By Brown Burnett
MemphisMojo.com editor
One should never pass up an opportunity to write about the great
Cliff Hagan of the Kentucky Wildcats, the St. Louis Hawk and hook-shot fame.
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Cliff Hagan of the St. Louis Hawks was known for his picture-perfect hook shot. |
As the NBA regular season comes to an end, as does our
NBA Legends series, so how do we link Hagan to the
Dallas Mavericks\?
Well, Hagan was the player/coach of one of the first American Basketball Association teams – the
Dallas Chaparrals. The hiring of Hagan (who had just finished a Hall of Fame career with the NBA Hawks) gave the league and that team at least
some temporary credibility in the inaugural 1967-’68 ABA season.
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Hagan was a bruising, undersized 6-4 forward from Owensboro, Kentucky, who won individual honors and championships at every level in which he played. A high-school All-American, his team won the state championship in 1949 and he also won a championship as one of Adolph Rupp’s Kentucky Wildcats. In fact, while at UK, Hagan’s teams won 86 of 91 games, including the 1951 NCAA tournament. The 1953-’54 Wildcats were undefeated but didn’t go to the tournament because of a rule that said graduate students couldn’t play and Hagan averaged 24 points and 14 rebounds a game, impressive numbers for that era.
After gaining consensus First Team All-American honors at Kentucky in ’52 and ’54
(Kentucky, like many teams didn’t play in 1952-’53 because of a nationwide point-shaving scandal), Hagan was drafted by the
Boston Celtics, but instead joined the Air Force. Even in the military he won championships, winning Worldwide Air Force titles the two years he was in the service.
Hagan was then involved in one of the most significant trades in basketball history. Although he had never played for the Celtics, he was traded with center Ed McCauley to the
St. Louis Hawks for draft rights to
Bill Russell and, as they say, the rest is history.
In his 10 years with the Hawks, Hagan averaged 18 points a game, made 5 all-star teams and was second team All-NBA twice. Considered one of the best ‘pure shooters’ of his era, in 1958 he scored 26 points in ONE QUARTER against the New York Knicks. Hagan and teammate
Bob Pettit led the Hawks to 6 Western Division titles and won an NBA championship in 1958 over Russell’s Celtics.
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Hagan’s ‘abrasive style’ meant his days were numbered as Dallas coach in the old ABA. |
Hagan retired from the NBA after the 1966 season but was lured into the fledgling
American Basketball Association by the deep pockets of the owners of the Dallas Chaparrals. Hagan’s rough and tumble style of play fit into the new league perfectly. At age 35 he averaged 18 points a game and made the All-Star team, becoming the first player to be named an All-Star in both leagues.
Hagan’s Dallas teams hovered just above the .500 mark, made the playoffs but couldn’t get far in the postseason. The perfectionist Hagan, long accustomed to being surrounded by excellence, retired as a player and later replaced as coach halfway into the 1969-’70 season for his ‘abrasive’ coaching style. The Chaparrals would always hover around the lackluster 3,000 mark in attendance, became the
Texas Chaparrals for while and ultimately moved to San Antonio where they are now known as the
San Antonio Spurs.
His days as a player were over but Hagan has always enjoyed success off the court. He was a top-notch student, twice cited by Kentucky’s College of Education as being among the school’s Top Ten students. He earned his A.B. degree from UK in 1954, and a master’s degree from St. Louis’ Washington University in 1958. He was named "Outstanding Young Man in America" in 1969 and has received national honors for his work with the Boys Club and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Hagan was voted the State of Kentucky’s All-Time Greatest Collegiate Basketball Player in 1973 and was named to the All-time All-SEC team also. He became Wildcat athletic director in 1975 and the baseball stadium at Kentucky is named for him.
In 1978,
Cliff Hagan became the first University of Kentucky alumnus named to the
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
