Herd athletes through the years: Hal greer

The Veterans Memorial Field House on Fifth Avenue this Saturday, which has hosted events including Marshall basketball since 1950, will host the Marshall Basketball Alumni Game.

The game will be the last event taking place at the Field House before it is torn down to build the new Marshall soccer complex.

In honor of the closing of this Huntington icon, this week, I will profile perhaps the greatest Marshall basketball player of all time, Hal Greer.

Most Marshall students recognize Greer from the roadway which bears his name, Hal Greer Boulevard.

But many students might not know Greer broke the color barrier in Marshall Athletics, or that his jersey hangs in Philadelphia as well as the Henderson Center.

Greer was born June 6, 1936 in Huntington and attended Douglas Junior and Senior High School before signing to play basketball for the hometown Herd in 1955.

In doing so, Greer became the first black athlete to play college sports in West Virginia.

"It was such a family atmosphere in Huntington," Greer said. "Everybody knew you were playing and would do whatever it takes to support you."

Greer made good of his opportunity by becoming one of the most dominant players in Marshall history, averaging a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds a game, with a shooting percentage of .545.

During his career Greer was a two-time all-Southern Conference, 1958 Southern Conference MVP and 1958 AP All-American honorable mention.

"My four years at Marshall were the greatest years of my life," Greer said.

Greer was the 13th overall pick in the 1958 NBA Draft, being chosen by the Syracuse Nationals, which moved to Philadelphia and became the 76ers in 1963.

"I just loved to play basketball," Greer said. "Fact is, my first year in the league, I would have played for nothing. I just wanted to play."

It was there where Greer teamed up with NBA great Wilt Chamberlain to create a powerhouse offense.

"We had everything," Greer said. "People realized we were going to win — it was just by how many points we were going to win."

In 1967, the combo of Greer and Chamberlain were instrumental in the 76ers ending the Bill Russell-led Boston Celtics run of eight straight NBA championships, with Greer leading the team with 27.7 points per game during the playoffs.

Greer was also known for his unorthodox style of shooting free throws, opting for a jump-shot instead of the standard flat-footed approach.

Greer played with the 76ers until his retirement in 1973, averaging 19.2 points, five rebounds and four assists per game during his career.

In his 15 professional seasons, Greer played in 10 consecutive NBA All-Star games, was named All-NBA second team seven times and scored 21,586 points, 26th all-time in the NBA.

Greer is first in games played in 76ers history with 1,122 and his number, 15, has been retired by the franchise.

In 1996, Greer was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary team.

Greer will make his return to Huntington for the Field House closing on Saturday.

Will Vance can be contacted at vance162@marshall.edu.