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Syracuse Crunch to Retire Jersey of Hall of Famer and 12-Time NBA All-Star Dolph Schayes March 26

February 23, 2016 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Syracuse Crunch will retire the jersey of Hall of Famer and 12-time NBA All-Star Dolph Schayes with a special presentation prior to the team's game against the Rochester Americans on March 26.

Schayes was a franchise player for the Syracuse Nationals and an integral part of the 1955 NBA Championship team that captured the title at the War Memorial Arena. The Crunch will honor Schayes by retiring his No. 4 jersey to the rafters of the War Memorial. The pregame event on March 26 will include a video in remembrance of Schayes, who passed away on Dec. 10 at age 87, along with a presentation to his family.

Schayes, a Bronx, New York native, was drafted by the National Basketball League's Tri-Cities Hawks in 1948 following a collegiate career at New York University. His rights were obtained by the Syracuse Nationals before starting his rookie season in 1948-49, when he was named rookie of the year. The following year, the National Basketball League and Basketball Association of America merged to form the NBA. The NBA's inaugural season was Schayes' second professional and kicked off his 12-year run as leading scoring on the Nats. In 1949-50, he was sixth in the league with 1,072 total points. The Nats earned a 51-13 record and reached the first-ever NBA Finals, falling to the Minneapolis Lakers in six games.

During the 1950-51 season, the first year the league kept rebounding records, Schayes led the NBA with 16.4 boards per game. The same season, Schayes played in the NBA's first All-Star Game and was a recognized as first selection to the All-NBA First Team.

On April 10, 1955, Schayes helped lead the Nats to claim the NBA Championship. He continued in the NBA playing for the Nats until their move to Philadelphia, where he finished his career with one season with the 76ers. Schayes was consistently among the top scorers and rebounders during his 16 seasons in the NBA.

Schayes retired following the 1963-64 season with 18,438 career points and 11,256 rebounds. He was named to the All-NBA First Team and All-NBA Second Team six times each. In 1973, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and in 1996 he was honored by being named to the NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.

Following his retirement, Schayes coached the Sixers with Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer and Billy Cunningham for two seasons and was named NBA Coach of the Year at the end of the 1965-66 campaign. He also coached briefly for the Buffalo Braves in 1970-71 before becoming a supervisor of NBA officials.

Schayes returned to Syracuse with his wife, Naomi, where he raised four children, Danny, David, Debbie and Carrie. His son, Danny, played basketball for Syracuse University before following his father into the NBA, where he spent 18 seasons.

Schayes, along with former Nationals players Bill Kenville and Jim Tucker and family members of Paul Seymour, Earl Lloyd and Bill Gabor, were honored last season by the Crunch in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the championship. The Crunch presented team members with championships rings during a pregame presentation.

Syracuse Crunch single game and season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased either in person at the Crunch Box Office located in the War Memorial at 800 South State Street in Syracuse or by calling the office at 315-473-4444. For the latest Crunch news, visit www.syracusecrunch.com or follow the club on Facebook (www.facebook.com/syracusecrunch), Twitter (@SyracuseCrunch) and Instagram (@officialsyracusecrunch) using #SyrCrunch and #BelieveInBlue.

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