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Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 42,873 Likes: 8
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 42,873 Likes: 8 |
heard this on the news radio this evening.....
Meadowlark sure was the center of attention for the GlobeTrotters when I was growing up... got to see them play several times on Military Bases... Last time being on Ft Bragg in either 67 or 68....
NN)George "Meadowlark" Lemon, the basketball star who entertained millions of fans around the world with his antics as a longtime member of the Harlem Globetrotters, died Sunday in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was 83.
Lemon played 24 seasons and by his own estimate more than 16,000 games with the Globetrotters, the touring exhibition basketball team known for its slick ball-handling, practical jokes, red-white-and-blue uniforms and multiyear winning streaks against overmatched opponents.
He also was one of a handful of Globetrotters whose fame transcended sports, especially among children during the team's heyday in the 1960s and 1970s. Lemon was immortalized in a Harlem Globetrotters cartoon series and appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show," episodes of "Scooby Doo" and many national TV commercials.
We are deeply saddened by the passing of our beloved Meadowlark Lemon. He was 83. #RIPMeadowlark pic.twitter.com/tCRWkZUD3h
— Harlem Globetrotters (@Globies) December 28, 2015
A gifted player whose basketball skills were sometimes overshadowed by his on-court high jinks, Lemon was known for sinking half-court hook shots, throwing behind-the-back passes and pretending to spy on his opponents' huddles.
Nicknamed the "clown prince" of basketball, he also pioneered a trademark routine in which he doused a referee with a bucket of water and then pranked fans by heaving another bucket -- filled with confetti, not water -- into the stands as people scrambled to get out of the way.
"He made the young and the young at heart laugh. The guy was just unparalleled," said TyRone "Hollywood" Brown, who played for the Globetrotters from 1985-1996 and later played for Lemon's teams. "In all my years I've never seen another showman come near him."
Brown said he had a phone conversation with Lemon on Christmas Eve and that his former teammate sounded in good health. Lemon was trying to interest movie producers in making a feature film about his life, Brown said.
"I'm just honored that I had the opportunity to ... have him as a mentor and play on the same court with him," Brown told CNN.
The Great Meadowlark Lemon of the legendary Harlem Globetrotters dies at 83. Rest In Basketball Heaven Sir! pic.twitter.com/X8BXKLxiV9
— SHAQ (@SHAQ) December 28, 2015
Born in Wilmington, North Carolina, Lemon joined the Globetrotters in 1954 after serving two years in the Army. Over the next quarter-century, he and the team played almost everywhere, from high school gyms to Madison Square Garden to an exhibition in Moscow during the Cold War.
His website says Lemon and his teammates played before popes, kings, queens, presidents and regular basketball fans in almost 100 countries.
After a salary dispute, Lemon left the Globetrotters in 1979 to form his own comedic basketball teams, which performed under the names Meadowlark Lemon's Bucketeers, the Shooting Stars and Meadowlark Lemon's Harlem All Stars.
He returned to the Harlem Globetrotters for a 50-game "comeback" tour in 1993.
"For a generation of fans, the name Meadowlark Lemon was synonymous with the Harlem Globetrotters," Globetrotters CEO Kurt Schneider said. "He was an incredible entertainer and brought happiness and lifelong memories to millions around the world. We have lost a great ambassador of the game."
Lemon was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003. He spent the last several years of his life serving as an ordained minister and motivational speaker.
His death follows that of early Globetrotter player and teammate Marques Haynes, who died in May.
Thanks for all the good times Meadowlark! RIP gracious sir!
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 45,283 Likes: 22
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 45,283 Likes: 22 |
Thanks for posting that Seafire,
I always enjoyed watching them.
Geno
The desert is a true treasure for him who seeks refuge from men and the evil of men.
In it is contentment
In it is death and all you seek
(Quoted from "The Bleeding of the Stone" Ibrahim Al-Koni)
member of the cabal of dysfunctional squirrels?
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 16,916
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 16,916 |
Funny talented guy. Watched him play several times and he was great. We are diminished.
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 23,319
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 23,319 |
"All that the South has ever desired was that the Union, as established by our forefathers, should be preserved, and that the government, as originally organized, should be administered in purity and truth." – Robert E. Lee
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Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 21,805 Likes: 2
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 21,805 Likes: 2 |
Same day as Stormin Norman  We will miss him
"The Church can and should help modern society by tirelessly insisting that the work of women in the home be recognized and respected by all in its irreplaceable value." Apostolic Exhortation On The Family, Pope John Paul II
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 7,288
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 7,288 |
He was a great player and a great clown as proven by his being in both the basketball and clown Halls of Fame. He will be missed.
Go tell the Spartans,Travelers passing by,That here,Obedient to their laws we lie.
I'm older now but I'm still runnin' against the wind
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 8,639
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 8,639 |
Damn! My dad and I loved to watch them play.. RIP Meadowlark!
Speak softly and use a big bore...
Where's El Cid when we need him...
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 8,538
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 8,538 |
I saw Meadowlark Lemon play at Mac Court on the U of O campus when I was a Boy Scout, about 1964.
We were "hired" to be ushers, and got to watch the game for free! Pretty cool for a 12 year old boy.
One of my high lights of growing up.
Virgil B.
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Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 33,765 Likes: 7
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 33,765 Likes: 7 |
Saw that on the news as well. I saw them play at my high school many years ago. Truly entertaining.
Conduct is the best proof of character.
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 19,495
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 19,495 |
Retired cat herder.
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 8,525
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 8,525 |
A long-awaited day for the fans of the Washington Generals and Boston Shamrocks.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 29,924 Likes: 10
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 29,924 Likes: 10 |
Anyone with that ability to entertain folks deserves every buck he earned.
1Minute
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 10,736 Likes: 1
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 10,736 Likes: 1 |
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