cept Wilt, so he couldn't score. So, Coach McGuire put in his subs and had them foul the Knicks so the Warriors would get the ball right back. It was fun to watch, but not real good basketball. There were 57 fouls that night. With a minute to play Wilt had 98 points. About 15 seconds later he got free from the five Knicks and slammed an alley-oop dunk shot for 100 points. I couldn't even hear myself yelling it was so noisy. A whole bunch of people in front of us jumped over the railing and tried to touch Wilt. After about ten minutes the game restarted and all Wilt did was stand in the center circle and watch. Final score was Warriors 169, Knicks 147. We stayed for about a half-hour after the game, but didn't get to see Wilt again. What a night. Wilt retired in 1973 and was inducted into the "Hall of Fame" in 1978 and still holds records for best points per game average (50.1), most rebounds per game average (27.2) and most rebounds in a career (23,924). He's also known for allegedly sleeping with 20,000 women in his lifetime. On October 12, 1999 he died. I'm surprised he lasted that long!!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The "Wilt the Stilt" Story
It was an ordinary day. My friend, Terry D. and I are headed to Hershey Park Arena to see the Philadelphia Warriors play the New York Knicks. The Warriors come to Hershey a few times a year to play a home game to try and get the local people interested in pro basketball. We have great seats about halfway up and in the middle of the arena. The day is March 2, 1962. This date mean anything to you? Maybe you'll remember! We get there about an hour early so we don't have to park way in the back of the parking lot. Find our seats and are ready for the game. Our team, the Warriors, features players such as Paul Arizin, Guy Rodgers and Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain. Wilt, who is 7'1" tall and about 300 pounds, grew up in Philadelphia and played at Overbrook High School. Went to the University of Kansas and played in the NCAA Championship game which they lost to North Carolina in triple overtime. He left Kansas after his junior year and played for the Harlem Globetrotters for a year before signing with the Warriors in 1959. He was "Rookie of the Year" and "Most Valuable Player" his first year in the league. WOW!! In 1961-1962 he AVERAGED 50.4 points a game, breaking his own record of 38.4 PPG from the previous year. He later led the 76ers to a NBA Championship in 1967. Tonight Terry and I have come to watch "Wilt the Stilt." He seems to stand about a foot higher than all the other players. By halftime he had scored 41, but that wasn't unusual for him. Terry and I were talking about how the entire Knicks team was guarding him and fouling him, but they weren't getting called for the fouls. At halftime we found out that Coach McGuire ordered his guys to feed Wilt. The second half was great. The announcer really got the crowd going. At the end of the third quarter, Wilt had 69 points. The Knicks couldn't stop him. He was dunking the ball almost every time he had the ball and boy were we yelling. After about eight minutes into the final quarter, the announcer said that Wilt had broken his own single-game record of 78 points. Man did we go nuts! It was a packed house and all 4,000 or more of us started to scream "Give it to Wilt! Give it to Wilt! And they did!! They kept feeding him every time they had the ball. The Knicks started getting mad and started fouling everyone except Wilt, so he couldn't score. So, Coach McGuire put in his subs and had them foul the Knicks so the Warriors would get the ball right back. It was fun to watch, but not real good basketball. There were 57 fouls that night. With a minute to play Wilt had 98 points. About 15 seconds later he got free from the five Knicks and slammed an alley-oop dunk shot for 100 points. I couldn't even hear myself yelling it was so noisy. A whole bunch of people in front of us jumped over the railing and tried to touch Wilt. After about ten minutes the game restarted and all Wilt did was stand in the center circle and watch. Final score was Warriors 169, Knicks 147. We stayed for about a half-hour after the game, but didn't get to see Wilt again. What a night. Wilt retired in 1973 and was inducted into the "Hall of Fame" in 1978 and still holds records for best points per game average (50.1), most rebounds per game average (27.2) and most rebounds in a career (23,924). He's also known for allegedly sleeping with 20,000 women in his lifetime. On October 12, 1999 he died. I'm surprised he lasted that long!!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
cept Wilt, so he couldn't score. So, Coach McGuire put in his subs and had them foul the Knicks so the Warriors would get the ball right back. It was fun to watch, but not real good basketball. There were 57 fouls that night. With a minute to play Wilt had 98 points. About 15 seconds later he got free from the five Knicks and slammed an alley-oop dunk shot for 100 points. I couldn't even hear myself yelling it was so noisy. A whole bunch of people in front of us jumped over the railing and tried to touch Wilt. After about ten minutes the game restarted and all Wilt did was stand in the center circle and watch. Final score was Warriors 169, Knicks 147. We stayed for about a half-hour after the game, but didn't get to see Wilt again. What a night. Wilt retired in 1973 and was inducted into the "Hall of Fame" in 1978 and still holds records for best points per game average (50.1), most rebounds per game average (27.2) and most rebounds in a career (23,924). He's also known for allegedly sleeping with 20,000 women in his lifetime. On October 12, 1999 he died. I'm surprised he lasted that long!!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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