars featuring stars such as Jerry WestJerry West
Jerry Alan West is a retired American basketball player who played his entire professional career for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . His nicknames include "Mr...
and Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson
Oscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks...
, an NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
All-Star team, and the AAU
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations 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.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
Champion Peoria Caterpillar Cats. The NCAA All-Stars won the competition convincingly, and so Pete Newell was named coach with Warren Womble
Warren Womble
Warren Womble was the coach for the Peoria Caterpillars, a National Industrial Basketball League team in Peoria, Illinois....
as his assistant.
The trials came at a time when the AAU and NCAA were wrestling for control of USA Basketball
USA Basketball
USA Basketball is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States Olympic Committee...
and the make-up of the team represented that uneasy truce as the team was made up of seven collegiate stars, four AAU players and one representative of the US Armed Forces
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
(guard Adrian Smith
Adrian Smith (basketball)
Adrian Howard Smith is a retired American Northeast Mississippi Community College, University of Kentucky, NBA, and ABA player....
). This compromise meant that many top college players were left off the team, including Ohio State's John Havlicek
John Havlicek
John J. "Hondo" Havlicek is a retired American professional basketball player who competed for 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA titles, half of them coming in his first four seasons....
and Providence
Providence Friars men's basketball
The Providence Friars men's basketball team represents Providence College in NCAA Division I competition, in which they are a founding member of the Big East Conference. They play their home games at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island...
guard Lenny Wilkens
Lenny Wilkens
Leonard Randolph "Lenny" Wilkens is a retired American basketball player and coach in the NBA...
.
Olympic tournament
The team went 8-0 in the Olympic tournament, held in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, averaging 101.9 points per game and holding their opponents to 59.5. Five Americans averaged double-figures - Oscar Robertson (17.0), Jerry Lucas
Jerry Lucas
Jerry Ray Lucas was a basketball player from the 1950s to the 1970s, and is now a memory education expert. In 1996, the NBA's 50th anniversary, he was named one of the 50 greatest players in National Basketball Association history...
(17.0), Jerry West (13.8), Terry Dischinger
Terry Dischinger
Terence Gilbert "Terry" Dischinger is a retired American basketball player in the NBA. He currently practices orthodontics.-High school career:...
(11.8) and Adrian Smith (10.9). Lucas was the star of the medal round, as he scored 25 points in the gold medal game against Brazil
Brazil national basketball team
The Brazilian National Basketball Team represents Brazil in FIBA's basketball competitions.-Men's team:First drafted in 1922, the men's team has won two World Championships , three bronze Olympic medals , four Americas Championships and five Pan American Games .-Olympic Games:-FIBA...
, matching his total in the previous game against host Italy
Italy national basketball team
The Italian national basketball team is the national basketball team representing Italy. It is administrated by the Federazione Italiana Pallacanestro ....
.
Results
- USA 88, Italy 54
- USA 125, JapanJapan national basketball teamThe Japanese national basketball team represents Japan in international basketball competitions. It is governed by the Japan Basketball Association . Japan is the second leading nation in qualifications to the Asian Basketball Championships...
66 - USA 107, HungaryHungary national basketball teamThe Hungarian national basketball team is the basketball team that represents Hungary in international competitions.-Medals:*Eurobasket 1946 - Bronze medal*Eurobasket 1953 - Silver medal*Eurobasket 1955 - Champions-Eurobasket 1935:...
63 - USA 104, YugoslaviaYugoslavia national basketball teamThe Yugoslavian national basketball team represented the Kingdom and socialist Yugoslavia. Its of governing body was the Basketball Federation of Yugoslavia, whose seat was in Belgrade....
42 - USA 108, UruguayUruguay national basketball teamThe Uruguay national basketball team is the basketball side that represents Uruguay in international competitions.Uruguay's best achievement in basketball was obtaining the bronze medal in the both the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics.-Current squad:...
50 - USA 81, USSRSoviet Union national basketball teamThe Soviet national basketball team was the basketball side that represented the Soviet Union in international competitions. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the successor countries all set up their own national teams...
57 - USA 112, Italy 81
- USA 90, Brazil 63
Legacy
The 1960 team is thought to be one of the best amateur teams in basketball history. Ten members of the squad went on to play in the NBANational Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
and four players from the team - Robertson, Lucas, West and Walt Bellamy have individually been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, as have head coach Pete Newell and Dutch Lonborg
Dutch Lonborg
Arthur C. "Dutch" Lonborg was an American collegiate basketball and football coach.-Basketball:The Gardner, Illinois native coached for 23 years at McPherson College, Washburn College, and Northwestern University...
, who was on Newell's staff as team manager. Other career distinctions by team members include Dischinger's NBA Rookie of the Year Award
NBA Rookie of the Year Award
The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1952–53 NBA season, to the top rookie of the regular season. The winner receives the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy, which is named in honor of the Philadelphia Warriors head...
(an award also received by Robertson, Bellamy, and Lucas) and Adrian Smith's NBA All-Star Game MVP in 1966. The team was elected to the US Olympic Hall of Fame in 1984.
In 2010, along with the "Dream Team,"
1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team
The 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team, nicknamed the "Dream Team", was the first American Olympic team to feature active NBA players. Often considered one of the strongest teams assembled in any sport, it defeated its opponents by an average of almost 44 points en route to the gold ...
the 1960 US Olympic men's basketball team was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a unit. The election marks only the seventh and eighth teams so honored.
See also
- United States men's national basketball team
- 1960 Summer Olympics1960 Summer OlympicsThe 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
- Basketball at the 1960 Summer OlympicsBasketball at the 1960 Summer OlympicsBasketball at the 1960 Summer Olympics was the fifth appearance of the sport in Olympic competition. 16 nations were admitted into the Olympic tournament, with many others being eliminated in a pre-Olympic tournament held earlier in the year from 13 to 20 August 1960 at the Sports Palace at Bologna...
- United States at the 1960 Summer OlympicsUnited States at the 1960 Summer OlympicsThe United States competed at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy. It was the first Summer Olympics in which the athletes marched under the present flag...