SPRINGFIELD, MASS. – Dolph Schayes, enshrined as a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1973, has passed away at the age of 87.
“As a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame and the NBA’s All-Time 50th Anniversary Team, it’s clear what a tremendous impact Dolph Schayes had on the game” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “We sincerely enjoyed having him with us in Springfield recently for the Class of 2015 Enshrinement and we will miss him dearly.”
As a standout at New York University, Schayes led his team to the Final Four as a freshman and earned the Haggerty Award in his final year. He joined the Syracuse Nationals in 1948 where he would play all 16 years of his professional career. As a six-time All-NBA First Team honoree and 12-time NBA All-Star, Schayes led his team to an NBA championship in 1955. When the Nationals relocated to Philadelphia in 1963, Schayes was named player-coach. After his retirement in 1964, he remained coach of the 76ers for three seasons and was named Coach of the Year in 1966.