Howie Schultz

Seasons

Season G PPG RPG NBA
Title
1951-52 (#12) 66 4.1 3.7
1952-53 (#15) 40 2.3 2

Forward, #15 (also wore #12 )

 

Schultz played two seasons with Minneapolis, winning a championship in 1952 (he played for the team during the 1953 season but was not on the playoff roster.) A marginal contributor — he averaged about three points and three rebounds a game — he is better remembered for the small part he played in advancing American society.

An exceptional all-around athlete, the 6-foot-6 Schultz made his major league baseball debut in 1943 with the Brooklyn Dodgers at first base. Schultz was traded by the Dodgers in 1947 to make room for Jackie Robinson, who came to the big leagues as a first baseman. "I'm a footnote in history," Schultz later said. "The guy who was benched to allow baseball to be integrated."

— Steve Lowery
Feb. 12, 2011