What basketball looked like in 1939

[HuskyNan]

 

[CL82]

I like the crowd shots. There certainly are no "casual" fans.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

If any player in a UConn uniform took a shot anything like what I saw, except for the layups, I'd demand they be removed. 2 hand set shots, hooks from the free throw line. Ugh!

 

[nwhoopfan]

Interesting. They were shooting 3's long before there was a 3 point line. Kind of looks like there was a gentleman's agreement to not play defense too aggressively.

 

[Bone Dog]

That final pass for a back door layup was certainly a surprise, considering the pg could only dribble with one hand.

 

[WiseWillie]

I like the crowd shots. There certainly are no "casual" fans.

Yes, dark coats and ties (probably Fedoras also) were the OOTD*, just like Gampel today on any Saturday afternoon!


* (For those of you who may not be up on the latest internet abbreviations, "ootd" stands for outfit of the day. Thanks for the tip to my granddaughters!)

 

[Fairfield_1st]

That final pass for a back door layup was certainly a surprise, considering the pg could only dribble with one hand.

That was a sweet, kind of a no look, pass.

 

[MSGRET]

I like the crowd shots. There certainly are no "casual" fans.

Actually back then they dressed up to go out. Suit and ties for the men and dresses with most likely a hat of some type for the women.

 

[cuzinvinny]

From 1951 the Harlem Globetrotters Movie...

 

[stamfordhusky]

Here are some interesting college basketball rule changes from that era:

1920-1921	The basket is moved to two feet from the baseline. Previously the players could climb the padded wall to get closer to the basket (with the new rule the wall is out of bounds).​
1920-1921	A player can re-enter a game once. Before this rule, if a player left the game, he could not re-enter for the rest of the game.​
1921-1922	Running with the ball was changed from a foul to a violation.​
1923-1924	The player fouled must shoot his own free throws. Before this rule, one person usually shot all the free throws for a team.​
1928-1929	The charging foul by the dribbler is introduced.​
1930-1931	A held ball may be called when a closely guarded player is withholding the ball from play for 5 seconds.​
1932-1933	The ten second (mid-court) line is introduced to reduce stalling.​
1932-1933	No player with the ball may stand in the free throw lane for more than 3 seconds.​
1933-1934	A player may re-enter a game twice.​
1935-1936	No offensive player (with or without the ball) may stand in the free throw lane for more than 3 seconds.​
1937-1938	The center jump after every made basket is eliminated.​
1938-1939	The ball will be thrown in from out of bounds at mid-court by the team shooting a free throw after a technical foul. Previously, the ball was put into play by a center jump after the technical free throw.​
1939-1940	Teams have the option of taking a free throw or taking the ball at mid-court.​
1942-1943	Any player who has yet to foul out, will be allowed to receive a fifth foul in overtime.​
1944-1945	Defensive goal tending is banned.​

 

[drweo]

Actually back then they dressed up to go out. Suit and ties for the men and dresses with most likely a hat of some type for the women.

were there any women in the crowd??? If so, not many!!!

 

[msf22b]

Thank You Nan; wonderful clips
I was born in 1939 and missed that season

You may recall that in '51, having won the NCAA and the NIT, City College was caught up in a point-shaving scandal and the college never played Div 1 BB again...

I started going to the old Garden to watch college doubleheaders when I was 13. A buddy in my music school's brother was the manager of the NYU team and used to get us tix.

The most memorable game we attended was the Seattle/NYU, bombs away, no D game in December '52 when the O'Brien twins scored 62 points between them and Seattle won 102-101...I clearly remember the NYU star that I adored, Boris Nachamkin who went on to play (briefly) with Rochester Royals (with Bobby Wanzer) and wound up living in London with an important position at Baker's Trust.

Ah, those were the days.

 

[CL82]

were there any women in the crowd??? If so, not many!!!

Or they were wearing suits...

 

[MSGRET]

were there any women in the crowd??? If so, not many!!!

Stop it when they show the crowd after the guy makes the hook shot, around the 56 second mark and freeze it. You will see many women in the crowd amongst the men.

 

[WiseWillie]

were there any women in the crowd??? If so, not many!!!

Different times for sure. The nation was just recovering from the Great Depression and the 30's was a very conservative time that carried over into women's athletics. Nevermind attending a men's basketball game, at that time intense competition for female athletes was generally frowned upon.

It's taken a while and a lot of hard work and sacrifices spearheaded by some legendary female athletes but we have come a long way. As a father and now lucky grandfather of some young females playing sports it is extremely gratifying today to attend a game to watch talented young women (in basketball and more) and witness the tremendous growth and unlimited potential for women sports.

 

[ERWUC65]

Thank You Nan; wonderful clips
I was born in 1939 and missed that season

You may recall that in '51, having won the NCAA and the NIT, City College was caught up in a point-shaving scandal and the college never played Div 1 BB again...

I started going to the old Garden to watch college doubleheaders when I was 13. A buddy in my music school's brother was the manager of the NYU team and used to get us tix.

The most memorable game we attended was the Seattle/NYU, bombs away, no D game in December '52 when the O'Brien twins scored 62 points between them and Seattle won 102-101...I clearly remember the NYU star that I adored, Boris Nachamkin who went on to play (briefly) with Rochester Royals (with Bobby Wanzer) and wound up living in London with an important position at Baker's Trust.

Ah, those were the days.

Also the year of my birth, in Springfield MA, home of the Naismith Basketball HOF. In 1940 Springfield was one of eight teams to make the 1940 NCAA basketball tournament, losing to eventual champion Indiana 48–24 in the regional semifinals held at Butler Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

 

[huskyharry]

From 1951 the Harlem Globetrotters Movie...

Amazed that Marques Haynes and Goose Tatum were with the team that far back. Cool to hear Sweet Georgia Brown