- Jack Ankerson
A native of
Neenah, Wisconsin , Jack Ankerson attendedRipon College where he played football,tennis , andbasketball , earning all-conference honors in 1963 and 1964 and ranked as one of the small school’s all-time leading scorers.He was drafted as a
quarterback in the 16th round of the1964 NFL Draft by theSt. Louis Cardinals . After a brief football career with the Cardinals, Ankerson worked in the front office of theKentucky Colonels of theAmerican Basketball Association (ABA). He was later hired as general manager of theSan Antonio Spurs , where in 1974,The Sporting News named him ABA Executive of the Year.In May 1974, Ankerson was hired as the
general manager of the ABA’sVirginia Squires , [ [http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/sports.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-02-29-0117.html Semi-good: Movie evokes memories of Virginia Squires - Sports - inRich.com ] ] who would finish the 1974-75 season with a record of 15-69, the worst in the league.Ankerson served as head coach of the Squires for two games, going 1-1, after taking over for
Bill Musselman on January 21, 1976. Ankerson was replaced byZelmo Beaty two days later.Ankerson worked for several years as the sports and program director at
WTAR radio station inNorfolk, Virginia In 1995, at the age of 53, Ankerson joined the
Norfolk Tides , then the Triple A affiliate of theNew York Mets , as the team’s director of broadcasting and sales.He later served as executive director of the Hampton Roads Sports Commission in
Virginia Beach, Virginia .References
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