James J. Lacy (April 1926 – February 15, 2014) 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 for Loyola College of Maryland in 1943–44 and then 1946–47 to 1948–49. He was regarded as one of the top

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 ...

scorers of his era.Steadman, John
"Loyola could still use Jim Lacy today"
''The Baltimore Sun'', March 18, 1994.

College career

As a freshman for the

Loyola Greyhounds The Loyola Greyhounds (also called the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds) are the athletic teams that represent Loyola University Maryland. The teams include men and women's basketball, cross country, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, swimming & diving, and te ...

in 1943–44, Lacy was the state's leading scorer. He turned 18 after the season and subsequently enlisted in 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 ...

due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He later returned to Loyola and led the nation in scoring in 1946–47 at 20.8 points per game. On February 3, 1947, he had perhaps the most memorable game of his career against the #1 team in the east,

Seton Hall Seton Hall University (SHU) is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizab ...

, when he scored 20 points to lead Loyola to a 54–53 upset.Lambrecht, Gary
"10 Greatest Moments in Loyola Basketball"
''magazine.loyola.edu''; retrieved 2010-11-13. In his junior year, Lacy finished second in the national scoring race. He scored 44 points in a game against

Western Maryland upright=1.2, An enlargeable map of Maryland's 23 counties and one independent city Western Maryland, also known as the Maryland panhandle or Mountain Maryland, is the portion of the U.S. state of Maryland that typically consists of Washing ...

to set a school record that still stands. He was

team captain In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...

during his senior year."Loyola College Record Book"
. Retrieved 2010-11-13. From 1946 to 1949, he led the Greyhounds to three Mason-Dixon Conference championships and its first NAIA tournament win. He was the first player in NCAA history to score 2,000 career points, finishing at 2,154. Despite playing before the introduction of the

three-point shot A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or triple) is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two ...

, he is still Loyola's all-time leader in points scored. He also holds the school records for career field goals (796) and career free throws made (613). During his four years in college, he shot 79.8% from the free throw line.

Later life

Lacy was inducted into the Loyola College Hall of Fame. After college, he was drafted by the

Washington Capitols The Washington Capitols were a former Basketball Association of America (forerunner of the National Basketball Association) team based in Washington, D.C. from 1946 to 1951. The team was coached from 1946 to 1949 by NBA Hall of Famer Red Auerb ...

of the

Basketball Association of America The Basketball Association of America (BAA) was a professional basketball league in North America, founded in 1946. Following its third season, 1948–49, the BAA merged with the National Basketball League (United States), National Basketball Lea ...

. However, professional basketball did not interest him, and he never played in the NBA. He stood at 6'2" and weighed 185 lbs. He later became the fire commissioner in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

.Goldstein, Alan
"Remembering Eckman"
pressboxonline.com; retrieved November 13, 2010.

Death

Lacy died of

melanoma Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer; it develops from the melanin-producing cells known as melanocytes. It typically occurs in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye (uveal melanoma). In very rare case ...

on February 15, 2014, at the age of 87. He was survived by four children. Dorothy, his wife of 57 years, died in 2006; a daughter died in 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lacy, Jim 1926 births 2014 deaths American men's basketball players Basketball players from Baltimore Deaths from cancer in Maryland Deaths from melanoma in the United States Forwards (basketball) Loyola Greyhounds men's basketball players United States Navy personnel of World War II Washington Capitols draft picks 20th-century American sportsmen