Spring Break
The Daily OrangeFormer NBA hall of famer scores as local landlord
By Emily Laurence
Posted: 3/5/06, 11:25 PM EST Section: Pulp
The one or two years which Schayes expected to play turned into 15. He became one of the first power forwards in basketball history scoring 19,249 points over the span of his career. Schayes said one of his most memorable moments was winning the 1955 NBA championship with the Syracuse Nats.
In 1963, the Nats became the Philadelphia 76ers. When Schayes was 35, he retired from playing and became the 76ers first coach and it's one of the few things Schayes regrets doing.
"What I should have done was become an assistant coach and learn the ins and outs of coaching, which are completely different than playing obviously," Schayes said. He made the pivot from playing to coaching because at the time 35 was a common age for basketball retirement.
Schayes had just had a knee operation, which contributed to his decision to stop playing. He coached for four years and was fired because the team could not beat the Boston Celtics. Then, the year after Schayes was fired, the 76ers beat the Celtics.
Shortly after his coaching career ended, Schayes was enshrined as a player into the Basketball Hall of Fame. He described the event as an honor because he was picked by his peers. The event included a big dinner, which Schayes attended with his father and family.
Even while living in Philadelphia, Schayes and his wife kept a home in Syracuse. They then moved back here with their four children after Schayes was fired from coaching. Schayes said he chose to settle in Syracuse because it was a good place to raise a family, and his children liked it.
Orlando Magic center Danny Schayes said his father never forced him to play basketball. Instead he describes his dad as a very fun guy to be around.
"Growing up, my dad was always larger than life," Danny Schayes said. "He was physically big, he was personality big and he was always known wherever he went."
Schayes' former teammate Earl Lloyd described him a bit differently.
"If I had to describe Dolph Schayes in one word, it would be 'class,' and to me the definition of class is grace under pressure. That's Dolph Schayes," Lloyd said.
In 1963, the Nats became the Philadelphia 76ers. When Schayes was 35, he retired from playing and became the 76ers first coach and it's one of the few things Schayes regrets doing.
"What I should have done was become an assistant coach and learn the ins and outs of coaching, which are completely different than playing obviously," Schayes said. He made the pivot from playing to coaching because at the time 35 was a common age for basketball retirement.
Schayes had just had a knee operation, which contributed to his decision to stop playing. He coached for four years and was fired because the team could not beat the Boston Celtics. Then, the year after Schayes was fired, the 76ers beat the Celtics.
Shortly after his coaching career ended, Schayes was enshrined as a player into the Basketball Hall of Fame. He described the event as an honor because he was picked by his peers. The event included a big dinner, which Schayes attended with his father and family.
Even while living in Philadelphia, Schayes and his wife kept a home in Syracuse. They then moved back here with their four children after Schayes was fired from coaching. Schayes said he chose to settle in Syracuse because it was a good place to raise a family, and his children liked it.
Orlando Magic center Danny Schayes said his father never forced him to play basketball. Instead he describes his dad as a very fun guy to be around.
"Growing up, my dad was always larger than life," Danny Schayes said. "He was physically big, he was personality big and he was always known wherever he went."
Schayes' former teammate Earl Lloyd described him a bit differently.
"If I had to describe Dolph Schayes in one word, it would be 'class,' and to me the definition of class is grace under pressure. That's Dolph Schayes," Lloyd said.
