Frank A. Ehmann (December 23, 1933 – August 27, 2023) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player known for his

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

college career at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

. Ehmann joined Northwestern from nearby St. George High School in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...

. He was able to play for the Wildcats as a freshman due to a temporary relaxation of NCAA eligibility rules due to the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. He made the most of his opportunity, earning a starting role that he would hold for four varsity seasons. After two solid years, Ehmann became a primary scorer for the Wildcats as a junior in the 1953–54 season. He averaged 18.2 points per game and at the end of the season was named second-team All-

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

and Northwestern's most valuable player for the season. As a senior, Ehmann spent the year in contention for the Big Ten scoring title as he upped his average to 23.9 points per game. He was recognized as a first-team All-Big Ten performer and earned a spot on '' Look Magazines 10-man All-American team. Ehmann left Northwestern as the school's all-time leading scorer for a career (1,291), season (501 his senior year) and single-game (38) – all since broken. Following the close of his college career, Ehmann toured with a college All-Star team in a series of exhibition games against the

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters is an American Exhibition game, exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, entertainment, and comedy in their style of play. Over the years, they have played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 124 ...

. In the 1955 NBA draft, he was selected by the

Syracuse Nationals The Philadelphia 76ers are an American basketball team currently playing in the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 76ers are third in NBA ...

in the fourth round, but never played in the league. Instead he joined the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

and played amateur basketball on service teams. After his military service, Ehmann entered a career in business in the Chicago area. He once contemplated a return to the business side of basketball in 1989 as a candidate for commissioner of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

(CBA), though he ultimately withdrew his name from consideration. Ehmann died on August 27, 2023.

References

External links

College stats @ sports-reference.comNorthwestern Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ehmann, Frank 1933 births 2023 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Chicago Forwards (basketball) Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball players Syracuse Nationals draft picks 20th-century American sportsmen