Joe Brennan
(1900-1989)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1975
Card Shown:
1986-2002 Hall of Fame Metallic
Position: G
Height: 6’0″
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Joe Brennan was one of the early pioneers of professional basketball. He played for a number of different teams during his nineteen-year professional career, most notably the Brooklyn Visitations. Joe was a prolific scorer for his era, often scoring close to 10 points per game. At a time when pro basketball was in its infancy, Brennan maintained a job at a bank to supplement his basketball earnings.
Awards and Honors
- Brennan won three Metropolitan League Championships and one National League Championship during his storied career.
- Joe led the Brooklyn Dodgers of the Metropolitan Basketball League to the league title in 1922. That same year he led the league in scoring.
- The Brooklyn Visitations won ABL titles in 1931 and 1935 with Brennan leading the way.
- Joe won the league scoring title in 1922 after finishing the season with 190 points scored. His nearest competitor, Bennie Borgmann, ended the season with 184 points.
- In 1950, Joe was voted the second greatest professional basketball player of his era by the New York Basketball Old Timers. First place in this ranking went to John Beckman.
Points of Interest
- Like many players of his era, Brennan played for a number of different teams during his career, sometimes playing for two different teams at the same time. A few of the many teams that Joe played for include the Troy Trojans, Amsterdam Flashes, Springfield Gunners, Trenton Bengals, and the Philadelphia Crane.
- Joe played four years of high school basketball at St. Augustine Academy. After graduating in 1919, he immediately began his pro basketball career with the Brooklyn Visitations, an all-Irish team.
- In 1922, Brennan led the New Jersey Reds to a tightly contested victory over the Original Celtics and Nat Holman. Brennan and Holman had many personal battles on the court, but in this game Joe scored the final basket with 20 seconds left to lead the Reds to a 26-24 win.
- Playing for a number of different teams during the 1920s, Brennan averaged 7.3 points per game, an incredible feat considering the way that basketball was played during that era. Joe’s top scoring season was in 1923-24 when he averaged 9.5 points per game.
- After Brennan’s playing days ended, he became the freshman basketball coach at Manhattan College and led them to an 80-7 record in three years there. Later, in 1941, Joe coached at St. Francis College, where he compiled a 96-46 record.
- When he was not playing basketball, Brennan worked at the Emigrant Savings Bank in Manhattan. He began working there in the early 1920s and continued with the bank until 1961, leaving as a vice president. In the early days of his career, Joe sometimes missed road games because of his duties with the bank. Joe went on to serve as president of the Atlantic Savings and Loan before retiring in 1968.
Joe Brennan – Leaf Cut Signature
Joe Brennan Videos
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