Along with Meadowlark Lemon the greatest Harlem Globetrotters.Met him when I was a kid. One of those guys who had a glow of niceness Wonderful man who played on a team of incredibly talented men who were made to be clowns. But they were the best clowns Ever . Thanks Fred.
Fred" Curly" Neal RIP
- Thread starter FELONIOUSMONK
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I never viewed them as clowns, rather entertainers.
The Globetrotters actually lost a game. And we thought our losing streak to WVU was bad...
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https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.lu.../20150124/lifestyle/301249786?template=ampart
Curly was awesome. Dude would slide around in his knee pads dribbling the basketball. Always with that huge smile, always ending with an no look pass to somebody. Pure entertainment.
But Meadowlark was billed as the Clown Prince of Basketball. Whereas Cedric, on the other hand, is billed as Cedric the Entertainer. :WideSmile:
78 View them as you choose sir. They were 20th century minstrels . If you ever saw the movie about them they were deadly serious about what they did and who they were. They could not play in the league until the early 50's Just like other Pro sports they waited their turn and did what they had to do. Sadly they waited but happily they put smiles on the faces of multitudes of families especially kids. Like me
I loved the Globetrotters as a kid. When the new TV Guide came out each week, the first thing I looked for in the listings was Wide World of Sports to see if the Globetrotters were going to be on that week.
R.I.P. Curly. You will be missed.
R.I.P. Curly. You will be missed.
If I had to rank the top 5 Globetrotters...
1. Meadowlark Lemon
2. Curly Neal
3. Geese Ausbie
4. Marques Haynes
5. Goose Tatum
Of course, everyone had their favorite.
That is an amazing list. Some on the list performed as Washington Generals. The nicknames of some of the players are just tremendous. Nicknames are a lost art.
Wrestling is a clown show. Those hook shots from Meadowlark in the corner went in. Curly was able to maintain his dribble while flopping all over the floor. That **** took talent. Best show I ever saw at the old Garden. Some huge names on that list.
The gym way out in St Francis Pa was named after Marques Stokes. We The Newark Orange Raiders set out to play them in Altoona. I remember sitting in the bus thinking we made a wrong turn. No way there could be a University and a hotel on the side of a steep mountain.
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