Slater Martin

Slater Martin
Personal information
Born (1925-10-22)October 22, 1925
Elmina, Texas
Died October 18, 2012(2012-10-18) (aged 86)
Houston, Texas
Nationality American
Listed height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Listed weight 170 lb (77 kg)
Career information
High school Jefferson Davis
(Houston, Texas)
College Texas (1943–1944, 1946–1949)
Playing career 1949–1960
Position Point guard
Number 22, 7
Career history
As player:
1949–1956 Minneapolis Lakers
1956 New York Knicks
1956–1960 St. Louis Hawks
As coach:
1957 St. Louis Hawks
1967–1969 Houston Mavericks
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points 7,337
Rebounds 2,302
Assists 3,160
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
College Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2006

Slater Nelson "Dugie" Martin Jr.[1] (October 22, 1925 – October 18, 2012) was an American professional basketball player and coach who was a playmaking guard for 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was born in Elmina, Walker County, Texas and played in seven NBA All-Star Games.

Martin was one of the NBA's best defensive players in the 1950s, playing for the George Mikan-led Minneapolis Lakers that won four NBA championships between 1950 and 1954.[2] In 1956, he joined Bob Pettit's St. Louis Hawks and won another NBA title in 1958.[3]

Martin, circa 1953–54

Martin was an alumnus of Jefferson Davis High School in Houston, where he led his school to two state basketball championships in 1942 and 1943. He is also a graduate of University of Texas at Austin, where he set a scoring record in 1949 with 49 points in a game for the Longhorns against Texas Christian University (or TCU).[3] Throughout his career with the Longhorns, he averaged 12.7 points per game.[4] His former high school now holds an annual fund raiser in his name, the "Slater Martin Golf Tournament", which successfully raises tens of thousands of dollars each year for high school student clubs and athletic teams.

He was head coach of the Houston Mavericks of the American Basketball Association in the 1967–68 season and part of 1968–69,[3] and led the Mavericks into the 1968 ABA Playoffs.

Martin was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on May 3, 1982 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He is so far the only Longhorn to be so honored. His jersey number 15 was retired by the University of Texas on January 31, 2009, making him only the second Longhorn basketball player to have his number retired.

He died of a brief undisclosed illness on October 18, 2012, in Houston, Texas, aged 86, and is survived by sons Slater Jr and Jim.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Slater Martin Player Statistics
  2. ↑ "Passings: Slater Martin", Los Angeles Times, October 19, 2012
  3. 1 2 3 4 Goldstein, Richard (October 20, 2012), "Slater Martin, Hall of Fame Lakers Guard, Dies at 86", The New York Times
  4. ↑ "SR / College Basketball: Slater Martin". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
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