Larry Rivers (basketball)

In March 1973, Rivers impressed the Harlem Globetrotters during a tryout in Topeka, Kansas.[14][4] Both Clown Prince Meadowlark Lemon and Curly Neal praised his natural talent,[14] while Tex Harrison later recalled that Rivers "was doing things it takes other players four or five years to be accomplished at."[5] Rivers frequently told the story of how Marcus Haynes had tested his dribbling skills in a folding-chair closet, and how he had dribbled around chairs and under tables to demonstrate his ability to control the ball around obstacles.[13][11][5] At 6 ft (1.83 m) in height, Rivers was the shortest member of the Globetrotters when he joined.[14] He toured with Globetrotters from 1973 to 1977 and took a two-year hiatus to assist with coaching and recruiting at Missouri Western, rejoining the Globetrotters in 1979.[13]

For many years, Rivers shared routines with Curly Neal, until Neal was sidelined due to injury and Rivers took over in the main dribbler role in 1982 at the age of 32.[5][15] That year, the Harlem Globetrotters became the first athletic team to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[16] Rivers partnered with a Burger King franchise to create the "Burger King / Gator Rivers Basketball Scholarship".[12] In 1984, he appeared with four other Globetrotters in an episode of The Love Boat.[17]

In 1985, Rivers started his first year as a player-coach with the Globetrotters,[18] and worked with his former coach Russell Ellington.[11] Rivers led tryouts during the Globetrotters' nationwide search for one or two female players to perform alongside the men for the first time in their 60-year history.[18][19] However, in 1986, Rivers left the Globetrotters, citing his disillusionment with their direction under new management.[20] One of his frustrations was that while he had been searching for a highly skilled female player who could play with the male players and be respected, Globetrotter management instead went with a player they had in mind from the start, who had publicly stated that she would not have been able to "make it" in the NBA.[20]

In February 1986, Rivers joined the Shooting Stars, a new exhibition basketball team formed by Meadowlark Lemon.[20] The team also featured other former Globetrotters such as Curly Neal and Jerry "Lovebug" Venable and former NBA star Pete Maravich.[21][22] Rivers and the team were invited to the White House, where they announced the start of their 1986 Commitment With a Purpose Tour and their support of First Lady Nancy Reagan's campaign encouraging children to "Just Say No" to drugs.[22][23]

By January 1987, Rivers had signed with a new team called Basketball Magic, along with six other former Harlem Globetrotters, including Louis "Sweet Lou" Dunbar, Jimmy Blacklock, Ovie Dotson, Osborne Lockhart, Billy Ray Hobbley, and Robert "Baby Face" Page.[24] The team had formed after several players from the 1985–1986 starting lineup were unable to agree on a new contract with Harlem Globetrotter management.[24]

After retiring from touring, Rivers eventually returned to St. Joseph, Missouri,[3] and lived for a few years in King City.[25][26] In 1990, he founded Gatorball Academy, where he taught basketball skills and rules to children between the ages of 9 and 14.[15][3] He also volunteered as a youth basketball coach, and was a popular speaker at local elementary schools.[3] He would often invite children to try to steal the ball from him while he was dribbling, but maintained that they never succeeded.[1]

In the early 1990s, Rivers coached basketball at Bishop LeBlond High School with a 110–25 record over five seasons, and led the team to the Missouri Class 2A final four in the 1993–1994 season.[26] In 1995, he became head coach at Troy High School across the river in Kansas where his stepdaughter played basketball.[26]

In March 1996, Rivers became owner and manager of the Paris Club, a nightclub on Felix Street in downtown St. Joseph featuring both DJ and live music, which he ran with his then-wife Rita.[27][15] He told the St. Joseph News-Press that year that he envisioned developing an atmosphere similar to The Apollo In Harlem.[27] By 1999, the club had moved from its original location and changed its name.[28]