Buddy Jeannette
Harry Edward "Buddy" Jeannette (September 15, 1917 – March 11, 1998)[1] was an American professional basketball player and coach.
 Jeannette in 1948 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 15, 1917 New Kensington, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | March 11, 1998 (aged 80) Nashua, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | New Kensington (New Kensington, Pennsylvania) |
| College | Washington & Jefferson (1934–1938) |
| Playing career | 1938–1950 |
| Position | Guard |
| Number | 26, 6, 14 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1938–1939 | Cleveland White Horses |
| 1939–1941 | Detroit Eagles |
| 1942–1943 | Sheboygan Red Skins |
| 1943–1946 | Fort Wayne Pistons |
| 1946–1950 | Baltimore Bullets |
| As coach: | |
| 1946–1951 | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1952–1956 | Georgetown Hoyas |
| 1964–1965, 1966–1967 | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1969–1970 | Pittsburgh Pipers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame as player | |
| College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 | |
Jeannette was widely regarded as the premier backcourt player between 1938 and 1948. He was named to the First Team of the National Basketball League (NBL) four times, and won titles with the NBL's Sheboygan Red Skins in 1943 and Fort Wayne Pistons in 1944 and 1945. Jeannette also won a title with the American Basketball League's Baltimore Bullets in 1947.
Most of his playing career came prior to the formation of the modern National Basketball Association (NBA) or its predecessor leagues; however Jeannette did serve three years as a player-coach for the original Baltimore Bullets of the Basketball Association of America (BAA). In the 1948 BAA playoffs, he became the first player-coach to win a professional championship. After his playing career ended in 1950, he coached the original Bullets for one more season. He then became the head coach at Georgetown University for four seasons, leading the team to an appearance in the 1953 National Invitation Tournament.
Jeannette returned to the ranks of professional coaching in the NBA to lead the modern Baltimore Bullets twice, once for a full season and once as an interim coach. He later would coach the American Basketball Association's Pittsburgh Pipers for part of a season.
In 1994, Jeannette was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Jeannette attended Washington and Jefferson College, in Washington, Pennsylvania.[2]
BAA/NBA career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won an NBA championship |
Head coaching record
Sources[3]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Bullets (Basketball Association of America) (1947–1951) | |||||||||
| 1947–48 | Baltimore | 28–20 | Western Division | 2nd | Won BAA Final
| ||||
| 1948–49 | Baltimore | 29–31 | Eastern Division | 3rd | Lost Eastern Division Semifinal
| ||||
| 1949–50 | Baltimore | 25–43 | Eastern Division | 5th | none
| ||||
| 1950–51 | Baltimore | 24–42 | Eastern Division | 5th | none
| ||||
| Baltimore: | 106–136 | ||||||||
| Georgetown Hoyas (college independent) (1952–1956) | |||||||||
| 1952–53 | Georgetown | 13–7 | – | – | |||||
| 1953–54 | Georgetown | 11–18 | – | – | none
| ||||
| 1954–55 | Georgetown | 12–13 | – | – | none
| ||||
| 1955–56 | Georgetown | 13–11 | – | – | none
| ||||
| Georgetown: | 49–49 | ||||||||
| Baltimore Bullets (National Basketball Association) (1964–1965) | |||||||||
| 1964–65 | Baltimore | 37–43 | Western Division | 3rd | |||||
| Baltimore Bullets (National Basketball Association) (1966–1967) | |||||||||
| 1966–67 | Baltimore | Western Division | 5th | none
| |||||
| Baltimore: | 40–56 | ||||||||
| Pittsburgh Pipers (American Basketball Association) (1969–1970) | |||||||||
| 1969–70 | Pittsburgh | Eastern Division | 5th | none
| |||||
| Pittsburgh: | 15–30 | ||||||||
| Total: | 210–271[note 3] | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
Notes
- Jeannette was one of three head coaches for Baltimore during the season. Mike Farmer had coached Baltimore to a 1–8 record in its first nine games when Jeannette took over. Jeannette served as interim head coach for the next 16 games. Gene Shue then took over as head coach, posting a 16–40 record to lead Baltimore to a 20–61 finish.
- Jeannette was Pittsburgh's second head coach of the season, taking over the team from John Clark after it had gone 14–25 in its first 39 games. Jeannette coached Pittsburgh's remaining 45 games, leading the team to a 29–55 finish.
- Jeannette's overall record as a head coach of professional teams was 161–222. As a college head coach, he was 49–49 overall.
References
- "Hall of Famer Buddy Jeannette, Bullets player-coach, dies at 80 He won pro championship with Baltimore in '48". The Baltimore Sun. March 12, 1998. Archived from the original on 2010-01-04.
- "Buddy Jeannette". basketball-reference.
- basketball-reference.com Coaches: Buddy Jeannette
- basketball-reference.com 1966–67 Baltimore Bullets Roster and Stats
- basketball-reference.com 1969–70 Pittsburgh Pipers Roster and Stats
Further reading
- Peterson, Robert W. (2002). "Seeds of the NBA". Cages to Jump Shots: Pro Basketball's Early Years. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. pp. 124–141. ISBN 0-8032-8772-0.