The Knicks need a win over Miami tonight to stay alive but they have overcome deficits in past playoff series. Back in 1973 the Knicks lost Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals to Boston before becoming the 1st team to beat the Celtics in a Game 7, then lost Game 1 of the Finals to the Lakers before winning 4 in a row to clinch their 2nd title in 4 years. 1 of those 2-time champs for New York back in the 1970s was Dick Barnett, who also won 3 straight NAIA titles at Tennessee A&I (now Tennessee State) from 1957-1959 and won back-to-back championship MVP honors in 1958/1959. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Dick about playing for Hall of Fame Coach John McLendon and winning all of those titles. Today is the 50th anniversary of the Knicks winning their 2nd title on May 10, 1973, so we take this time to reflect on that remarkable accomplishment.
In college you were known as “Dick the Skull”, and in the NBA legendary Lakers announcer Chick Hearn called you “Fall Back Baby” (since you would tell your teammates to get back on defense after you took a jump shot): what was your favorite nickname? I had a bald head during college so that was the origin of the “Skull” nickname.
You were a 3-time All-American at Tennessee A&I and the 1st African-American ever named to the National All-American team: how big a deal was it to be a pioneer for African-American basketball players? I did not realize it at the time: I was just a teenager who was playing basketball and searching for what I would do as a young adult. It was a dream unknown/destiny unseen/voice unheard: it was all preparation for the future.
You played for Hall of Fame Coach John McLendon: what made him such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? I had never heard of Coach McLendon when he started to recruit me but later learned how close he was to Dr. James Naismith. He had great preparation and focused on his players. He was a great recruiter across the US when Black players could not attend White colleges. You have to remember that this was during the era of the Ku Klux Klan and segregation.
In the 1957 NAIA tourney you won the title over Southeast Oklahoma State (despite 43 PTS from tourney MVP Jim Spivey): what did it mean to you to be the 1st historically Black college to ever win an integrated national championship? I always thought that it would happen if we just had the opportunity to compete. We wanted to face San Francisco and Bill Russell because they were the best team in the NCAA. We tried to get accepted by the NIT and play in Madison Square Garden but they refused our request.
In 1959 your team became the 1st to ever win 3 NAIA titles in a row and you became the 2nd player to ever be named back-to-back tourney MVP (after Jerry Anderson): what is the difference between making a great 1-year run vs. building a dynasty? It was historic and had never been done before. I put in the time/effort to be where I should be, starting with a ping pong ball and a tin cup: I knew what I was doing!
In the spring of 1959 you were drafted 4th overall by Syracuse (2 spots behind Bailey Howell): did you see that as a validation of your college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? I was not surprised. I wanted to play against the best because I was 1 of the best. I was a significant player at Tennessee State but later got involved with education. The best thing that happened to me was not all of my NAIA/NBA titles: it was during 1967 when I got injured while playing against Oscar Robertson. I was faced with the realization that I could not play anymore so I started to take school more seriously…and ended up getting 3 degrees. It changed my life: basketball was my mistress but education became my lifelong romance!
In the summer of 1961 you decided to leave the NBA and play for Cleveland in the American Basketball League: how did you like playing for Pipers owner George Steinbrenner, and how were you able to come back from a 2-0 deficit to Kansas City by winning 3 straight games to clinch the title? Steinbrenner was obviously a unique individual: he wanted to own an NBA team but they turned him down. He fired my college coach but we were still able to win the title.
In 1968 you scored 15 PTS in 22 minutes in your only NBA All-Star appearance: what did it mean to you to finally be recognized as an All-Star, and how did you like being part of what has to be 1 of the most talented teams ever assembled (10 of your 11 teammates on the East squad were future Hall-of-Famers: Dave Bing/Wilt Chamberlain/Dave DeBusschere/Hal Greer/John Havlicek/Sam Jones/Jerry Lucas/Willis Reed/Oscar Robertson/Bill Russell)? I should have been an All-Star at least 7-8 times but the NBA was not ready to make that happen. My # should have been retired at Madison Square Garden a lot sooner. I take no back seat to anyone else on that All-Star team: I was guarding each 1 of them during the regular season. There were only 8 teams in the league back then so we faced great players every single night. I was averaging 28.4 PPG at the 1966 All-Star break, which was certainly All-Star-worthy, but I was not selected. I did not get a fair shake because they would only allow so many Black players on the court at 1 time. I take my hat off to Red Auerbach for starting an All-Black team in Boston, which was the most racist city I ever played in.
You won a pair of NBA titles with New York in 1970/1973: what was your reaction before Game 7 at MSG in 1970 when Willis Reed famously walked out onto the court despite a severe thigh injury? We knew that Willis was going to play so we were not surprised. He could not really move but played tremendous positional defense on Wilt to get us off to a great start. We had a hell of a team with guys like Bill Bradley/DeBusschere and should have won at least 1 more title.
In 2007 you retired from teaching Sports Management at St. John’s and were also inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame: how did you enjoy being a professor, and where does that induction rank among the highlights of your career? I enjoyed teaching a lot and still look forward to doing a few things virtually. I had no idea during high school that I would later become a professor. I have been inducted into a few other Halls of Fame as well because I know that I was 1 of the best: I do not pull any punches about that! Our run at Tennessee State was even better than UCLA’s legendary run because they did not have to endure any of the things that we did in terms of hotels/travel.
If you want to see a trailer for “The Dream Whisperer” (a 2022 documentary about Dr. Barnett’s quest to get his groundbreaking Tennessee State team into the Naismith Hall of Fame), please go to: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dS80BUpS1k&t=2s