Frank Saul (basketball)
Frank Benjamin Saul Jr. (February 16, 1924 – November 7, 2019) was an American National Basketball Association (NBA) player.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 16, 1924 |
| Died | November 7, 2019 (aged 95) |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Seton Hall Preparatory (West Orange, New Jersey) |
| College | Seton Hall (1942–1943, 1946–1949) |
| BAA draft | 1949 / Round: 1 / Pick: 10th overall |
| Selected by the Rochester Royals | |
| Playing career | 1949–1955 |
| Position | Guard / Forward |
| Number | 3, 33, 18, 10 |
| Career history | |
| 1949–1951 | Rochester Royals |
| 1951–1952 | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1952–1955 | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 2,152 (5.6 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 683 (2.0 rpg) |
| Assists | 596 (1.6 apg) |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Raised in Westwood, New Jersey, Saul spent three years at Holy Trinity High School in Hackensack, New Jersey, where he played both baseball and basketball. He transferred to Seton Hall Preparatory in West Orange, New Jersey for his senior year.[1]
He played collegiately for the Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball, leaving college after his freshman year to serve for three years in the United States Army during World War II. He scored his 1,000th career point in a game against Creighton University on March 5, 1949, making him the first player from Seton Hall to reach that milestone.[1]
Saul won four consecutive NBA championships with the Rochester Royals in 1951 and with the Minneapolis Lakers from 1952 to 1954. He, Steve Kerr and Patrick McCaw are the only three players in NBA history who won three championships with two different teams in consecutive seasons, with him and Kerr winning four times in a row.[2] Saul was known as "Pep Saul" during his career.[3]
Saul was a resident of East Hanover, New Jersey.[1] He died in November 2019 at the age of 95.[4]
References
- Iseman, Chris. "Where are they now? Seton Hall basketball star Frank "Pep" Saul", The Record (Bergen County), February 9, 2016. Accessed August 14, 2016. "Encased in glass, the basketball sits on a shelf in Frank "Pep" Saul's home in East Hanover.... Yet that was only one moment — one accomplishment — in a stellar life on the court for Saul, who grew up in Westwood.A standout at now defunct Holy Trinity High School in Hackensack, a 1,000-point scorer in college and a four-time NBA champion, Saul forged a decorated basketball career."
- Hudson Jr., David L. (February 2007). Basketball Championships' Most Wanted. Potomac Books, Inc. p. 41. ISBN 1-59797-014-X.
- "Pep Saul Stats". Basketball-Reference.com.
- Frank B. Saul, Jr. obituary