Ben Kerner
| Ben Kerner | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 9, 1913 |
| Died |
November 22, 2000 (aged 87) St. Louis, Missouri |
| Occupation | businessman, sports franchise founder & owner, basketball executive |
| Years active | 1946–1968 as owner of NBA's Tri-Cities Blackhawks, Milwaukee Hawks and St. Louis Hawks |
| Spouse(s) | Ima Jean Kerner (1934–2011) |
Ben Kerner (June 9, 1913 – November 22, 2000) was an American professional basketball pioneer. He was the founder, owner and executive of the St. Louis Hawks of the National Basketball Association. Today, the franchise Kerner founded exists as the Atlanta Hawks. In 1946, Kerner founded a professional team in Buffalo that moved after a few games to become the Moline, Illinois based Tri-Cities Blackhawks franchise. Kerner then moved the franchise to Milwaukee in 1951 and then St. Louis in 1955. The 1958 St. Louis Hawks captured the NBA Championship.[1][2]
Notable transactions
Notable transactions of Ben Kerner as owner and executive:
- In 1946-47, Kerner added William Pop Gates to the team roster in Buffalo/Tri-Cities. Gates finished second on the team in scoring behind future 1948 NBL MVP Don Otten. A Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame player, Gates' presence on the 1946-47 Blackhawks helped to integrate the league. Gates would later become the first African-American coach in a major league when he coached Dayton in 1948.[3][4]
- Kerner hired legendary Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Red Auerbach to head the Tri-Cities Blackhawks in 1949. When he discovered that Kerner had traded a player without consulting him, Auerbach left the Blackhawks to coach the Boston Celtics for the 1950-51 season.[5] Arnold (Red) Auerbach would go on to win a record nine NBA Championships as the Boston Celtic Coach.[6][7]
- In 1950, Kerner drafted Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame player Bob Cousy in the 1st round, (#4) before selling him to the Chicago Stags. Cousy was reportedly unhappy to go to a small town area and wanted $10,000 to sign with the Blackhawks. Kerner countered with $6,000 before moving him to the Stags.[2] Cousy would end up with Auerbach in Boston when the Stags were dispersed. Cousy would play in 13 consecutive All-Star games[8]
- In 1954, he drafted Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame player Bob Pettit in the 1st round (#2). Pettit would average 26 PPG and 16 RPG over his career and was voted NBA Most Valuable Player in 1956 and 1959.[2][9] At 6'9", Pettit was 1st Team All-NBA ten times and became the player the Hawks built their team around. Pettit retired as the All-time Leading Scorer in NBA history. His rebounding average of 16.2 remains third ever, behind only Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain.[10]
- In 1956, he drafted legendary Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame player Bill Russell with the second pick in the first round. In an agreed upon deal, he promptly traded Russell to the Boston Celtics for Cliff Hagan and former St. Louis University starEd Macauley.[2][11] Russell would also go on to replace Auerbach as Coach of the Celtics, winning two titles as player-coach.[12]
- From 1953-54 to 1956-57 the Hawks were coached by Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Red Holzman. Holzman was replaced in 1956-57 by Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Alex Hannum.[13] Holzman would later win two NBA Championships with the New York Knicks[14] and Hannum would lead the Hawks to the NBA Championship, only to be fired after the title season.[15]
- In 1960, Kerner drafted Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame player and coach Lenny Wilkens with the 6th pick in the first round.[2] After playing, Wilkens would later go on to coach 32 NBA seasons, winning over 1300 games.[16]
Hawks - Celtics Rivalry
There were many ties between Kerner and the Celtics. Kerner had once employed Celtics Coach Red Auerbach, had drafted Bob Cousy and Bill Russell and had obtained former Celtics Cliff Hagan and Ed Macauley. By the late 1950's, the rivalry saw the teams meet three times in the NBA Finals, as Kerner's Hawks had built a team around four Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame players : Hagan, Macauley, Med Park and Bob Pettit.[17][18]
The 1957 NBA Finals went seven games, as the Hawks lost to the Celtics, with Auerbach, Russell and Cousy. In an infamous incident during the 1957 Finals, the rivalry became physical when Red Auerbach and Bob Kerner had a confrontation on the court in a dispute over the height of the basket and Auerbach punched Kerner. Auerbach was not ejected and was later fined $300.00 for his actions.[19][20]
1958 NBA Champions
The next season provided Kerner and the Hawks their Championship. The Hawks and Celtics met in the 1958 NBA Finals, for the second year in a row. Kerner's St. Louis Hawks captured the NBA Championship, defeating the Cetics 4 games to 2, behind 50 points by Pettit in the final game. Pettit sealed the win with the final tip-in in a 110-109 Hawks victory. The Game 6 win gave the Hawks the Championship in front of the home St. Louis fans.[15][21]
Two years later, the Celtics (still coached by Auerbach) and the Hawks (coached by Ed Macauley) met for a third time in the 1960 NBA Finals. The Finals went seven games, as the Celtics won Game 7 at the Boston Garden 122-103. Pettit averaged 25 PPG in the series in a losing effort.[22]
Sale and move to Atlanta
After the 1967-68 season, Ben Kerner sold the St. Louis Hawks to Thomas Cousins and former Georgia Governor Carl Sanders. The new owners, immediately moved the franchise to Atlanta,Georgia, where they have remained as the Atlanta Hawks.[15]
Franchise venues
With Ben Kerner as owner:
The Tri-Cities Blackhawks played at Wharton Field House in Moline, Illinois.[23]
The Milwaukee Hawks played at Milwaukee Arena.[24]
The St. Louis Hawks played at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. The Hawks played on occasion at the St. Louis Arena[24]
Cultural influence
A 2006 book on the St. Louis Hawks was written by author Greg Marecek, "Full Court: The Untold Stories of the St. Louis Hawks"[25]
Personal life
Ben Kerner died on November 22, 2000. He and his wife Irma Jean had two sons, Ben Kerner Jr. and Kyle Kerner. Mr. Kerner is buried at Mt. Sinai Cemetery in Affton, MO.[26][27][28]
Awards
Ben Kerner was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.[18]
In 2015, Ben Kerner was inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame.[29] The St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame said the following of Kerner:
The tale of Kerner and his Hawks started back in his home town of Buffalo, New York. A Canisius College and University of Buffalo alumnus, he founded a profitable sports advertising and promotion firm in the early ’40’s. A business associate, Leo Ferris, had acquired a franchise in the old National League. Seldom has a man worked as hard as Kerner did the next 10 years. The road led from Buffalo to the Tri-Cities in Illinois, to Iowa, and to Milwaukee.
After visiting several other cities, Kerner decided to move the team to St. Louis despite the pleas of sports officials and newspapermen throughout the country who pointed out to Ben that St. Louis had already lost their pro basketball team, the Bombers, the Flyers and the baseball Browns. The rest is history. Kerner’s whole life became basketball. Together Ben and General Manager Marty Blake became the most savvy traders of players in the game.
Beginning in the 1956-57 season, the Hawks won five Western Division titles, played in four NBA Finals and beat the Boston Celtics to win the 1957-58 NBA World Championship. The greatest move Kerner ever made was to draft Bob Pettit who joined the last place Milwaukee team the year before moving to St. Louis. Pettit became the greatest Hawk in history and one of the greatest forwards of all-time.
He also traded for future Hall of Famers Cliff Hagan, Ed Macauley, Slater Martin and Clyde Lovellette and employed Hall of Fame coaches Red Holzman, Harry Gallatin, Alex Hannum and briefly Andy Phillips. Kerner’s marketing skills were his trademark. The team spent the summer going around St. Louis and surrounding towns in a “Hawks” painted van to school yards and gyms giving clinics to kids. He had special nights bringing in post game concerts like the Glenn Miller Orchestra and others.
With his finances vastly improved, Ben realized new seats and a better floor arrangement were needed at Kiel. He advanced the City of St. Louis $35,000 so that the new setup could be installed immediately. Then he purchased a $2500 scoreboard. In 1960 he had special baskets designed which operated on a hydraulic lift, could be installed and moved out quicker than any ever produced to that time and they were the first anywhere in the world. Then he advanced the City money to purchase a new wood floor for both Kiel and The Arena.
A pioneer in the field of radio-TV programming, the Hawks always had the most lavish coverage in the NBA. All of the club’s games were broadcast live. He instituted the NBA Game of the Week. He bargained for having the NBA All-Star Game in St. Louis three times in a 10-year span. Ben Kerner’s Hawks, whose stories were told through the colorful, golden voice of broadcaster Buddy Blattner, were the darlings of St. Louis fans for 13 seasons earning 12 playoff appearances. The Hawks played in front of all sellout crowds Kiel for most of those seasons.
Never to be forgotten is Buddy Blattner’s thrilling call at the end of Game Six of the NBA Finals on April 12, 1958 as the crowd roared as the final buzzer sounded…”THE HAWKS ARE CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD, THE HAWKS ARE CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD, HOLY COW!”"[29]
References
- ↑ Ray Cave. "SINGING THE BLUES IN ST. LOUIS". SI.com. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Ben Kerner". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ↑ "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame - Hall of Famers". Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ↑ Kelly Scaletta. "Have You Ever Heard of - William 'Pop' Gates - TFB". Today's FastBreak. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ↑ "ESPN Classic - Auerbach's Celtics played as a team". Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ↑ "Red Auerbach". Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ↑ "Atlanta Hawks"2012Drew Silvermanp.15ABDOPublishing
- ↑ "Bob Cousy". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ↑ "Bob Pettit". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ↑ "NBA.com: Bob Pettit Bio". Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ↑ "NBA.com: Bill Russell Bio". Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ↑ "Bill Russell". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ↑ Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- ↑ "Red Holzman". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- 1 2 3 "St. Louis Hawks (1955-1968)". Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ↑ "Lenny Wilkens". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ↑ "Rags to Riches Story For Ben Kerner"Bill Lutwein, Milwaukee Journal April a5, 1958p.21
- 1 2 "Ben Kerner - Missouri Sports Hall of Fame". Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ↑ "The 5 Most Important Punches in NBA History, Part I". lockoutschmockout. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ↑ "Tall Tales: The Glory Years of the NBA" 1992 Terry Pluto, Simon & Schusterp.138-139
- ↑ "NBA.com: Pettit Drops 50 on Celtics in Game 6". Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ↑ "1960 NBA Finals - Basketball-Reference.com". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ↑ "1950-51 Tri-Cities Blackhawks". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- 1 2 "1951-52 Milwaukee Hawks". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ↑ http://www.websterkirkwoodtimes.com/pdalpeditorial.lasso?-token.story=170188.113118
- ↑ https://business.highbeam.com/435553/article-1G1-67283382/ben-kerner-19132000-exhawks-owner-helped-shape-city
- ↑ "Ima Kerner Obituary - Saint Louis, MO - St. Louis Post-Dispatch". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ↑ "Benjamin "Ben" Kerner (1913 - 2000) - Find A Grave Memorial". Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- 1 2 https://www.stlshof.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=218&Itemid=890
