Ken Norton (basketball)
Kenneth A. Norton (May 7, 1914 - July 11, 1996) was an American college basketball coach. He was the head coach of the Manhattan Jaspers from 1946 to 1968.[1]
 Norton, c. 1957 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 7, 1914 Long Island, New York, U.S. |
| Died | July 11, 1996 Hendersonville, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1934–1937 | LIU |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1946–1968 | Manhattan |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 300–205 (.594) |
| Tournaments | NCAA: 1–3 (.250) NIT: 2–9 (.182) NAIA: 2–1 (.667) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 4x Metro NY Conference championships (1949, 1953, 1955, 1959) 2x MCC championships (1966, 1967) | |
Nicknamed "Red", Norton played high school baseball and basketball at Jamaica High School in Queens,[2] and played college basketball under coach Clair Bee at Long Island University (LIU).[3] Norton received a bachelor's degree from LIU, and a master's degree from New York University.[4] He played basketball professionally for the New York Jewels of the American Basketball League.[5] Norton served in the Navy during World War II.[4]
Norton coached Manhattan to a 300–205 record, winning six conference championships and leading the team to eleven postseason appearances, including two Division I National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and six National Invitation Tournament (NIT) tourneys.[6] At the time of his death, The New York Times reported that he was the top winning coach in the school's history. His 1957–58 team upset the top seed West Virginia Mountaineers, led by Jerry West, in the first round of the NCAA tournament. In the early 1950s Norton guided one of his players, Junius Kellogg, in initiating and assisting an investigation that led to the uncovering of substantial point shaving activity that was taking place in college basketball at the time. [7] Kellogg had been approached by former Manhattan players Hank Poppe and Jack Byrnes to fix games.
After stepping away from coaching basketball, Norton, who also coached baseball and golf at Manhattan, stayed on as the school’s athletic director until his retirement in 1979. In 1977, he led the Jaspers to the Metropolitan Golf Association (MGA) Intercollegiate Championship. [8]
Norton was inducted into the Jasper Hall of Fame in 1989.[9]
Norton died in 1996 at age 82 in Hendersonville, North Carolina.[10]
Head coaching record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manhattan Jaspers (Metropolitan New York Conference) (1946–1963) | |||||||||
| 1946–47 | Manhattan | 13–13 | 1–5 | 5th | |||||
| 1947–48 | Manhattan | 22–6 | 3–3 | T–3rd | NAIA Quarterfinals | ||||
| 1948–49 | Manhattan | 18–8 | 5–1 | T–1st | NIT First Round | ||||
| 1949–50 | Manhattan | 14–11 | 3–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1950–51 | Manhattan | 16–6 | 3–2 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1951–52 | Manhattan | 12–9 | 4–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1952–53 | Manhattan | 20–6 | 6–0 | 1st | NIT Fourth Place | ||||
| 1953–54 | Manhattan | 15–11 | 3–3 | T–3rd | NIT First Round | ||||
| 1954–55 | Manhattan | 18–5 | 6–0 | 1st | NIT First Round | ||||
| 1955–56 | Manhattan | 16–8 | 4–1 | 2nd | NCAA first round | ||||
| 1956–57 | Manhattan | 5–9 | 2–2 | T–3rd | NIT Quarterfinals | ||||
| 1957–58 | Manhattan | 16–10 | 3–1 | 2nd | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 1958–59 | Manhattan | 15–6 | 4–0 | 1st | NIT First Round | ||||
| 1959–60 | Manhattan | 13–11 | 2–2 | 4th | |||||
| 1960–61 | Manhattan | 8–11 | 1–2 | 5th | |||||
| 1961–62 | Manhattan | 12–10 | 1–3 | T–5th | |||||
| 1962–63 | Manhattan | 9–14 | 0–4 | 7th | |||||
| Manhattan Jaspers (Independent) (1963–1965) | |||||||||
| 1963–64 | Manhattan | 11–11 | |||||||
| 1964–65 | Manhattan | 13–11 | NIT Quarterfinals | ||||||
| Manhattan Jaspers (Metropolitan Collegiate Conference) (1965–1968) | |||||||||
| 1965–66 | Manhattan | 13–9 | 8–1 | 1st | NIT First Round | ||||
| 1966–67 | Manhattan | 13–8 | 7–2 | T–1st | |||||
| 1967–68 | Manhattan | 8–14 | 3–5 | 7th | |||||
| Manhattan: | 300–205 (.594) | 69–42 (.622) | |||||||
| Total: | 300–205 (.594) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
References
- "Ken Norton". Peach Basket Society. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- Demasio, Nunyo (July 16, 1996). "EX-JASPER COACH KEN NORTON DIES". New York Daily News. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
- "L. I. U. Nine to Play Most of Games Away". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 27, 1935. Retrieved December 22, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- "Norton, Chief of NIT, Will Speak In Troy". The Troy Record. Troy, New York. March 2, 1960. Retrieved December 22, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- "Norton, Eastment Move Up in Jasper Athletic Picture". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 19, 1949. Retrieved December 22, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- "Kenneth Norton". Sports Reference - College Basketball. Sports Reference. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- "Player Profile, Ken Norton". Pro Basketball Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- "MGA Intercollegiate Championship History". Metropolitan Golf Association. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- "Jasper Hall of Fame – 1989". gojaspers.com. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
- Diamos, Jason (July 16, 1996). "Ken Norton, 82, Former Coach Of Basketball at Manhattan". New York Times. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
Further reading
- Bee, Clair; Norton, Ken (1959). Basketball Fundamentals and Techniques. Ronald Press. ASIN B0007E8O5C.
- Bee, Clair; Norton, Ken (1959). Individual and Team Basketball Drills. Ronald Press. ASIN B0042RQA88.
- Bee, Clair; Norton, Ken (1959). Man-to-Man Defense and Attack. Ronald Press. ASIN B0042R2C8U.
- Bee, Clair; Norton, Ken (1959). Zone Defense and Attack. Ronald Press. ASIN B000I71C8Y.
- Bee, Clair; Norton, Ken (1959). The Science of Coaching. Ronald Press. ASIN B0007ERE26.
- Wilner, Barry; Rappoport, Ken (2014). Crazyball: Sports Scandals, Superstitions, and Sick Plays. Taylor Trade Publishing. pp. 53–60. ISBN 978-1589799127.
ken norton manhattan basketball.