Earl Lloyd

Position	Small forward
Height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight	225 lb (102 kg)
Nationality	USA
Born	April 3, 1928 (1928-04-03) (age 79) Alexandria, Virginia
College	West Virginia State
Draft	9th round, 1950 Washington Capitols
Pro career	1950–1960
Former teams	Washington Capitols, Syracuse Nationals, Detroit Pistons
Awards	Hall of Fame, 2003

Earl Francis Lloyd (born April 3, 1928 in Alexandria, Virginia, US) is a retired American basketball player. He was the first African-American to play in the National Basketball Association, in the 1950-51 NBA season. Three other blacks played in the same season, including Chuck Cooper. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Virginia. ... Location in Virginia Coordinates: , Country State Founded 1718 Government  - Mayor William D. Euille Area  - City  15. ... West Virginia State University is a small public college in Institute, West Virginia, an unincorporated suburb of Charleston, West Virginia. ... The 1950 NBA Draft consisted of 12 rounds with 121 players selected. ... The Washington Capitols were a National Basketball Association team based in Washington, D.C. Founded: 1946 Folded: 1951 Formerly known as: Home Arena: Uniform colors: Logo design: NBA Championships: // Franchise history Players of note Basketball Hall of Famers: Not to be forgotten: Coaches and others Categories: | ... The Philadelphia 76ers are a National Basketball Association team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... The Detroit Pistons are a team in the National Basketball Association based in the Detroit metropolitan area. ... Basketball Hall of Fame Logo The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame honors players who have shown exceptional skill at basketball, all-time great coaches and referees, and other major contributors to the game. ... is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Location in Virginia Coordinates: , Country State Founded 1718 Government  - Mayor William D. Euille Area  - City  15. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... This article is about the sport. ... Languages Predominantly American English Religions Protestantism (chiefly Baptist and Methodist); Roman Catholicism; Islam Related ethnic groups Sub-Saharan Africans and other African groups, some with Native American groups. ... “NBA” redirects here. ... The 1950-51 NBA season was the 5th season of the National Basketball Association. ... Charles Harrison Cooper (September 29, 1926 - February 5, 1984), better known as Chuck Cooper, was one of three players with legitimate claims to be the first African American basketball player in the NBA. Each satisfied a different condition of being first: Cooper was the first black player to be drafted...

Lloyd, a forward known for his defense, played collegiately at West Virginia State College, was selected in the ninth-round of the 1950 NBA Draft by the Washington Capitols. On October 31, 1950, Lloyd became the first African-American to play in an NBA game, against the Rochester Royals. West Virginia State University is a small public college in Institute, West Virginia, an unincorporated suburb of Charleston, West Virginia. ... The 1950 NBA Draft consisted of 12 rounds with 121 players selected. ... The Washington Capitols were a National Basketball Association team based in Washington, D.C. Founded: 1946 Folded: 1951 Formerly known as: Home Arena: Uniform colors: Logo design: NBA Championships: // Franchise history Players of note Basketball Hall of Famers: Not to be forgotten: Coaches and others Categories: | ... The National Basketball Association of the United States and Canada, commonly known as the NBA, is the premier professional basketball league in North America. ... The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team which is based in Sacramento, California. ...

Lloyd led West Virginia State to two CIAA Conference and Tournament Championships in 1948 and 1949. He was named All-Conference three times (1948-50) and was All-American twice, as named by the Pittsburgh Courier (1949-50). As a senior, he averaged 14 points and 8 rebounds per game, while leading West Virginia State to a second place finish in the CIAA Conference and Tournament Championship. In 1947-48, West Virginia State was the only undefeated team in the United States. The Pittsburgh Courier was a newspaper for African-Americans. ...

Nicknamed "The Big Cat", Lloyd was one of three African-Americans to enter the NBA at the same time. It was only because of the order in which the teams' season openers fell that Lloyd was the first to actually play in a game in the NBA. The date was October 31, 1950, one day ahead of Cooper of the Boston Celtics and four days before Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton of the New York Knicks. Lloyd played in over 560 games in nine seasons, the 6-foot-5, 225-pound forward averaged 8.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. The Boston Celtics are a professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Lloyd played in only seven games for the Washington Capitols before the team folded on January 9, 1951. He then went into the U.S. Army at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, before the Syracuse Nationals picked him up on waivers. He spent six seasons with Syracuse and two with the Detroit Pistons before retiring in 1960. Fort Sill is a base of the United States Army near Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City. ...

Lloyd retired ranked 43rd in career scoring with 4,682 points. His best year was 1955, when he averaged 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds for Syracuse, which beat the Fort Wayne Pistons 4-3 for the NBA title. Lloyd and Jim Tucker were the first African-Americans to play on an NBA championship team. The Detroit Pistons are a National Basketball Association team based in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. ... James D. Tucker (born December 11, 1932 in Paris, Kentucky) is an American former professional basketball player. ...

Lloyd once said; "In 1950, basketball was like a babe in the woods; it didn't enjoy the notoriety that baseball enjoyed." Like Lloyd, Clifton and Cooper had solid but not spectacular careers.

According to Detroit News sportswriter Jerry Green, in 1965 Detroit Pistons General Manager Don Wattrick wanted to hire Lloyd as the team's head coach. It would have made Lloyd the first African-American head coach in American pro sports. Dave DeBusschere was instead named Pistons player-coach. From 1972 to 1973, Lloyd did coach the Pistons and was a scout for five seasons. He and his wife, Ginny, have one child. Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ...

In 2003, he was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor. Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Basketball Hall of Fame Logo The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame honors players who have shown exceptional skill at basketball, all-time great coaches and referees, and other major contributors to the game. ...

See also

• List of African American firsts

United States citizens of African descent, African Americans, make up a demographic minority of a national population composed primarily of those of European-Caucasian ancestry. ...

References

• Basketball Hall of Fame bio
• BasketballReference.com: Earl Lloyd (as coach)
• BasketballReference.com: Earl Lloyd (as player)