Barney Sedran
(1891-1969)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1962
Card Shown:
1986-2002 Hall of Fame Metallic
Position: G
Height: 5’4″
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Barney Sedran, known as “Mighty Mite,” only stood 5’4″ tall but he was one of the greatest players of the 1910s. A star at the City College of New York (CCNY) from 1909-1911, Sedran turned pro in 1912. He was known for his lightning speed, his incredible ball-handling, and his ability to score from both the outside and the inside. Barney led a number of different teams to a variety of championships during his fifteen-year career.
Awards and Honors
- Sedran teamed with fellow Hall of Famer Marty Friedman (5’7″) on Utica to form the “Heavenly Twins.” The backcourt duo led Utica to the World Professional Championship in 1914.
- Barney led his Carbondale team to 35 straight wins and the Pennsylvania League Championship in 1917.
- Sedran also won league championships for Newburgh in 1912, Easthampton in 1920 and 1921, and Albany in 1921.
- A virtual scoring machine in the early days of professional basketball, Barney averaged 7.3 points per game during his career. His most prolific scoring season came in 1917, when he averaged 13.2 points per game.
Points of Interest
- Barney was cut from his high school basketball team, DeWitt Clinton High School in New York City, because the coaches thought that he was too small.
- At 5’4″, Sedran is the shortest player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
- Barney once scored 34 points in a game in an era when scoring was much tougher than it is today and there were no backboards on the basket.
- By 1920, Barney was making over $10,000 per year playing the game of basketball. Ten thousand dollars was an incredible salary at that time.
- Sedran said that the best team he ever played on was the New York Whirlwinds. That team included Friedman and Hall of Famer Nat Holman. One of that team’s greatest victories came against the Original Celtics. Barney was the high scorer as the Whirlwinds defeated the Celtics 40-24.
- In the 1930s and 1940s, Sedran became a successful coach in the ABL, leading Wilmington to league titles in 1942 and 1944.
Barney Sedran Videos
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