Al Cervi
(1917-2009)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1985
Card Shown:
2006-07 Upper Deck Chronology
Letterman Patch
Position: PG
Height: 5’11”
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Al “Digger” Cervi,was one of the top basketball players of the 1940s and 1950s. His career spanned both the National Basketball League (NBL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). Al was an a strong, tenacious defender who played with unyielding determination. Offensively, he was a scorer who liked to slash to the hoop and often converted three-point plays as he scored after contact. Cervi was not only a great player but a great coach as well. He combined his talents and served several seasons as a very successful player-coach.
Awards and Honors
- In the 1945-46 NBL Finals the Rochester Royals with Cervi, Bob Davies, and Red Holzman lost to George Mikan and the Chicago Gears.
- Al led the NBL in scoring in 1946-47 with an average of 14.4 points per game. He also was awarded the NBL Most Valuable Player award that year.
- In 1948-49, while serving as player-coach of the Syracuse Nationals in the NBL, Cervi was named First Team All-NBL and Coach of the Year in the same season.
- Al retired as a player after the 1952-53 NBA season but continued on as the coach of the Nationals. In 1954-55, along with his star player Dolph Schayes, Cervi led Syracuse to the NBA championship. The Nationals defeated the Fort Wayne Pistons, who featured George Yardley and Andy Phillip, 4-3 in the Finals.
- Cervi was selected All-League five times during his career in the NBL and NBA. He also won Coach of the Year a number of times, making him one of the best player-coaches in basketball history
Points of Interest
- In high school, Al played basketball and baseball at the highest level. He was the captain of both teams at East High School in Buffalo, New York and was All-City in both sports.
- Cervi made his professional debut in basketball with the Buffalo Bisons of the NBL in 1937, earning $15 per game. He never attended college.
- Al earned his nickname “Digger” because of the gritty, hard-nosed manner in which he played the game of basketball.
- After serving in the military, Cervi joined the Rochester Royals in 1946. His teammates included Davies, Holzman, Otto Graham (future Hall of Fame quarterback), Del Rice (major league catcher) and Chuck Connors (who went on to star in the TV series The Rifleman).
- Al’s career regular season coaching record was 366-264 (58.1% winning percentage). When he was a player-coach his teams performed even better at 210-120 (63.6% winning percentage).
Statistics
Al Cervi Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com