John Beckman
(1895-1968)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1973
Card Shown:
2009-10 Panini Hall of Fame
Position: F
Height: 5’10”
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John Beckman, known by the press as “The Babe Ruth of Basketball,” was one of the first stars in the game of professional basketball. He started playing professionally only twenty years after James Naismith invented basketball in 1891. Beckman played the game from 1911 through 1930. Always a prolific scorer, Beckman was committed to teamwork, defense, and passing. He was also one of the best free throw shooters of his time, connecting regularly from the charity stripe even before the basket had a backboard. At that time, the best free throw shooter on the team would take all of the free throws, and that was Beckman.
Awards and Honors
- John was the leading scorer in the Pennsylvania State League in both the 1919-20 (9.0 points per game) and 1920-21 season (9.1 points per game). In the PSL he played for the Nanticoke Nans.
- Beckman played in eight different leagues during his career and helped his teams win four championships.
- In 1922 he won the Eastern League title with the Original Celtics. In 1929 John helped lead the Cleveland Rosenblums to the ABL championship.
- Beckman was a Captain of the Original Celtics during their glory days. Teammate Nat Holman once called Beckman the greatest player he had ever known.
- Hall of Fame player Ed Wachter named Beckman to his personal all-time team, which included stars that played between 1891 and the early 1940’s.
Points of Interest
- Beckman started playing organized basketball in high school in 1910. Then 15 years of age, John played for St. Gabriel’s Catholic School in Manhattan.
- John never played college basketball. He did star for at least 25 different professional teams during his career. Some of the more notable teams that he played for include the Original Celtics (from New York), the Cleveland Rosenblums, the Bridgeport Blue Ribbons, and the Nanticoke Nans.
- Beckman’s Original Celtics teammates included Hall of Fame players Joe Lapchick, Dutch Dehnert, and Nat Holman. In 1959 the Original Celtics were inducted into the Hall of Fame, in Springfield, Massachusetts, as a team. John would be inducted as a player into the same Hall of Fame 14 years later.
- The Original Celtics often barnstormed throughout the east coast, playing an incredible amount of games. One year their record was 204-11. In 1927-28 they went 109-11. The Original Celtics were so good that eventually they were removed from the ABL because no other teams could compete with them.
- Beckman’s grandson, Edwin J. Beckman, played professional football for the Kansas City Chiefs for eight years between 1977 and 1984.