Roundball Classic
Encyclopedia
The Roundball Classic, originally known as The Dapper Dan Roundball Classic (also known as Magic Johnson's Roundball, Sonny Vaccaro's Roundball Classic, Asics Roundball Classic) is well known in the sports world as the first national high school All Star basketball game. The inaugural game was played at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
on March 26, 1965.
and Pat DiCesare
, were two boyhood friends from the small Western Pennsylvania
town of Trafford
. Vaccaro was a young school teacher and sports enthusiast who in the early 60s had organized local high school basketball tournaments throughout Pennsylvania. His friend and college roommate Pat DiCesare (future president of DiCesare-Engler Productions http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04301/402163-28.stm had made a name for himself by promoting major concert events in Western Pennsylvania
. Vaccaro wanted to do a basketball tournament in the Pittsburgh area, and asked DiCesare if he had interest in promoting the event. DiCesare, who had just brought the Beatles to the Pittsburgh Civic Arena, wanted the event to have national appeal and take place in a large venue. So, he encouraged his friend to recruit the best players in the country. The two friends decided that the game would feature high school All-Star players recruited from Pennsylvania against those recruited from the rest of the United States, and it would be played at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena.
Tim Tormey, a friend and business mentor to Pat DiCesare, initiated a meeting between DiCesare and Al Abrams.http://www.post-gazette.com/dapperdan/history.asp Abrams was the senior sports editor for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
and the president of the Dapper Dan Club, a charitable organization associated with the Post-Gazette. Having Abrams involved meant sponsorship for the game as well as months of sports coverage in the Post-Gazette leading up to the game. Abrams agreed to have the Dapper Dan Club sponsor the game, but DiCesare had to guarantee Abrams that he would cover any monetary losses and that a portion of the proceeds would go the Dapper Dan Club charities.http://ssbasketball.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=1132&CID=635969 DiCesare booked a date for the first game to be played on March 26, 1965 at the Civic Arena.
Many felt that the game would not do well in Pittsburgh as it was not known as a basketball town. The first game suffered a major recruiting loss when the premier recruit in the nation, Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
) declined their offer to play in the game. His coach would not allow him to play. Otherwise, Vaccaro had succeeded in getting big time high school talent from Pennsylvania and the rest of the United States. The format for the first game featured the National All-Stars vs. the Pennsylvania All-Stars at 9pm with a preliminary game that featured the Western Pennsylvania All Stars vs. City Catholic All-Stars game at 7pm. More than 10,000 fans attended the first game.
The most popular years were in the 70s and early 80s with a record crowd of almost 17,000 fans in 1979. In the mid-80s, the matchup was slated as the East US All-Stars vs. the West US All-Stars. Some believed that changing the format and eliminating the Pennsylvania All-Stars compromised the attendance of the game. The attendance declined slightly in the mid to late 80s, but the game still received national attention. It was well represented by all of the major recruiting figures in college basketball, and well respected in the sport of basketball. ESPN
continued to broadcast the game yearly. Ultimately, the game was hurt by the emergence of other high school All Star games that followed - most notably the McDonalds High School All-Star game (McDonald's All-American Team
http://www.mcdonaldsallamerican.com) that began in 1977. Also, the NCAA enacted a rule that restricted athletes to play in only two All-Star games.
and the Dapper Dan Club pulled their sponsorship. With DiCesare's blessing, Sonny Vaccaro moved the game to Detroit in 1993. The 28th Annual Roundball Classic was the last to be played in Pittsburgh on April 11, 1992.
The demand for the game in Pittsburgh was great enough that the Civic Arena in cooperation with Pat DiCesare continued doing a high school All-Star basketball game with Asics
as a sponsor and utilizing player recruiters from local colleges. As expected, the Pittsburgh game could not get the talent that Vaccaro was able to get in Detroit. The last game in Pittsburgh was played in April 1994.
Vaccaro took his game to Detroit in 1993 where it became known as Magic Johnson's Roundball. The game was played there for 7 years. It was moved to North Carolina for a few years until it finally was moved to Chicago in 2003 where it was simply named "The Roundball Classic". The game continued to have successful years after Pittsburgh. Most notably, it sold out the United Center
in Chicago
in 2003 when the game featured LeBron James
. The last game was The 43rd Roundball Classic http://www.roundballclassic.net played in Chicago in 2007.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
on March 26, 1965.
Founding
The cofounders of the game, Sonny VaccaroSonny Vaccaro
John Paul Vaccaro is an American former sports marketing executive.Vaccaro is probably best known for his tenure with Nike, Inc., and signed Michael Jordan to his first sneaker deal. Vaccaro left Nike for Adidas, then Reebok...
and Pat DiCesare
Pat DiCesare
Pat J. DiCesare Sr. is an American entrepreneur and rock concert promoter, whose career began at the early stages of rock and roll...
, were two boyhood friends from the small Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania consists of the western third of the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. Pittsburgh is the largest city in the region, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic and cultural center. Erie, Altoona, and Johnstown are its...
town of Trafford
Trafford
The Metropolitan Borough of Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It has a population of 211,800, covers , and includes the towns of Altrincham, Partington, Sale, Stretford, and Urmston...
. Vaccaro was a young school teacher and sports enthusiast who in the early 60s had organized local high school basketball tournaments throughout Pennsylvania. His friend and college roommate Pat DiCesare (future president of DiCesare-Engler Productions http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04301/402163-28.stm had made a name for himself by promoting major concert events in Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania consists of the western third of the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. Pittsburgh is the largest city in the region, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic and cultural center. Erie, Altoona, and Johnstown are its...
. Vaccaro wanted to do a basketball tournament in the Pittsburgh area, and asked DiCesare if he had interest in promoting the event. DiCesare, who had just brought the Beatles to the Pittsburgh Civic Arena, wanted the event to have national appeal and take place in a large venue. So, he encouraged his friend to recruit the best players in the country. The two friends decided that the game would feature high school All-Star players recruited from Pennsylvania against those recruited from the rest of the United States, and it would be played at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena.
Tim Tormey, a friend and business mentor to Pat DiCesare, initiated a meeting between DiCesare and Al Abrams.http://www.post-gazette.com/dapperdan/history.asp Abrams was the senior sports editor for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG," is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.-Early history:...
and the president of the Dapper Dan Club, a charitable organization associated with the Post-Gazette. Having Abrams involved meant sponsorship for the game as well as months of sports coverage in the Post-Gazette leading up to the game. Abrams agreed to have the Dapper Dan Club sponsor the game, but DiCesare had to guarantee Abrams that he would cover any monetary losses and that a portion of the proceeds would go the Dapper Dan Club charities.http://ssbasketball.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=1132&CID=635969 DiCesare booked a date for the first game to be played on March 26, 1965 at the Civic Arena.
Many felt that the game would not do well in Pittsburgh as it was not known as a basketball town. The first game suffered a major recruiting loss when the premier recruit in the nation, Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships and a record six regular season...
) declined their offer to play in the game. His coach would not allow him to play. Otherwise, Vaccaro had succeeded in getting big time high school talent from Pennsylvania and the rest of the United States. The format for the first game featured the National All-Stars vs. the Pennsylvania All-Stars at 9pm with a preliminary game that featured the Western Pennsylvania All Stars vs. City Catholic All-Stars game at 7pm. More than 10,000 fans attended the first game.
Growth
In the early years, the game quickly gained greater media coverage and a bigger fan following. The game was important for recruiting purposes as hundreds of colleges coaches and even pro scouts attended the game. It was known to be the "premier high school baskettball attraction in the entire nation".The most popular years were in the 70s and early 80s with a record crowd of almost 17,000 fans in 1979. In the mid-80s, the matchup was slated as the East US All-Stars vs. the West US All-Stars. Some believed that changing the format and eliminating the Pennsylvania All-Stars compromised the attendance of the game. The attendance declined slightly in the mid to late 80s, but the game still received national attention. It was well represented by all of the major recruiting figures in college basketball, and well respected in the sport of basketball. ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
continued to broadcast the game yearly. Ultimately, the game was hurt by the emergence of other high school All Star games that followed - most notably the McDonalds High School All-Star game (McDonald's All-American Team
McDonald's All-American Team
The McDonald's All-American Game refers to each of the all-star basketball games played each year for boys' and girls' high-school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top American and Canadian players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the conclusion of the high-school basketball...
http://www.mcdonaldsallamerican.com) that began in 1977. Also, the NCAA enacted a rule that restricted athletes to play in only two All-Star games.
End of an era
The game suffered two major losses in the early 90s when both NikeNike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
and the Dapper Dan Club pulled their sponsorship. With DiCesare's blessing, Sonny Vaccaro moved the game to Detroit in 1993. The 28th Annual Roundball Classic was the last to be played in Pittsburgh on April 11, 1992.
The demand for the game in Pittsburgh was great enough that the Civic Arena in cooperation with Pat DiCesare continued doing a high school All-Star basketball game with Asics
ASICS
ASICS is a Japanese athletic equipment company. ASICS produces professional footwear and sports equipment designed for football, running, netball, tennis, badminton, squash, martial arts, cricket, golf, wrestling, track & field, cross-training, volleyball, cheerleading, lacrosse, and for many other...
as a sponsor and utilizing player recruiters from local colleges. As expected, the Pittsburgh game could not get the talent that Vaccaro was able to get in Detroit. The last game in Pittsburgh was played in April 1994.
Vaccaro took his game to Detroit in 1993 where it became known as Magic Johnson's Roundball. The game was played there for 7 years. It was moved to North Carolina for a few years until it finally was moved to Chicago in 2003 where it was simply named "The Roundball Classic". The game continued to have successful years after Pittsburgh. Most notably, it sold out the United Center
United Center
The United Center is an indoor sports arena located in Chicago. It is named after its corporate sponsor, United Airlines. The United Center is home to both the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 2003 when the game featured LeBron James
LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association . Nicknamed "King James", he was a three-time "Mr. Basketball" of Ohio in high school, and was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while a...
. The last game was The 43rd Roundball Classic http://www.roundballclassic.net played in Chicago in 2007.
Alumni
Notable alumni include:- Calvin Murphy
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