Sartain Hall was a 4,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Troy, Alabama . It was home to the Troy University Trojans basketball team until Trojan Arena opened in 2012. It opened in 1962.
32-499: The building was built as a new Physical Education Building in 1962, with its major facility being a 2,500-seat basketball gymnasium which was ready for the first basketball game that fall. Before Sartain Hall, the university never previously had an adequate gymnasium, and the college administration had the foresight at the time to make it available for high school basketball tournaments as well as college games and tournaments. The building
64-496: A 78–19 record and was invited to the then-prestigious National Invitation Tournament twice. He was a captain for the 1949–50 team, which was the first team from the university to be nationally ranked all season, finishing with a 23–6 record and ranked sixth nationally. Coming out of college in 1950, Cooper signed with the Harlem Globetrotters . On April 25, 1950, he became the first African American drafted into
96-580: A combined total of 399 points. Troy won the game 258–141. This article about a sports venue in Alabama is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters are an American 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 countries and territories, mostly against deliberately ineffective opponents, such as
128-531: A heavily attended matchup a few years later, the 1948 Globetrotters–Lakers game , the Globetrotters made headlines when they beat one of the best white basketball teams in the country, the Minneapolis Lakers . The Globetrotters continued to easily win games due to Harlem monopolizing the entire talent pool of the best black basketball players in the country. Once one of the most famous teams in
160-700: A positive influence... They did not show blacks as stupid. On the contrary, they were shown as superior." In 1986, as part of the spin-off of Metromedia's television stations to News Corporation and the 20th Century Fox film studio, the company sold the Globetrotters and the Ice Capades to the Minneapolis -based International Broadcasting Corporation (owners of KTAB-TV in Abilene, Texas and controlled by Thomas Scallen ) for $ 30 million. In 1993, former Globetrotters player Mannie Jackson purchased
192-467: A semester of basketball for West Virginia State College (now University) before being drafted to serve in the United States Navy in the final stages of World War II. Following his service, he enrolled at Duquesne University where he was an All-American, started all four years, and set the school record for total points with 990 in four seasons. During his time at Duquesne, the team had
224-524: Is not known how many blocked shots, steals, or turnovers he had during his career. After his NBA career, Cooper graduated with a Master of Social Work from the University of Minnesota in 1960. He was married twice; first in 1951, and then in 1957 to Irva Lee (with whom he had four children). He worked to improve his hometown of Pittsburgh, serving on the Pittsburgh school board, and was appointed
256-706: The NBA draft , in which they select players they feel fit the mold of a Globetrotter. Being drafted by the Globetrotters does not guarantee a spot on the team, although several drafted players have gone on to become Globetrotters: Anthony "Ant" Atkinson (2007), Brent Petway (2007), William "Bull" Bullard (2008), Tay "Firefly" Fisher (2008), Charlie Coley III (2009), Paul "Tiny" Sturgess (2011), Jacob "Hops" Tucker (2011), Darnell "Spider" Wilks (2011), Bryan "B-Nice" Narcisse (2012), Tyrone Davis (2013), Corey "Thunder" Law (2013), Tyler "Iceman" Inman (2014) Devan "Beast" Douglas (2016), and AJ "Money" Merriweather. Other notable draft picks by
288-734: The National Basketball Association (NBA). Cooper was also the first African-American to be drafted by an NBA team; he was chosen by the Boston Celtics with the first pick of the second round of the 1950 NBA Draft. In a six-season NBA career, Cooper played for the Celtics, the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks , and the Fort Wayne Pistons , averaging 6.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Cooper
320-632: The Washington Generals (1953–1995, since 2015) and the New York Nationals (1995–2015). The team's signature song is Brother Bones ' whistled version of " Sweet Georgia Brown ", and their mascot is an anthropomorphized globe named "Globie". The team is owned by Herschend Family Entertainment . The Globetrotters originated in 1926, on the South Side of Chicago , where all the original players were raised. They began as
352-828: The Fort Wayne Pistons. Cooper played four years with the Celtics, then was traded to the Milwaukee Hawks before ending his career as a member of the Ft. Wayne Pistons . After that, he spent a year playing for the Harlem Magicians , before injuring his back in a car crash and leaving basketball. During his NBA career, Cooper played a total of 409 games, scored 2,725 points for an average of 6.66 points per game, had 2,431 rebounds for an average of 5.9 per game, and had 733 assists for an average of 1.79 per game. As some statistics were not kept during that time, it
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#1732779926676384-566: The Globetrotters for $ 11 million from Globetrotter Communications. Many famous basketball players have played for the Globetrotters. Greats such as "Wee" Willie Gardner, Connie "the Hawk" Hawkins , Wilt "the Stilt" Chamberlain , and Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton later joined the NBA. The Globetrotters signed their first female player, Olympic gold medalist Lynette Woodard , in 1985. Because nearly all of
416-603: The Globetrotters for $ 12,500 (equivalent to $ 158,000 in 2023), with Saperstein getting $ 10,000 and Clifton getting $ 2,500. The Globetrotters gradually worked comic routines into their act—a direction the team has credited to Reece "Goose" Tatum , who joined in 1941—and eventually became known more for entertainment than sports. The Globetrotters' acts often feature incredible coordination and skillful handling of one or more basketballs, such as passing or juggling balls between players, balancing or spinning balls on their fingertips, and making unusually difficult shots. In 1952,
448-1002: The Globetrotters include: Sun Mingming (2007), Patrick Ewing Jr. (2008), Sonny Weems (2008), Taylor Griffin (2009), Tim Howard (2009), Mark Titus (2010), Lionel Messi (2011), Jordan McCabe , then 12 years old (2011), Andrew Goudelock (2011), Usain Bolt (2012), Mariano Rivera (2013), Brittney Griner (2013), Johnny Manziel (2014), Landon Donovan (2014), Mo'ne Davis (2015), Dude Perfect (2015), Kevin Hart (2016), Neymar (2016), Missy Franklin (2016), Jordan Spieth (2016), Craig Sager (2016), Gal Gadot (2017), Aaron Judge (2017), Tim Tebow (2017), Paul Pogba (2018), Joseph Kilgore (2018), Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (2018), Mahershala Ali (2019), Mookie Betts (2020), and Chadwick Boseman (2020). The Globetrotters have honored eight players by retiring their numbers : Ten people have been officially named as honorary members of
480-530: The Globetrotters invited Louis "Red" Klotz to create a team to accompany them on their tours. This team, the Washington Generals (who also played under various other names), became the Globetrotters' primary opponents. The Generals are effectively stooges for the Globetrotters, with the Globetrotters handily defeating them in thousands of games. In 1959, the Globetrotters played nine games in Moscow after Saperstein received an invitation from Vasily Grigoryevich,
512-583: The Globetrotters' hijinks while on defense, they play a serious game when in possession of the ball and about 20 to 30 percent of a game is "real." This once led to an infamous defeat at the hands of the Washington Generals in 1971, to the distress of the watching crowd, after the Globetrotters lost track of a big lead with their tricks and the Generals hit a game-winning buzzer-beater. In September 2005, Shamrock Holdings purchased 80% stake in
544-414: The Globetrotters. In October 2013, Herschend Family Entertainment announced that it would acquire the Globetrotters from Shamrock Holdings. In June 2021, the Globetrotters filed a petition to join the National Basketball Association (NBA) as an expansion franchise. Roster Last transaction: 2023-04-24 Starting in 2007, the Globetrotters have conducted an annual "draft" a few days before
576-646: The NBA when the Boston Celtics chose him with the 14th overall pick. Cooper was drafted by Celtics' owner Walter A. Brown , coached by the legendary Red Auerbach and a teammate of the great Bob Cousy. When officials from other teams learned of Boston's interest in Cooper, they suggested he should not be drafted because he was black; however, Brown's famous quote was: "I don't give a damn if he's striped, plaid or polka dot. Boston takes Charles Cooper of Duquesne." Cooper made his NBA debut on November 1, 1950, against
608-601: The Savoy Big Five, one of the premier attractions of the Savoy Ballroom , opened in January 1928, a basketball team of Black American players that played exhibitions before dances due to declining dance attendance. In 1928, several players left the team in a dispute. That autumn, those players formed a team called the "Globe Trotters" and toured southern Illinois that spring. Abe Saperstein became involved with
640-659: The building became a staple of history in the lore of Troy University athletics. In July 2018, Troy University invited current and former Troy students, faculty and staff, as well as the public, to visit the Sartain Hall facility one last time before demolition began on August 13, 2018, to make way for a new Trojan Fitness Center, now under construction. Sartain Hall was home to the highest scoring college basketball game in NCAA history in 1992 , where Troy University (then known as Troy State) defeated DeVry University of Atlanta for
672-505: The country, the Globetrotters were eventually eclipsed by the rise of the National Basketball Association , particularly when NBA teams began recruiting black players in the 1950s. In 1950, Harlem Globetrotter Chuck Cooper became the first black player to be drafted in the NBA by Boston and teammate Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton became the first black player to sign an NBA contract when the New York Knicks purchased his contract from
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#1732779926676704-566: The director of Lenin Central Stadium . The team, which included Wilt Chamberlain , was welcomed enthusiastically by spectators and authorities, and they met Premier Nikita Khrushchev and collectively received the Athletic Order of Lenin medal. According to one report titled "Russians Baffled by Harlem Fun", however, spectators were initially confused: "A Soviet audience of 14,000 sat almost silently, as if in awe, through
736-531: The fact that the Globetrotters were paid (per game) the equivalent of $ 4,000 (equivalent to $ 42,000 in 2023) by the Soviet government, which could be spent only in Moscow. The games were used as evidence that U.S.–Russian relations were improving, that Moscow was backing off its propaganda campaign aimed at American race relations, and that the Russian society was becoming more capitalist (Pearson suggested that
768-645: The first half of the game. It warmed up slightly in the second half when it realized the Trotters are more show than competition." The Globetrotters brought their own opponent—not the Washington Generals, but the San Francisco Chinese Basketeers. A review in state-run Pravda stated, "This is not basketball; it is too full of tricks" but praised the Globetrotters' skills and suggested that "they have some techniques to show us". The American press—particularly Drew Pearson —made note of
800-504: The games were held because Lenin Stadium needed money). In May 1967, New York City –based Metromedia announced that it would acquire the Globetrotters for $ 1 million, but the deal was never completed and the team was later sold to George N. Gillett Jr. , who soon formed a new company called Globetrotter Communications in 1968. Nine years after the company's attempted acquisition in 1976, Metromedia announced that it would re-acquire
832-560: The team as its manager and promoter. By 1929, Saperstein was touring Illinois and Iowa with his basketball team called the "New York Harlem Globe Trotters". Saperstein selected the name Harlem because it was then considered the center of Black American culture and the name Globetrotter to mythologize the team's international venues. The Globetrotters were perennial participants in the World Professional Basketball Tournament , winning it in 1940. In
864-523: The team from the International Broadcasting Corporation, which was on the verge of bankruptcy. In 1995, Orlando Antigua became the first Hispanic player on the team. He was the first non-black player on the Globetrotters' roster since Bob Karstens played with the squad in 1942–43. While parts of a modern exhibition game are pre-planned, the games themselves are not fixed. While their opponents do not interfere with
896-531: The team's players have been black, and as a result of the buffoonery involved in many of the Globetrotters' skits , they drew some criticism during the Civil Rights era. The players were accused by some civil-rights advocates of "Tomming for Abe," a reference to Uncle Tom and owner Abe Saperstein . However, prominent civil rights activist Jesse Jackson (who would later be named an honorary Globetrotter) came to their defense by stating, "I think they've been
928-458: The team: In addition, Bill Cosby (1972) and Magic Johnson (2003) were each signed to honorary $ 1-a-year lifetime contracts with the Globetrotters. When Cosby's nominal association with the team was the subject of criticism following sexual assault allegations , the Globetrotters stated that they have had no association with him for decades. Chuck Cooper (basketball) Charles Henry Cooper (September 29, 1926 – February 5, 1984)
960-544: Was an American professional basketball player. Cooper played college basketball for Duquesne University and was named an All-American. According to the November 18, 1950 issue of the Afro-American newspaper, he was the first Black "basketer" [sic] to be named an All-American college athlete. In 1950, Cooper and two others-- Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton and Earl Lloyd --became the first African-American players in
992-579: Was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 9, 2019. Cooper was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , the son of Daniel and Emma Cooper. Daniel was a mailman, and Emma was a school teacher. He attended Pittsburgh's Westinghouse High School and graduated in 1944. For his senior year, he averaged more than 13 points per game and was an All-City first-team center. He then attended and played
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1024-464: Was named in honor of the late Professor Auxford Sartain (1894–1960). In 1999, the building was renamed Trojan Arena, but went back to its original name in Summer 2010 when the new Trojan Arena underwent construction. The building hosted many different events, from college basketball games to high school basketball games to graduations to rock music concerts to the Harlem Globetrotters . Over its time,
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