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George Yardley

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For the Scottish footballer, see George Yardley (footballer).

George Yardley
Yardley in 1958
Personal information
Born(1928-11-03)November 3, 1928
Hollywood, California, U.S.
DiedAugust 12, 2004(2004-08-12) (aged 75)
Newport Beach, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High schoolNewport Harbor
(Newport Beach, California)
CollegeStanford (1947–1950)
NBA draft1950: 1st round, 7th overall pick
Drafted byFort Wayne Pistons
Playing career1953–1962
PositionForward / guard
Number12
Career history
1953–1959Fort Wayne / Detroit Pistons
1959–1960Syracuse Nationals
1961–1962Los Angeles Jets
Career highlights
Career statistics
Points9,063 (19.2 ppg)
Rebounds4,220 (8.9 rpg)
Assists815 (1.7 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference
Basketball Hall of Fame
Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame

George Harry Yardley III (November 3, 1928 – August 12, 2004) was an American basketball player. He was the first player in National Basketball Association (NBA) history to score 2,000 points in one season, breaking the 1,932-point record held by George Mikan. Yardley was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996.

Early life

[edit]

Yardley was born on November 3, 1928, in Hollywood, California to George H. Jr., a building contractor, and Dorothy (Schoyer) Yardley. The family moved to Balboa Island in 1942. He attended Newport Harbor High School, starring on the basketball team. When he graduated in 1946, Yardley had reached his adult height of 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m), or reached that height between high school and college.[1][2][3][4] He was third-team All-CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) in high school.[5]

College

[edit]

Yardley attended Stanford University, where he made the basketball team as a walk-on, with no scholarship. He played on the varsity from 1947-50. As a senior, he broke former Stanford star and future Hall of famer Hank Luisetti's[6] 12-year old Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) scoring record (which new record was in turn broken shortly thereafter by future Hall of fame guard Bill Sharmin[7]). Hall of fame coach John Wooden[8] observed Yardley's ability to score in a variety of ways. Yardley was one of the few players dunking at the time. Both Yardley and Sharmin were selected to the PCC Southern Division all-star team in 1950. He was a Helms Foundation second-team All-American in 1950, and two-time All-American.[citation needed][1][9][10][11][2][12][13][14][5]

Yardley graduated in 1950 with a degree in civil engineering, earning both bachelor's and master's degrees at Stanford. He was also at excellent volleyball player at Stanford. Yardley was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, and earned the nickname "Yardbird" due to the chores he was required to complete by his fraternity brothers as the youngest man in the fraternity. The nickname was later shortened to "Bird".[1][2][11][5]

In addition to basketball, Yardley was an All-American volleyball player, and five-time tennis champion in his age-bracket.[15][16]

AAU

[edit]

After his three-year career at Stanford, Yardley played one year of AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) basketball with Stewart Chevrolet, coached by Luisetti. He later enlisted in the United States Navy and served for two years, playing another two years of AAU basketball at Los Alamitos Naval Air Base. He was an AAU All-American in 1953.[2][11][12] Yardley's San Francisco Stewart Chevrolet amateur team won the national AAU championship in 1951,[17][18] with Yardley being selected the national amateur player-of-the-year.[19] Yardley considered that AAU championship, along with his 2,000 point season, the highlights of his basketball career.[18] Los Alamitos won the all-Navy championship in 1953, with Yardley scoring 38 points in the championship game.[20]

Yardley turned down offers to play professionally, instead playing AAU basketball, so he could maintain his amateur status and be eligible for the 1952 Olympics. However, a broken wrist or hand playing for Los Alamitos in 1952 removed any possibility of that happening, the low point of his basketball career.[18][21]

After leaving the Navy in 1953, Yardley toured South America with an amateur U.S. basketball team.[1]

During this time-period of playing amateur basketball, he met his future wife Diana Gibson on a blind date arranged by their grandmothers.[2][5]

NBA career

[edit]

At 6 ft 5 in, Yardley was a good-sized forward in 1950s basketball and was described as "an offensive-minded player with a knack for scoring" in his Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame biography.[10] He has been described as a "flamboyant"[10] and "gregarious" player who "never did anything without flair".[22] He was one of the earliest NBA players to perfect and consistently shoot a jump shot, with Bill Sharmin claiming he had the quickest release of any NBA player. With his tremendous leaping ability, Yardley was one of the first to dunk. He was the first player to score over 2,000 points in an NBA season, at a time when teams only played 72 regular season games.[18][5]

Fort Wayne/Detroit Pistons

[edit]

Yardley was drafted by the NBA's Fort Wayne Pistons in the 1950 NBA draft, with the eighth overall pick.[23] After one year of AAU ball and two years in the Navy, Yardley's first NBA season came in 1953-54 with the Pistons. The Pistons offered him $6,000 and he held out as a rookie until they agreed to pay $9,500. He averaged nine points and 6.5 rebounds in nearly 24 minutes per game. This was the only season of his 7-year NBA career in which he did not make the All-Star team.[24][16]

Paired with fellow all-star Larry Foust, and playing under coach Charley Eckman, Yardley led the Fort Wayne Pistons to two NBA Finals in the 1954-55 and 1955-56 seasons.[25][26] In his second season, Yardley averaged 17.3 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, starting at small forward.[25] He and Foust were starters for the Western division in the 1955 All-Star game.[27] The Pistons defeated the Minneapolis Lakers in the 1955 Western division finals, with Yardley averaging 16 points per game.[28] They lost the NBA finals in seven games to the Syracuse Nationals, Yardley averaging 15.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.[29]

Yardley, Foust and teammate Mel Hutchins all started for the Western division all-stars the next season (1955-56).[30] On the season, Yardley averaged 17.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.[31] The Pistons defeated the St. Louis Hawks in a five-game Western division finals playoff series, Yardley leading all players in the series with a 21.2 point per game average.[32] The Pistons lost the 1956 NBA finals in five games to the Philadelphia Warriors. Yardley led all players in the finals with 15.2 rebounds per game, and was second only to future Hall of famer Paul Arizin with 24.8 points per game.[33][34]

In addition to being an all-star starter for the third consecutive year in the 1956-57 season, Yardley was fifth in the NBA most valuable player voting and was named second-team All-NBA.[35][36][37] He averaged 21.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.[38] The Pistons lost to the Lakers in the Western division semifinals, though Yardley averaged 28.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.[39]

Before the 1957-58 season, the now Detroit Pistons signed Yardley to a $25,000 contract, the highest salary in the NBA.[40][1][5][41] It has also been reported that he signed with the Pistons for that league-high salary before the 1958-59 season, only after his productive 1957-58 season; and that the Nationals took on the league high salary and an injured Yardley in a 1959 trade in hopes of dramatically improving their team.[40][42]

In 1957-58, the Pistons' first year in Detroit, Yardley led the league in scoring, averaging 27.8 points per game, nearly three points per game more than runner up Dolph Schayes.[43] He scored 2,001 total points, making him the first NBA player to score 2,000 points in a then 72-game season, while breaking the scoring record previously held by future Hall of fame center George Mikan (1,932 points).[10][43][44][5][45] That year, Yardley also set NBA records for most free throws attempted (808) and most free throws made (655),[43][44] and was named to the All-NBA First Team for the only time in his career.[37][24] He started in the All-Star game for a fourth consecutive year.[46] The Pistons lost to the Hawks in the Western division finals in five games, with Yardley averaging 22.2 points per game.[47]

Syracuse Nationals

[edit]

On February 13, 1959, Yardley was traded to the Syracuse Nationals for Ed Conlin.[48] Yardley had already played in his fifth straight all-star game as a Piston, though as a reserve for the first time.[49] At the time of the trade, he had played in 46 games for the Pistons, averaging 20.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.[50] Conlin had played in 57 games for the Nationals, averaging 11.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.[51]

Yardley had suffered a broken finger on his left (non-shooting) hand that caused him to miss some playing time with the Pistons, and to eventually have to wear a cast.[40][42] Yardley was only able to play in 15 regular season games for the Nationals, averaging 16.7 points and 6.9 rebounds in 28 minutes per game.[51] In the first round of playoffs against the New York Knicks, however, Yardley averaged 23 points per game;[52] and in a seven game series loss against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern division finals, Yardley averaged 25.7 points and 10.3 rebounds in 38.6 minutes a game.[53]

Following a sixth All-Star game selection the following season in 1959–1960 (his first in the Eastern division),[54] during which Yardley averaged 20.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game,[55] he retired from basketball at the age of 31. Yardley retired to honor a promise to his wife that he would leave basketball to spend more time with his family, and to give full attention to his business.[56][2]

He was the first player in NBA history to retire after averaging at least 20 points per game in his final year.[a] [citation needed] Yardley averaged 19.2 points per game over his career.[21] He made a brief comeback in the short-lived American Basketball League with the Los Angeles Jets in 1961–62, coached by Bill Sharmin; only agreeing, however, to play in home games and to only play in road games if his business schedule permitted.[57] He agreed to play for $500 a game, but was never paid.[18]

Honors and influence

[edit]

In 1996, Yardley was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player.[10] Yardley had not expected to enter the Hall of Fame, but Baltimore Sun sports editor Seymour Smith, whom Yardley had never met, successfully advocated Yardley's case for entry.[11]

He was inducted into Stanford's Sports Hall of Fame in 1989.[58] He was inducted into the Southern California Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.[59]

Hall of fame guard, and one of the NBA's 75 greatest players, Jerry West said he patterned his classic and influential jump shot form on Yardley's.[11][60][61]

In a tribute to Yardley posted after his death, Hall of fame coach Pete Newell later said "George Yardley embodies what the Hall of Fame is all about. A marvelous athlete who made full use of his natural talents, a demeanor on the court a coach admires, and a life off the court and after his basketball career ended that has been very successful."[62][63]

Post-basketball career

[edit]

Making use of his engineering degree from Stanford, Yardley started his own company selling mechanical engineering equipment, the George Yardley Company, in Fountain Valley, California, following his retirement from the NBA.[11][5] Yardley patented a seal for the liquid oxygen fuel tank on the Atlas-Titan rocket. He was an avid golf and tennis player, winning seniors titles.[2]

Yardley was modest about his basketball career and his twin sons did not even know their father had been a star NBA player until they were told by a schoolmate in eighth grade.[18]

Death

[edit]

Yardley died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, at the age of 75. After being diagnosed with the disease in 2003, he had raised $120,000 for ALS research at a tribute dinner.[1][2] Yardley was survived by his four children and 14 grandchildren.[2]

NBA career statistics

[edit]
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 *  Led the league

Regular season

[edit]
Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1953–54 Fort Wayne 63 23.6 .425 .712 6.5 1.6 9.0
1954–55 Fort Wayne 60 35.8 .418 .745 9.9 2.1 17.3
1955–56 Fort Wayne 71 33.1 .407 .742 9.7 2.2 17.4
1956–57 Fort Wayne 72 37.4 .410 .787 10.5 2.0 21.5
1957–58 Detroit 72 39.5 .414 .811 10.7 1.3 27.8*
1958–59 Detroit 46 30.8 .415 .816 7.1 0.9 20.8
1958–59 Syracuse 15 28.0 .482 .648 6.9 1.7 16.7
1959–60 Syracuse 73 32.9 .453 .816 7.9 1.7 20.2
Career 472 33.4 .422 .780 8.9 1.7 19.2
All-Star 6 21.8 .433 .706 5.8 0.7 10.7

Playoffs

[edit]
Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1954 Fort Wayne 4 26.8 .485 .833 6.0 0.8 10.5
1955 Fort Wayne 11 38.2 .399 .759 9.0 3.3 15.8
1956 Fort Wayne 10 40.6 .421 .776 13.9 2.6 23.0
1957 Fort Wayne 2 42.5 .453 .818 9.5 4.0 28.5
1958 Detroit 7 36.3 .409 .896 10.3 2.4 23.4
1959 Syracuse 9 37.0 .439 .857 9.7 2.3 25.1
1960 Syracuse 3 29.3 .385 .833 5.7 0.3 13.3
Career 46 36.8 .422 .817 9.9 2.4 20.3

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f "Basketball star George Yardley, 75". Newsday (Melville, New York). August 16, 2004. p. 37.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Farewells, Hall of Famer, Stanford Magazine". stanfordmag.org. January 1, 2005. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  3. ^ "Wedding Service In All Saints' Church, Ms. Dorothy Schoyer United in Marriage to George H. Yardley, Jr". The Pasadena Post. June 18, 1927. p. 3.
  4. ^ "Obituaries, George H. Yardley Jr". The Los Angeles Times. January 20, 1960. p. 71.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Terry, Mike (August 14, 2004). "George Yardley, 75; NBA Star Set Scoring Record With 2,001 Points". The Los Angeles Times. p. 165.
  6. ^ "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Hank Luisetti". www.hoophall.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  7. ^ "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Bill Sharman". www.hoophall.com. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  8. ^ "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: John Wooden". www.hoophall.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  9. ^ "George Yardley III College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  10. ^ a b c d e "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame - Hall of Famers". Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2011.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Chapin, Dwight (February 25, 1996). "George Yardley earned his place in history". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 29.
  12. ^ a b "Resume Cage Finals Tonight". Great Lakes Bulletin (Great Lakes, Illinois). April 10, 1953. p. 4.
  13. ^ Rich, Mel. C. (March 9, 1950). "On Down The Line". The Whittier News (Whittier, California). p. 14.
  14. ^ "Matheny On Coach All-PCC". The Berkeley Gazette (Associated Press). March 9, 1950. p. 12.
  15. ^ Dunn, Richard (May 27, 2013). "Part 1: Orange County's greatest athlete". Orange County Register. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  16. ^ a b Sebring, Blake. "News-Sentinel.com". egen.fortwayne.com. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  17. ^ "Stewart Chevrolets Opens Series Tonight". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. April 7, 1951. p. 11.
  18. ^ a b c d e f Ludovise, Barbie (June 24, 1989). "LOW-KEY APPROACH : George Yardley Downplayed His Success While Leading a Family of Real Sports". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  19. ^ "Dukes, Air Raider To Clash For Coast Title". Santa Maria Times (Santa Maria, California). February 14, 1953. p. 2.
  20. ^ "Los Alamitos Wins Championship". Great Lakes Bulletin (Great Lakes, Illinois). April 17, 1953. p. 4.
  21. ^ a b Goldstein, Richard (August 16, 2004). "George Yardley, 75, Shooter Who Broke N.B.A. Record". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  22. ^ [1] Archived October 30, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  23. ^ "1950 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  24. ^ a b "George Yardley Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  25. ^ a b "1954-55 Fort Wayne Pistons Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  26. ^ "1955-56 Fort Wayne Pistons Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  27. ^ "1955 NBA All-Star Game Box Score". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  28. ^ "1955 NBA Western Division Finals - Lakers vs. Pistons". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  29. ^ "1955 NBA Finals - Pistons vs. Nationals". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  30. ^ "1956 NBA All-Star Game Box Score". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  31. ^ "1955-56 Fort Wayne Pistons Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  32. ^ "1956 NBA Western Division Finals - Hawks vs. Pistons". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  33. ^ "1956 NBA Finals - Pistons vs. Warriors". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  34. ^ "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Paul Arizin". www.hoophall.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  35. ^ "1957 NBA All-Star Game Box Score". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  36. ^ "1956-57 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  37. ^ a b "NBA & ABA All-League Teams". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  38. ^ "1956-57 Fort Wayne Pistons Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  39. ^ "1957 NBA Western Division Semifinals - Pistons vs. Lakers". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  40. ^ a b c "Nationals Trade Conlin to Pistons for Yardley". The Post-Standard (Syracuse, New York). February 14, 1959. p. 10.
  41. ^ "Detroit Pistons Historical Statistics and All-Time Top Leaders". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  42. ^ a b Reddy, Bill (February 14, 1959). "Keeping Posted". The Post-Standard (Syracuse, New York). p. 10.
  43. ^ a b c "1957-58 NBA Leaders". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  44. ^ a b "George Yardley Dines With Mikan, Then Clips Master's NBA Record". The Daily Journal (Vineland, New Jersey). March 7, 1958. p. 12.
  45. ^ "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: George Mikan". www.hoophall.com. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  46. ^ "1958 NBA All-Star Game Box Score". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  47. ^ "1958 NBA Western Division Finals - Pistons vs. Hawks". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  48. ^ George Yardley Transactions
  49. ^ "1959 NBA All-Star Game Box Score". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  50. ^ "1958-59 Detroit Pistons Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  51. ^ a b "1958-59 Syracuse Nationals Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  52. ^ "1959 NBA Eastern Division Semifinals - Nationals vs. Knicks". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  53. ^ "1959 NBA Eastern Division Finals - Nationals vs. Celtics". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  54. ^ "1960 NBA All-Star Game Box Score". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  55. ^ "1959-60 Syracuse Nationals Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  56. ^ "George Yardley To Call It Quits". The Mercury (Pottstown, Pennsylvania). March 10, 1960. p. 24.
  57. ^ "George Yardley Signs With Jets". Ventura County Star (Ventura, California). September 20, 1961. p. 22.
  58. ^ "Stanford University - Hall of Fame TEST". static.gostanford.com. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  59. ^ Eymer, Rick (July 8, 2021). "Former Stanford, NBA star Yardley selected for SoCal Hall of Fame". The Almanac. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  60. ^ "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Jerry West". www.hoophall.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  61. ^ "Archive 75: Jerry West | NBA.com". NBA. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  62. ^ [2] Archived October 30, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  63. ^ "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Pete Newell". www.hoophall.com. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  1. ^ Although Alex Groza had a 21.7 PPG average in his final NBA season in 1951, his career ended as a result of a lifelong ban, instead of a voluntary retirement like that of Yardley's.
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