Lou Bender
Encyclopedia
Louis "Lulu" Bender was an American
basketball
player who helped turn the sport into a popular success in New York City
during the Great Depression
and helped make Madison Square Garden
a destination for the sport. Bender was a three-time All-Ivy League and two-time All-America in the early 1930s while attending Columbia University
. After graduating from Columbia, Bender barnstormed with the Original Celtics
and later played for a number of professional teams in the American Basketball League, the first true professional league and a predecessor of the National Basketball Association
.
in the late 1920s, Lou Bender connected on a long two-handed set shot during a game, prompting someone in the stands to shout, "Now that was a lulu of a basket." The nickname stuck and followed Bender to college and the pros. At Columbia College from 1930 until 1932, Bender joined teammates George Gregory and Sam Schoenfeld to Ivy League
titles in both 1930 and 1931, leading the league with scoring averages of 9.8 and 9.6 points per game
those seasons, in an era before the shot clock
in which ball control often limited scores to the teens. He was named to All-Ivy, All-Met and All-American teams while playing for the Columbia Lions
. After completing his undergraduate degree in 1932, Bender earned his law degree from Columbia Law School
in 1935.
organized a basketball tripleheader at Madison Square Garden in January 1931 to raise funds to benefit the city's unemployed during the Great Depression. In the three games, Manhattan College
defeated New York University
16–14, St. John's University topped City College of New York
by a score of 17–9 and Columbia beat Fordham University
26–18 with Bender's eight points topping the scoring charts. Attendance was excellent, with a record 15,000 fans attending the St. John's vs. CCNY game and the event raising $22,000 for relief. Over the next several years, Madison Square Garden became a destination for basketball play, with doubleheaders featuring teams from the local area and around the nation.
and played with American Basketball League teams such as the Union City Reds
and the Boston Trojans
, later finishing his professional career with the unaffiliated New York Whirlwinds.
In September 2008, Bender was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame along with NBA stars Kenny Anderson
, Sam Perkins
and Rod Strickland
, coach Pete Gillen
and pioneer Eddie Younger.
, where his legal activities included prosecuting members of the German American Bund. He moved on to become a criminal defense attorney for five decades, lecturing on the subject and writing such texts as Criminal Aspects of Tax Fraud Cases.
Both of his sons followed their father into the legal profession. His son, Michael, has served as an associate justice on the Colorado Supreme Court
, being appointed by Governor of Colorado
to the post on January 2, 1997. Bender's son, Steven, has been a prosecutor in Westchester County, New York
, and took a honeymoon cruise on the Staten Island Ferry
for 5 cents each.
, before moving to Florida, Lou Bender died from cancer
, aged 99, on September 10, 2009, at his home in Longboat Key, Florida
. He was survived by his wife of 75 years, Jean, as well as two daughters, two sons, 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player who helped turn the sport into a popular success in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and helped make Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
a destination for the sport. Bender was a three-time All-Ivy League and two-time All-America in the early 1930s while attending Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. After graduating from Columbia, Bender barnstormed with the Original Celtics
Original Celtics
The Original Celtics were a barnstorming professional basketball team in the 1920s. There is no relation to the modern Boston Celtics. The Original Celtics are often credited with extending the reach of basketball across America and for establishing the importance of aggressive defensive play...
and later played for a number of professional teams in the American Basketball League, the first true professional league and a predecessor of the National Basketball Association
National 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...
.
Early life and education
While a student as DeWitt Clinton High SchoolDeWitt Clinton High School
DeWitt Clinton High School is an American high school located in the Bronx, New York City, New York.-History:Clinton opened in 1897 at 60 West 13th Street at the northern end of Greenwich Village under the name of Boys High School, although this Boys High School was not related to the one in Brooklyn...
in the late 1920s, Lou Bender connected on a long two-handed set shot during a game, prompting someone in the stands to shout, "Now that was a lulu of a basket." The nickname stuck and followed Bender to college and the pros. At Columbia College from 1930 until 1932, Bender joined teammates George Gregory and Sam Schoenfeld to Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
titles in both 1930 and 1931, leading the league with scoring averages of 9.8 and 9.6 points per game
Points per game
Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the average number of points scored by a player per game played in a sport, over the course of a series of games, a whole season, or a career. It is calculated by dividing the total number of points by number of games. The terminology is often used in...
those seasons, in an era before the shot clock
Shot clock
A shot clock is used in some sports to quicken the pace of the game. It is normally associated with basketball, but has also found use in sports such as snooker, professional lacrosse, water polo, and korfball....
in which ball control often limited scores to the teens. He was named to All-Ivy, All-Met and All-American teams while playing for the Columbia Lions
Columbia Lions
The Columbia University Lions are the collective athletic teams and their members from Columbia University, an Ivy League institution in New York City, United States. The current director of athletics is M...
. After completing his undergraduate degree in 1932, Bender earned his law degree from Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
in 1935.
Rise of basketball
While at Columbia, Mayor of New York Jimmy WalkerJimmy Walker
James John Walker, often known as Jimmy Walker and colloquially as Beau James , was the mayor of New York City from 1926 to 1932...
organized a basketball tripleheader at Madison Square Garden in January 1931 to raise funds to benefit the city's unemployed during the Great Depression. In the three games, Manhattan College
Manhattan College
Manhattan College is a Roman Catholic liberal arts college in the Lasallian tradition in New York City, United States. Despite the college's name, it is no longer located in Manhattan but in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, roughly 10 miles north of Midtown. Manhattan College offers...
defeated New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
16–14, St. John's University topped City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
by a score of 17–9 and Columbia beat Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
26–18 with Bender's eight points topping the scoring charts. Attendance was excellent, with a record 15,000 fans attending the St. John's vs. CCNY game and the event raising $22,000 for relief. Over the next several years, Madison Square Garden became a destination for basketball play, with doubleheaders featuring teams from the local area and around the nation.
Professional play
After finishing college, Bender barnstormed with the Original CelticsOriginal Celtics
The Original Celtics were a barnstorming professional basketball team in the 1920s. There is no relation to the modern Boston Celtics. The Original Celtics are often credited with extending the reach of basketball across America and for establishing the importance of aggressive defensive play...
and played with American Basketball League teams such as the Union City Reds
Union City Reds
The Union City Reds was an American basketball team based in Union City, New Jersey that was a member of the Metropolitan Basketball League and the American Basketball League.After the 1933/34 season the team moved to North Bergen and became the Jersey Reds....
and the Boston Trojans
Boston Trojans
The Boston Trojans were an American basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts that was a member of the American Basketball League.-Year-by-year:-Notable players:Notable players with the Original Celtics include:...
, later finishing his professional career with the unaffiliated New York Whirlwinds.
In September 2008, Bender was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame along with NBA stars Kenny Anderson
Kenny Anderson
Kenneth "Kenny" Anderson is a retired American basketball player. After a college career at Georgia Institute of Technology, he played point guard professionally from 1991 to 2006, mostly in the National Basketball Association....
, Sam Perkins
Sam Perkins
Samuel Perkins is a retired American professional basketball player, also known by the nicknames "Sleepy Sam" and "Big Smooth." He attended Samuel J. Tilden High School, Shaker High School and the University of North Carolina, where he was a teammate of Michael Jordan...
and Rod Strickland
Rod Strickland
Rodney "Rod" Strickland is a retired American professional basketball player and currently in an administrative role for the University of Kentucky basketball team under head coach John Calipari. Strickland was formerly the director of basketball operations at the University of Memphis...
, coach Pete Gillen
Pete Gillen
Pete Gillen is an American former college basketball head coach of the Division I Xavier Musketeers, Providence Friars and Virginia Cavaliers and is a member of the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame...
and pioneer Eddie Younger.
Legal career
He became a trial lawyer following the completion of his playing career. During the 1940s, Bender was an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New YorkUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New York
The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York is a federal district court. Appeals from the Southern District of New York are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (in case...
, where his legal activities included prosecuting members of the German American Bund. He moved on to become a criminal defense attorney for five decades, lecturing on the subject and writing such texts as Criminal Aspects of Tax Fraud Cases.
Both of his sons followed their father into the legal profession. His son, Michael, has served as an associate justice on the Colorado Supreme Court
Colorado Supreme Court
The Colorado Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Colorado. Located in Denver, the Court consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices.-Appellate jurisdiction:...
, being appointed by Governor of Colorado
Governor of Colorado
The Governor of Colorado is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Colorado General Assembly, to convene the...
to the post on January 2, 1997. Bender's son, Steven, has been a prosecutor in Westchester County, New York
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
Marriage
He and his wife, the former Jean Waterman, were married in March 1934 at New York City HallNew York City Hall
New York City Hall is located at the center of City Hall Park in the Civic Center area of Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA, between Broadway, Park Row, and Chambers Street. The building is the oldest City Hall in the United States that still houses its original governmental functions, such as...
, and took a honeymoon cruise on the Staten Island Ferry
Staten Island Ferry
The Staten Island Ferry is a passenger ferry service operated by the New York City Department of Transportation that runs between the boroughs of Manhattan and Staten Island.-Overview:...
for 5 cents each.
Death
A resident of Harrison, New YorkHarrison, New York
Harrison is a village and town in Westchester County, New York, United States, located approximately northeast of Manhattan. The population was 27,472 at the 2010 census.-Establishment:...
, before moving to Florida, Lou Bender died from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, aged 99, on September 10, 2009, at his home in Longboat Key, Florida
Longboat Key, Florida
Longboat Key is a town in Manatee and Sarasota counties along the central west coast of the U.S. state of Florida, located on the barrier island of the same name. Longboat Key is south of Anna Maria Island, between Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. It is almost equally divided between Manatee...
. He was survived by his wife of 75 years, Jean, as well as two daughters, two sons, 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.