Jerald B. Harkness (May 7, 1940 – August 24, 2021) was an American professional
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. He played for the
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...
of the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
(NBA) and the
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
of the
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...
(ABA). Harkness played
college basketball
College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...
for the
Loyola Ramblers
The Loyola Ramblers (also called the Loyola Chicago Ramblers) are the varsity sports teams of Loyola University Chicago. Most teams compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference, which the school joined in 2022 after leaving the Missouri Valley Confere ...
, where he was
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
of the
1962–63 team that won the
1963 NCAA national championship. A consensus first-team
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 ...
, Harkness was selected by the Knicks in the second round of the
1963 NBA draft
The 1963 NBA draft was the 17th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 30 and May 7, 1963, before the 1963–64 season. In this draft, nine NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college baske ...
. He was also a
civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...
activist.
Early life and career
Harkness was born in
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...
. Before playing in the professional leagues, the Harkness was a star at
DeWitt Clinton High School
DeWitt Clinton High School is a public high school located since 1929 in the Bronx borough of New York City. Opened in 1897 in Lower Manhattan as an all-boys school, it maintained that status for 86 years before becoming co-ed in 1983. From i ...
and
Loyola University Chicago
Loyola University Chicago (Loyola or LUC) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus, Loyola is one of the largest Catholic Church, ...
.
At Loyola, he was a consensus first-team
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 ...
and served as captain of its
1962–63 team that won the national championship.
In the first round of
the NCAA tournament, Loyola defeated
Tennessee Tech by 111–42, which remains the largest margin of victory (69 points) in an
NCAA tournament game. In the second round, Loyola faced
Mississippi State
Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States. It is classified among "R ...
in a historic match now known as the
Game of Change
The Game of Change was a college basketball game played between the 1962–63 Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team, Loyola Ramblers and the Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball, Mississippi State Bulldogs on March 15, 1963, during ...
.
Facing Loyola's lineup with four black starters, Mississippi State defied segregationists by participating, breaking an unwritten law against Mississippi teams competing against teams with black players. Harkness was enshrined in history as he shook hands with
Joe Dan Gold, the white captain of Mississippi State, prior to tip-off. In a 2013 interview, Harkness told
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
of the handshake: "The flashbulbs just went off unbelievably, and at that time, boy, I knew that this was more than just a game. This was history being made."
Loyola beat Mississippi State, then sailed past
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
and
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
to reach the tournament final. Loyola then upset the
Cincinnati Bearcats
The Cincinnati Bearcats are the college sports, athletic teams that represent the University of Cincinnati. The teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and the Football Bowl Subdivision as members of the Big 12 Conference. The Bearcats were pr ...
in overtime to win
the championship game.
Harkness and the other four Loyola starters played the entire game, without substitution.
He then advanced to the pros after being drafted by the
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...
in the second round (10th pick overall) of the
1963 NBA draft
The 1963 NBA draft was the 17th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 30 and May 7, 1963, before the 1963–64 season. In this draft, nine NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college baske ...
. Harkness played one season (
1963–64) with the Knicks. He spent three seasons with the Twin Cities Sailors of the
NABL; in his third (and final) NABL season, he was named All-League (2nd team). The honor played a part in him securing an ABA contract with the
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
. He then played two seasons (1967–1969) with the
ABA's
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
.
Though his professional career was relatively short, he left his mark in the record books on November 13, 1967, when he hit an game-winning
buzzer beater
In timed sports, a buzzer beater is a successful shot made as the clock expires at the end of a period or at the end of the game, leaving zero seconds remaining. A buzzer sounds whenever a game clock expires, hence the name "buzzer beater." In b ...
to lead the Pacers past the
Dallas Chaparrals
The Dallas Chaparrals were a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA). The team moved to San Antonio, Texas, for the 1973–74 season and were renamed the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs joined the National Basketball Association ...
, 119–118. It was the longest shot in professional basketball until 2001, when
Baron Davis
Baron Walter Louis Davis (born April 13, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who is a studio analyst for the ''NBA on TNT''. He was a two-time NBA All-Star, made the All-NBA Third Team in 2004, and twice led the NBA in st ...
hit from to end the third quarter.
[ Harkness' shot remains the longest game-winning shot ever made.][
]
Life after basketball
Harkness became the first African-American salesman for Quaker Oats
The Quaker Oats Company, known as Quaker, is an American food conglomerate based in Chicago, Illinois. As Quaker Mill Company, the company was founded in 1877 in Ravenna, Ohio. In 1881, Henry Crowell bought the company and launched a national ad ...
. In 1970, Harkness became the first African-American fundraiser in Indianapolis
Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
, working for the United Way
United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit organization, nonprofit fundraising affiliates. Prior to 2015, United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public. Individual Un ...
of Greater Indianapolis. He was Indianapolis' first African-American sportscaster at WTHR
WTHR (channel 13) is a television station in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside low-power broadcasting#Television, low-power, Class A television service, Class A MeTV affiliate WALV-CD ( ...
(formerly WLWI) in the mid to late 1970s.
He also devoted much of his time to civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...
issues. He worked with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) is an African Americans, African-American civil rights organization based in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. SCLC is closely associated with its first president, Martin Luther King Jr., ...
in the early 1970s, and he served as executive director of the Indianapolis chapter of 100 Black Men, a national organization dedicated to supporting and training young African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
males.
Harkness died in Indianapolis on August 24, 2021, at the age of 81.
Awards and honors
On July 11, 2013, in the Oval Office
The Oval Office is the formal working space of the president of the United States. Part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, it is in the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, D.C.
The oval room has three lar ...
of the White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
, Harkness and former Loyola teammates John Egan, Les Hunter and Ron Miller met with President Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the school's 1963 national championship. To date it remains the only NCAA Division I basketball championship won by a university from the state of Illinois. In September 2013, Harkness and the entire 1963 Loyola Ramblers NCAA Championship basketball team was inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame
The Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame, located in the Hawthorne Race Course, in Stickney/Cicero, near Chicago, honors sports greats associated with the Chicago metropolitan area. It was founded in 1979 as a trailer owned by the Olympia Brewing Compa ...
. The 1963 Loyola Ramblers were inducted in the College Basketball Hall of Fame
The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is a hall of fame and museum dedicated to men's college basketball. The museum is an integral portion of the College Basketball Experience created by the Nation ...
in November 2013.
In June 2013, Harkness was awarded the Muhammad Ali Athlete Award. He is a member of the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame and the Loyola Athletics Hall of Fame.
Career statistics
NBA/ABA
Source
Regular season
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
!Year
!Team
!GP
!MPG
!FG%
!3P%
!FT%
!RPG
!APG
!PPG
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, 5 , , 11.8 , , .433 , , , , .375 , , 1.2 , , 1.2 , , 5.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
(ABA)
, 71 , , 17.5 , , .437 , , .200 , , .682 , , 2.7 , , 1.8 , , 7.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
(ABA)
, 10 , , 27.2 , , .463 , , – , , .638 , , 3.4 , , 2.1 , , 9.2
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career (ABA)
, 81 , , 18.7 , , .440 , , .200 , , .674 , , 2.8 , , 1.9 , , 7.3
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career (overall)
, 86 , , 18.3 , , .440 , , .200 , , .665 , , 2.7 , , 1.8 , , 7.2
Playoffs
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
!Year
!Team
!GP
!MPG
!FG%
!3P%
!FT%
!RPG
!APG
!PPG
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 1968
Events January–February
* January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously.
* January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
, style="text-align:left;", Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
(ABA)
, 3 , , 10.7 , , .333 , , – , , 1.000 , , 1.7 , , 1.7 , , 3.3
Notes
References
Further reading
* ''Ramblers: Loyola Chicago 1963 – The Team That Changed the Color of College Basketball'' by Michael Lenehan, published by Agate Publishing
Agate Publishing is an independent small press book publisher based in Evanston, Illinois, Evanston, Illinois. The company, incorporated in 2002 with its first book published in 2003, was founded by current president Doug Seibold. At its inception, ...
, February 18, 2013.
External links
Dan Carpenter: Indy's Jerry Harkness lived basketball and history, in black and white
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harkness, Jerry
1940 births
2021 deaths
20th-century African-American sportsmen
20th-century American sportsmen
21st-century African-American sportsmen
Activists for African-American civil rights
All-American college men's basketball players
American men's basketball players
DeWitt Clinton High School alumni
Indiana Pacers players
Loyola Ramblers men's basketball players
New York Knicks draft picks
New York Knicks players
People from Harlem
Point guards
Shooting guards
Basketball players from Manhattan
Syracuse Nationals draft picks
Television anchors from Indianapolis