Cliff Hagan
(Born 1931)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1978
Card Shown:
2014-15 Panini Flawless
Hall of Fame
Position: SF
Height: 6’4″
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Cliff Hagan is often remembered for being traded, along with Ed Macauley, to the St. Louis Hawks for the draft rights to Bill Russell. Russell went on to lead the Boston Celtics to eleven NBA Championships. Hagan also won an NBA title with the St. Louis Hawks and both he and Macauley were later inducted into the Hall of Fame. Cliff helped lead the Hawks to the playoffs nine times in his ten years with the team. He later became one of the highest profile players to leave the NBA for the fledgling ABA, where he played for (and coached) the Dallas Chaparrals for parts of three seasons between 1967 and 1970. Hagan was quick, strong, and a gifted scorer. He was a pure shooter who featured an effective hook shot.
Awards and Honors
- In 1949, Cliff led Owensboro High School to the Kentucky State Basketball Championship.
- Hagan was selected to be an All-Star six times. He was an NBA All-Star five times from 1958 through 1962. Later in his career, Cliff became an ABA All-Star in 1968 while playing for the Dallas Chaparrals.
- In 1957-58 and again in 1958-59, Hagan was named to the All-NBA Second Team.
- Cliff helped lead the St. Louis Hawks to the NBA Championship in 1958, defeating the Boston Celtics in six games. Hagan averaged 25.2 points and 9.7 rebounds in the Finals. Joining him on that Hawks team were Hall of Fame players Bob Pettit, Slater Martin, and Ed Macauley.
- Hagan was named an All-American twice during his playing days at Kentucky.
Points of Interest
- Hagan played college basketball at the University of Kentucky for legendary coach Adolph Rupp, where he led them to an overall record of 86-5. In his sophomore season, the Wildcats won the NCAA tournament. In his junior season, Cliff scored 21.6 points per game and pulled down 16.5 rebounds per game. In his senior season, he scored 24 points per game and the Wildcats finished the season with a perfect 25-0 record.
- After college, Cliff served two years in the military at Andrews Air Force base before beginning his NBA career with the St. Louis Hawks.
- On February 11, 1962, Hagan scored a career-high 55 points in a game against the Cincinnati Royals.
- Cliff finished in the top ten in scoring four times in his NBA career. Twice he finished fifth, with averages of 23.7 ppg in 1958-59 and 24.8 ppg in 1959-60. In 1959-60, teammates Bob Pettit and Clyde Lovellette finished with scoring averages of 26.1 ppg and 20.1 ppg respectively, giving the Hawks one of the highest-scoring front lines in professional basketball history.
- In ten seasons in the NBA, Hagan averaged 18.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. In his three seasons in the ABA, Cliff averaged 15.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game.
Statistics
Cliff Hagan Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com