- Bob Brannum
Robert Warren Brannum (
May 28 ,1925 –February 5 ,2005 ) was an Americanbasketball player.A 6'5" center from
Winfield, Kansas , Brannum attended theUniversity of Kentucky andMichigan State University before playing professional basketball.Brannum spent his first three professional seasons with the
Sheboygan Red Skins , whose pro roots dated from 1938, the second season of the National Basketball League. Brannum started all three seasons, during which Sheboygan played in three leagues: the NBL (1948-49), NBA (1949-50) and National Professional Basketball League (1950-51). He was one of the all-time great Redskins players, known for his hard-nosed play, rebounding prowess and scoring ability. In his final season with Sheboygan, when the Redskins finished with the NPBL's best record, Brannum was selected first-team center after having the league's high scoring average (19.0 points per game). His 45-point barrage against the Kansas City Hi-Spots on Dec. 28, 1950, was a franchise record, topping the 44 points Bobby Cook scored against the NBA's Denver Nuggets the previous January.He spent the next four seasons with the
Boston Celtics , with whom he earned a reputation as a hard-nosed, pugnacious player. He often served as an unofficial "bodyguard" for smaller players on the team, especially point guardBob Cousy . Cousy later remarked in an interview, "It was a great luxury to have Bob on the team, and to have him playing the role of protector. It definitely made my job a lot easier." [ [http://www.celtic-nation.com/interviews/bob_cousy/bob_cousy_page7.htm Interview with Bob Cousy] . Retrieved 4 August 2007.]Brannum retired as a player in 1955. He later coached basketball at
Norwich University ,Kenyon College andBrandeis University , where he won a school-record 204 games. He died ofpancreatic cancer in 2005. [ [http://www.boston.com/news/globe/obituaries/articles/2005/02/08/bob_brannum_78_a_bruising_center_for_celtics_of_50s/ Obituary] . Retrieved 4 August 2007.]Notes
External links
*basketball-reference
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