- Tony Lavelli
Anthony Lavelli, Jr. (born
July 11 ,1926 ; diedJanuary 8 ,1998 ) was an Americanbasketball player and musician. He averaged 6.9 points [Tony Lavelli. http://www.databasebasketball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=LavelTo01.] per game during his two year NBA career (1949-1951) while also providinghalf-time entertainment with hisaccordion performances.College
A native of
Somerville, Massachusetts , Lavelli attendedYale University as a music student and aspired to compose musical comedies after he graduated [”Baskets in 4/4 Time”. "Time". March 14, 1949. http://time-proxy.yaga.com/time/archive/printout/0,23657,794702,00.html.] . He wrote over a dozen songs while in college, with titles like “I Want a Helicopter” [ibid.] and “You’re the Boppiest Bee-Bop” [”Lavelli of Yale passes up pro basketball for music career”. "New York Times". April 16, 1949. p. 18.] , and he also appeared as an accordion soloist for theNew Haven Symphony Orchestra [”Tony Lavelli solos with New Haven Symphony” "Accordion World". 1949. http://www.ksanti.net/free-reed/essays/tonylavelli.html.] . As a senior, he applied to theJuilliard School , theCurtis Institute of Music , and theNew England Conservatory of Music [”Baskets in 4/4 Time”. "Time". March 14, 1949. http://time-proxy.yaga.com/time/archive/printout/0,23657,794702,00.html.] .However, Lavelli’s musical talents were often overshadowed by his achievements on the basketball court. Lavelli claimed that he had only learned basketball as a teenager to impress his friends, who were mostly apathetic to his music [ibid.] . Nevertheless, he would become one of Yale's all-time greatest players. A 6’3” forward with an accurate one-handed
hook shot , he scored 1,964 points in four years and graduated as the fourth highest-scorer in college basketball history [ibid.] . He also earned fourAll-America n team selections and one Player of the Year award during his college career [ibid.] . Upon graduating, he was selected as the first overall pick of theBoston Celtics in the1949 NBA Draft [ "The Official NBA Encyclopedia". New York: Doubleday, 2000. p. 368.] .Professional basketball
Despite his athletic accomplishments, Lavelli’s first love was music, and he initially refused to sign with the Celtics so that he could enroll at Juilliard [”Lavelli of Yale passes up pro basketball for music career”. "New York Times". April 16, 1949. p. 18.] . Eventually, however, he proposed to join the team on the condition that they would pay him an extra $125 per game to play his accordion during half-time breaks at
Boston Garden and certain visitors' arenas [Burwell, Brian. "At the Buzzer!" New York: Doubleday, 2001 p. 145.] . The Celtics conceded to his demands.Lavelli made his Celtics debut on November 24, 1949 in a game against the Fort Wayne Pistons. He tallied 20 points in his first game ["Celtics bow, Lavelli gets 20". "New York Times". November 25, 1949. p. 34.] , and would average 8.8 points per game over the course of the
1949-50 NBA season [Tony Lavelli. http://www.databasebasketball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=LavelTo01.] . However, he received much more attention for his half-time accordion performances; indeed, some basketball historians have credited Lavelli's mini-concerts for saving the early Celtics franchise, which was in danger of folding due to lack of fans and money [Cavanaugh, Jack. "The last days of a garden where memories grew". "New York Times". April 16, 1995. p. S7.] . In a typical performance, Lavelli would greet the fans and play “Granada,” “Lady of Spain ,” and other musical pieces before dashing off to the Celtics' locker room [Goldstein, Richard. “Tony Lavelli, 71, musician with a memorable hook shot” "New York Times". January 13, 1998. p. D21.] . He usually played in his basketball jersey, as he had little time to change his clothes [Cavanaugh, Jack. "The last days of a garden where memories grew". "New York Times". April 16, 1995. p. S7.] . The Celtics unfortunately finished last in their division that season, but one newspaper joked that the team "doubtless [found] his music soothing" ["Tony from Yale likes accordion, cage combination; halftime 'concerts' prove biggest success". "The Charleston Gazatte". November 28, 1949.] .Lavelli signed with the rival
New York Knicks prior to the start of the1950-51 NBA season . He averaged 3.3 points per game with the Knicks and participated in their playoff run, which ended in the1951 NBA Finals at the hands of the Rochester Royals [”Royals Reign, Despite Knicks Unlikely Comeback”. NBA.com. http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19501951.html. ] . However, Lavelli had joined the Knicks specifically so that he would be close to Juilliard, and he finally began taking courses there during his tenure with the team [ Goldstein, Richard. “Tony Lavelli, 71, musician with a memorable hook shot” "New York Times". January 13, 1998. p. D21.] .During the mid-1950s, Lavelli played with the
College All-Stars , who primarily served as opponents to theHarlem Globetrotters , and his accordion performances became a fixture of the Globetrotters’ halftime shows [ibid.] .Post-basketball career
After retiring from basketball in the late 1950s, Lavelli embarked on a long career as a songwriter and nightclub performer [ibid.] . He released two records during his life: "All-American Accordionist" and "Accordion Classics" [Tony Lavelli. Records by Mail. http://www.recordsbymail.com/artistPage.php?artistFirst=TONY&artistLast=LAVELLI] . In 1998, he suffered a heart attack at his home in
Laconia, New Hampshire and died shortly afterwards [ Goldstein, Richard. “Tony Lavelli, 71, musician with a memorable hook shot” "New York Times". January 13, 1998. p. D21.] ..Trivia
*Lavelli was a member of the Yale-based secret society
Skull and Bones [Samuelson, Eric. Yale's Skull and Bones Society Members. http://www.wealth4freedom.com/truth/3/skullroster.htm.] .
*Lavelli twice appeared on the television program "Toast of the Town", which was later renamed "The Ed Sullivan Show" [Tony Lavelli. IMDb.com. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1676598/.] .
*Lavelli’s cousin,Dante Lavelli , played for theCleveland Browns in the 1940s and 1950s and was later inducted into theProfessional Football Hall of Fame [ Goldstein, Richard. “Tony Lavelli, 71, musician with a memorable hook shot” "New York Times". January 13, 1998. p. D21.] .Notes
External links
* [http://www.databasebasketball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=LavelTo01 Career statistics] at databasebasketball.com
* [http://imdb.com/name/nm1676598/ Profile] atIMDb
* [http://www.ksanti.net/free-reed/essays/tonylavelli.html "Tony Lavelli solos with New Haven Symphony"] , 1949 article from "Accordion World" (includes picture of Lavelli).
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