The NBA Finals date back to 1947 (when they were known as the Basketball Association of America Finals) and the very 1st NCAA tourney was held in 1939. Olympic basketball competition is even older: it debuted as a demonstration event in 1904 and the men’s version became a medal sport in 1936, with the women finally getting their chance to go for the gold in 1976. The United States has dominated Olympic basketball competition from the start: the men have won 15 gold medals in the 18 tournaments they have participated in during the past 84 years, while the women have won 8 gold medals in the 10 tournaments in which they have competed during the past 44 years. Those of you who were looking forward to the 2020 Olympics opening ceremonies in Tokyo on July 24, 2020 will have to wait an extra 364 days, as the coronavirus caused a postponement until July 23, 2021. Due to the absence of college basketball since mid-March, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel decided to fill the void by trying to interview as many prior Olympic players/coaches as possible so that you have something to read this summer while not watching the Summer Games. We continue our coverage by chatting with Burdie Haldorson about winning a pair of gold medals in 1956/1960. Today marks the 60th anniversary of Burdie scoring 2 PTS in team USA’s 88-54 win over Italy in Olympic round-robin pool play.
You were born/raised in Minnesota: what made you choose Colorado? I had never been out of the state but after visiting Colorado and seeing the mountains I thought it would be a great idea.
You led the Big 8 in scoring during each of your last 2 years and you still hold the school record for most REB in a game with 31 vs. Oklahoma in 1952: what is the secret to being a great scorer and what is the secret to being a great rebounder? Jumping ability is important but you also need to be able to box out to have an advantage. As far as scoring, back then everything went through the center on offense.
In the 1955 Final 4 you scored 9 PTS in a loss to eventual champion San Francisco: where does Bill Russell (24 PTS/10-14 FG in the win before becoming your Olympic teammate the following year) rank among the greatest players that you have ever seen? Back then he was a difference maker: you could put any 4 guys around him and that team would probably win. He was the best I ever played with/against.
In the spring of 1955 you were drafted 23rd overall by St. Louis but chose to play for the AAU Phillips 66ers: why did you choose AAU over the NBA, and did you have any regrets? I did not have any regrets. The NBA was just a fledging league back then and you never knew if your paycheck would be there every Friday. I had a good career and learned about business: I ended up having a small group of convenience stores.
You were named an AAU All-American 4 times from 1955-1959: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? It was really great! The AAU was running the show back then so it was a great thrill.
You won a pair of gold medals at the 1956/1960 Summer Olympics: what did it mean to you to represent your country, and what did it mean to you to win a pair of gold medals? Obviously it was the best part of my entire career. I can still remember marching into the stadium under the American flag…and it was just as nice the 2nd time! Melbourne and Rome are 2 different places but you always remember your 1st time the most.
You also won a gold medal at the 1959 Pan Am Games: what was the biggest difference between international basketball and college or AAU basketball? That was in Chicago and was basically a lead-up to the Olympics because a lot of those guys joined me in Rome. We went on a tour of Russia 1 year and whenever we got in trouble during a game we would just put a press on and the international teams could not handle it. Their coaching techniques just had not caught up with American techniques.
After retiring from basketball you became an executive with Phillips and later formed a gas and oil distribution business: how were you able to follow your on-court success by becoming so successful off the court? The 1st thing you need is luck! If you have that then most things will turn out positively. Playing sports taught me to be determined and in business you need to be ready to come to work every day.
In 2010 your 1960 Olympic team was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and in 2012 you were inducted into the Pac-12 Basketball Hall of Honor: where do these rank among the highlights of your career? The Hall of Fame has to be right up there at the top. It was a great deal to see all of my teammates like Jerry West/Oscar Robertson. I would hate to have to pick just 1 thing.
When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? As a good teammate. Basketball was even more of a team game in my day.