04/18/24
May 23, 2015
Hall of Fame Harlem Globetrotter Marques Haynes Dies: Marques Haynes, the first Harlem Globetrotters player to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, has died in Plano, Texas, at age 89. This New York Times story shows that Haynes was part of some historic moments in sports. He was playing for the Globetrotters when they beat the all-white Minneapolis Lakers and their star center George Mikan in 1948 and 1949, helping lead to basketball's integration. He also appeared with Jesse Owens at Olympic Stadium in 1951, 16 years after Owen's four gold medals showed up Hitler. "He got out of that helicopter, and there was an announcement: Jesse Owens has just arrived. Boy, that stadium went wild," Haynes recalled.
posted by rcade to basketball at 03:40 PM - 3 comments
Haynes and Goose Tatum are the Globetrotters I remember best from my youth. I wasn't aware of the Mikan games. That would be a great movie.
posted by rcade at 09:27 AM on May 24, 2015
That would be a great movie.
My memory tells me there was a movie made about the Globetrotters back in the late '40s or early '50s. I do not remember the plot, but I think it had something to do with getting the Trotters into some sort of professional tournament. The film used to be a staple on late night TV until monster flicks took over that time slot.
Aha! Found it. This is the synopsis. I remember the plot vaguely now, and the Celtics team the Trotters were playing was the "New York" Celtics (ugh, disgusting), not the Boston variety. There was a second Globetrotters film called "Go Man Go". I remember the title, but nothing at all about the film.
The good news is that this film showed up on turner Classic Movies a few years ago, so it might come around again. While the film is nowhere near factually accurate, and according to some was poorly made, it at least features a number of the former Globetrotters, including Haynes himself.
posted by Howard_T at 10:14 PM on May 25, 2015
I saw the headline in an on-line sports source a few minutes ago. Now I cannot get the tune "Sweet Georgia Brown" out of my head. I remember when the Harlem Globe Trotters' visits to Boston were mandatory attendance for my dad and I. It was great entertainment, and it never seemed to grow stale.