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G Larry Siegfried (official thread)

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Larry Siegfried (born May 22, 1939, in Shelby, Ohio) is a retired American National Basketball Association player.

Siegfried played college basketball for the Ohio State University, and his tenure there overlapped with future Hall-of-Famers Jerry Lucas and John Havlicek. He played for the national champion 1960 team, and in 1961 he was named to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team. Siegfried, a junior high scoring guard, and Joe Roberts, a senior forward, were the two holdover starters when three outstanding sophomores, Lucas, Havlicek and guard Mel Nowell arrived for the 1959-60 season.

Siegfried adjusted his scoring to allow for Lucas and Nowell while joining Roberts and Havlicek as a key defender. Siegfried was also an excellent free throw shooter few risked fouling. The Ohio State Co-Captain of the 1960 team, Siegfried played a key role in the Buckeyes run to the NCAA title. All five starters from that team later played in the NBA, which then had just nine teams and eleven players per team. Future coach Bobby Knight was a reserve on that team as well. For the 1960-61 season, Siegfried was team captain outright.

The team went undefeated until the NCAA Final, when they were upset by Cincinnati. Named All-Big Ten, Siegfried did not get the All-American consideration he may have been due because of the star presence of Lucas. Siegfried did play in the 1960 US Olympic Trials for the Rome Games. While he outperformed nearly every guard there, politics demanded several AAU selections that left him off that squad.

At 6'3" and 190 pounds, Siegfried was considered a prototype guard for the NBA at that time. The Cincinnati Royals drafted him with their first pick in 1961 to pair with Oscar Robertson in their backcourt. Siegfried would not play in Cincinnati because of Ohio State's loss to Cincinnati's Bearcats that year. Instead, he joined the Cleveland Pipers of the American Basketball League. The team, owned by future Yankee boss George Steinbrenner, and coached by John McLendon and Bill Sharman, won that pro league's 1961-62 title. Dick Barnett and Connie Dierking were among that team's stars. The highly-drafted Siegfried was just a reserve.

When the ABL folded the next year, the St. Louis Hawks acquired his rights but then surprisingly cut him. Siegfried considered retirement, becoming a high school coach and teacher before former college teammate Havlicek convinced coach Red Auerbach to try him out for the Boston Celtics. Slowly regaining his confidence, Siegfried proved to be a key pickup. He eventually became a starter next to Havlicek or Sam Jones in the backcourt. His defense and free throw shooting were key to NBA title wins for Boston in 1968 and 1969. Boston announcer Johnny Most often noted his tenacious defense, calling 'Ziggy's in his shirt tonight' to describe Siegfried on many nights.

Siegfried played his first seven professional seasons with the Boston Celtics, earning five championship rings during that time. He led the NBA in free throw percentage in both the 1965-66 and 1968-69 seasons. Siegfried spent the last two seasons of his career with the Rockets and Hawks organizations.
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Larry Siegfried - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

STRAIGHT SHOOTER

The Larry Siegfried Interview
By: Michael D. McClellan | Tuesday, May 16th, 2006

He was a high school phenom, a Paul Bunyan in basketball shorts, and a player who could score points in bunches from all angles on the court. His 176-point eruption in a one month span during his senior season at Shelby High remains laced across the record books in the State of Ohio, a testament to his telekinetic court presence and deadeye marksmanship. Few at that level have ever played the game better. Fewer still would argue that claim. He was a virtuoso in high tops, equally adept at pulling down rebounds and dishing out assists, and the kind of player perfectly suited to join John Havlicek and Jerry Lucas on a championship quest at Ohio State. That Larry Siegfried would follow Havlicek to professional glory with the Boston Celtics is hardly surprising. Siegfried?s sweet shooting touch and trip-hammer release translated well from high school to college, and then again into the pros, and his presence on the Celtic roster helped keep basketball?s greatest dynasty rolling through the close of the 1960s.

Siegfried?s story begins modestly, on the rolling farmland just outside of Shelby, Ohio, where his father worked in a local factory and Siegfried spent countless hours shooting baskets against the family barn. The ball and the hoop were relatively inexpensive toys for a blue-collar family on a budget. Siegfried often shot alone, honing his jumper, playing imaginary games against All-Americans like Ralph Beard and Alex Groza of Kentucky, or Dick Schnittker of Ohio State. It proved to be the perfect training ground for an eager young athlete blessed with an abundance of God-given natural talent.
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Celtic-Nation.com: Boston Celtics legend LARRY SIEGFRIED interview page 1

Schafrath, Siegfried enter Circle of Champions
By CURT CONRAD ? News Journal ? March 27, 2009

Siegfried dominated the Northern Ohio League for the Shelby Whippets. He scored more than 1,700 career points and averaged more than 38 points a game without the benefit of a 3-point line.

Like Schafrath, Siegfried attended Ohio State and, as a junior, teamed with Jerry Lucas and John Havlicek to win the program's only national championship in 1960. The Buckeyes reached the championship game again during Siegfried's senior season before falling to Cincinnati.

Siegfried was drafted by the Cincinnati Royals, but instead signed with the Cleveland Pipers of the American Basketball League. The Pipers won the ABL title in 1962. After the league folded, Siegfried signed with the Boston Celtics.

He played seven seasons with the Celtics, winning five championships.

"It's like Robin (Freeman) said when we were walking off the floor. It would be nice to go back and do it again," Siegfried said. "I enjoyed my time playing for those teams and I hope fans enjoyed watching them."
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Schafrath, Siegfried enter Circle of Champions | mansfieldnewsjournal.com | Mansfield News Journal
 
Great story of Siegfried not willing to play for the Cincy Royals because of UC (Paul Hogue, Moe Thacker) beating OSU (Lucas, Nowel, Havlicek et al) for the 61 championship (repeated in 1962). Wow, gave up a chance to start alongside Oscar. To my way of thinking the best guard (averaged a triple double for an entire season) ever (even better than Magic and Michael). Now THAT's Buckeye pride!

Anyway, Siegfried was the acknowledged leader, and unsung hero of the 1960 season. Great guard, and great story. Any follow-up on what he did after bball and what's he doing now? Thanks,

:gobucks3::gobucks4::banger:
 
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Amazing information about Siegfried. Talk about a true Buckeye. Almost gave up his basketball career because they lost the championship to Cincinnati. Brings back a lot of memories. I used to watch the Cleveland Pipers play and as they could have gotten Lucas they would have been able to play with any NBA team.

He just became one of my favorite Buckeyes:osu: of all time.
 
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Most famous person from my hometown...my friends parents lived in his childhood home...his father supposedly used to hold a flashlight pointed at the hoop so larry could shoot at night...glad to see him and the team being honored
 
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y0yoyoin;1652908; said:
Most famous person from my hometown...my friends parents lived in his childhood home...his father supposedly used to hold a flashlight pointed at the hoop so larry could shoot at night...glad to see him and the team being honored
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His daughters went to my high school. My brother dated one of them. :lol:
 
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Larry Siegfried was Steinbrenner's first big signee
BY JON SPENCER ? News Journal ? July 14, 2010

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MANSFIELD -- As the free-spending owner of the New York Yankees, George Steinbrenner lavished millions on baseball's biggest stars, players like Jim "Catfish" Hunter, Reggie Jackson, Dave Winfield, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.

But "The Boss," who died Tuesday at age 80 of a massive heart attack, made his first big splash in professional sports by signing one of north central Ohio's favorite sons.

When Shelby legend and Ohio State star Larry Siegfried snubbed the NBA and signed with Steinbrenner's Cleveland Pipers of the fledgling American Basketball League in 1961, that was groundbreaking news.

Siegfried, who helped OSU win the national championship in 1960, was taken with the third pick in the NBA draft, behind future NBA Hall of Famer Walt Bellamy and St. Bonaventure All-American Tom Stith.

But Steinbrenner, a shipping magnate from Cleveland, had other ideas.

"I remember him telling me, 'I won't be out-bid by Cincinnati,' " said Siegfried, 71, who lives with his wife, Tina, in Perrysville. "He paid me $20,000. Cincinnati was only going to give me $14,000 or $15,000."
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Larry Siegfried was Steinbrenner's first big signee | mansfieldnewsjournal.com | Mansfield News Journal
 
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Larry needs thoughts and prayers

Bucknuts (free)
Lee Caryer

Ohio State basketball fans know the name Larry Siegfried, some from memory, others from reading, others from hearing historians discuss the all-time OSU basketball greats.

At this time he could use as much prayer, positive energy or good thoughts as possible available from Buckeye Nation.

According to his daughter Erin, Larry had a massive heart attack over the weekend and was life-flighted to Cleveland Clinic.

Continuing in her words, ?Secondary to the heart attack, he experienced what they refer to as a ventricular septal defect, which is essentially the degree of his heart attack blew a hole in his heart the size of a silver dollar. He should not have lived, most people don't ... but dad managed to walk around for five days with not only a hole in his heart but one coronary artery 100 percent occluded and the other 90 percent occluded, valve collapsed as a result of it, and the lower half of his heart necrotic (or dead due to oxygen deprivation). He is an animal. He has undergone two critical surgeries and is in the heart failure/ICU area of the Cleveland Clinic right now, set to undergo a third surgery on Wednesday. It is touch and go for him. He could use all the support he can get.?

She also wrote asking me to inform ?anyone at Ohio State that dad might know who would appreciate knowledge of his status ? I would appreciate it, and he would appreciate the prayers and support.?

If you would like to send a card, do not send it to ICU. Please address it to:

Erin Siegfried
Attn: Larry Siegfried
27634 Roanoke Ct.
Westlake, Ohio 44145

If you prefer to add a note below, that would be passed on to the family and appreciated as well.

I had lunch with Larry, Erin and Mel Nowell just a couple of months ago. It was a wonderful experience. During that time it was obvious how fondly he remembered his teammates, his coaches and Ohio State University. At this time, he needs us to remember him.
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heard from a friend from my hometown that larry has passed...sad day...greatest athlete to come out of my hometown and county....RIP Larry, you will be missed

edit: Confirmed

http://blog.dispatch.com/hoopsscoops/2010/10/siegfried_dead_at_71_1.shtml

Siegfried dead at 71

Larry Siegfried, one of the mainstays on Ohio State men's basketball teams that won the NCAA championship in 1960 and lost in the title game in 1961, died last night in Cleveland Clinic from complications of a heart attack Oct. 5, his daughter, Erin Siegfried, said this morning.
He was 71.
Siegfried, was captain of the 1960-61 team and a second-team All-American. He led Ohio State in scoring as a sophomore in 1958-59 with a 19.6-point average and still ranks among the Buckeyes' best free throw shooters with an .819 career percentage
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