Penn basketball has a long and storied history but the greatest of them all was Ernie Beck. Born in Philadelphia, he stayed local by going to Penn (where he became a 3-time All-American) and then was a territorial draft pick of the Philadelphia Warriors in 1953. 1 of his favorite holiday memories occurred during the Dixie Classic in December of 1952 when he set a record by scoring 47 PTS against Duke, which remains the most ever by a Blue Devil opponent. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with his fellow Quaker alum Ernie about leading the nation in rebounding and winning an NBA title. We also wish Ernie congratulations on celebrating his 85th birthday earlier this month!
In 1951 at Penn you led the entire nation with 20.6 RPG (while also scoring 20.7 PPG): how were you able to come in and be so dominant in your very 1st year on the varsity? I had good spring in my legs even though I was only a 6’4” center. I also had a knack of knowing where the ball was coming off the rim. We were not a big physical team but had a guy named Bart Leach (1955 Big 5 POY) to help me in my final 2 years.
In December 1952 you scored a school-record 47 PTS in a loss at Duke (which remains the most PTS ever scored by a Blue Devil opponent): was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? It was in a Christmas tournament called the Dixie Classic. We lost to Wake Forest in the 1st game but everything went right for me against Duke: some of my teammates got on me for not shooting more at the end because I did not want to hog the ball. Duke was not the team they are today.
What are your memories of the 1953 NCAA tourney (you scored 25 PTS in a loss to Notre Dame in Penn’s 1st ever tourney appearance)? We had previously lost to them in Chicago and beat them at our place: they had a pretty darn good team.
You were a 3-time All-American: what did it mean to you to win such outstanding honors? That is the epitome of how far you want to go as an individual, but I was prouder of our team being 1 of the best in the country at the time. It was nice to lead the team in scoring but we had a great coach in Howie Dallmar who helped us make the NCAA tourney. Basketball at Penn was always 2nd to George Munger and the football team. We would play doubleheaders at the Palestra and Convention Hall.
Despite only playing 82 college games you graduated with 1827 PTS (which remains the most in school history) and 1557 REB (which is still in the top-20 all time in NCAA history): did you realize at the time how prolific a player you were? I played well in high school and helped my team win the Catholic League and City League titles so I had a little notoriety when I arrived at Penn.
In 1953 you were a territorial draft pick of the Philadelphia Warriors, but spent most of the following 2 years in the Navy: were you concerned that you were losing out on your best chance to have a career in pro basketball? We did not think about that in those days because you had to go in the service unless you were like 6’6” and could get out of it. I was lucky enough to be in Bainbridge so I could stay close to home and play on some good basketball teams.
Take me through the magical 1956 NBA playoffs:
Your 10 teammates on the Warriors included 3 guys from La Salle, 3 guys from Villanova, and 1 guy from King’s College: what was it like to have a bunch of guys from Philly-area colleges playing together for the hometown NBA team? We were all proud of that and felt it was 1 of the reasons we were such a historic team in Philly sports history.
In the decisive Game 5 of the Eastern Division Finals you scored 4 PTS in a 5-PT road win at Syracuse: what is the key to winning on the road in the playoffs? The key is to have a little bit of luck: that is for darn sure. You cannot have injuries and you need to have everyone playing together. That was our toughest playoff series because the refs were a bit of homers and you had to get to the locker room before the fans could come after you!
In Game 5 of the Finals you scored 12 PTS at Ft. Wayne to win the title: what did it mean to you to win the title, and what was the reaction like when you got back to Philly? The people in Philly were very proud of us because we had so many local boys, but there was no ticker-tape parade down Broad Street because the games were not even televised back then. Each player got a $1500 bonus and our coach/manager Eddie Gottlieb gave us individual bonuses as well, so I bought myself a new car.
In 1957 you led the NBA by playing in all 72 regular season games: how were you able to make it through the whole season without getting hurt? It was not easy: we did not have a trainer who traveled with us on the road so we had to tape our own ankles. We were also not the most well-fed players since our meal money was only $5/day! I remember Frank Ramsey once hitting me in the eye accidentally and I could not see for a couple of days.
In Game 6 of the 1960 Eastern Division Finals Bill Russell scored 25 PTS in a 2-PT road win by eventual champion Boston: where does Russell rank among the greatest players that you have ever seen? He was a tremendous defensive player and a great rebounder. The Celtics had a bunch of great shooters but they needed Russell to grab the ball off the boards and jam up the middle on defense. We had a great scorer in Neil Johnston but he could not get off his hook shot over Russell. Red Auerbach was a great coach who made sure that everyone knew their job.
In 1987 you were named Public League High School COY at Bok Technical HS: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? I am very proud of that although my record was not that good at Bok. I did not go out and recruit players, but I worked hard at coaching and the coaches association respected me for that. I still have the trophy sitting on my mantle!