{"id":18971,"date":"2021-02-06T08:31:45","date_gmt":"2021-02-06T14:31:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=18971"},"modified":"2021-02-06T08:33:07","modified_gmt":"2021-02-06T14:33:07","slug":"harthorne-wingo-73-fan-favorite-on-the-new-york-knicks-1973-title-team-aside-hall-of-famers-willis-reed-walt-fraizer-and-earl-the-pearl-monroe-and-also-was-polk-county-north-carolinas-only-nba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=18971","title":{"rendered":"Harthorne Wingo, 73, fan favorite on the new york Knicks 1973 title team, aside hall of famers willis reed, walt fraizer, and earl the pearl monroe, and also was Polk County North Carolina’s only NBA player, passes away at 73"},"content":{"rendered":"

Harthorne Wingo, the only Polk County native to ever play in the National Basketball Association, died Saturday, Jan. 23 at the age of 73.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed Wingo\u2019s death. A cause of death was not immediately available.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Part of the first integrated class at Tryon High School, Wingo would travel from the courts of Polk County to the famed playground at Rucker Park in New York City to the bright lights of the NBA, playing for the New York Knicks.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He was part of the Knicks\u2019 1973 world championship team, lining up next to legends such as Willis Reed, Earl Monroe and Walt Frazier. He played four seasons with the Knicks before deciding to continue his professional career outside the U.S.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A fan favorite throughout his time in New York, Wingo would eventually be immortalized in the Beastie Boys song \u201cLay It On Me\u201d (\u201cMy favorite New York Knick was Harthorne Wingo. . .\u201d).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wingo played professionally in Italy, Switzerland and South America before retiring and moving back to New York City. Leaving the NBA for overseas play would be one of the biggest regrets of his career.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cItaly was good,\u201d he said in a 2017 interview. \u201cWe traveled all throughout Europe. Spain, France, Italy, Bucharest in Romainia. Had a great time. To win the Euro was good. We were the first Italian team to go back-to-back. That\u2019s the second-best team in Europe. First is the Cup of Champions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoyed it because I had the chance to play the whole game. I did great. I had a double-double, 21 points and almost 13 rebounds, leading scorer and rebounder. That\u2019s what I wanted more than anything, to play. But, it\u2019s not the NBA. No matter where you go, it ain\u2019t the NBA, simple as that.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Born September 9, 1947, the son of Nathaniel Harthorne Wingo and Jessie Mae Gary, Wingo grew up in the Lockhart Road area of Tryon, eventually attending high school at Edmund Embury School.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The tall, gangly youngster had already begun the integration process on the basketball court at Tryon High well before his official invitation to attend school there. He began playing pickup basketball at the invitation of legendary Tryon High standout Duke Fisher, befriending players who would soon be his teammates at Tryon.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wingo, a senior, welcomed the move to Tryon High, a much shorter walk from his home. He joined the Tryon High football team, but \u201cflunked out\u201d by his own admission. So he began preparing for basketball season and made his debut in the Tigers\u2019 second game, scoring 20 points in a win over Brevard.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Wingo helped the Tigers put together a 15-game winning streak and win the Foothills Conference regular season and tournament championships, earning all-conference honors in the process.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Following his graduation from Tryon, Wingo attended Friendship Junior College for a year, then returned to Tryon. He soon began playing basketball in a Spartanburg textile league before deciding to try to take his talents to a larger stage.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI did that for a year, and I thought, this has been good, but I really think I\u2019d like to play more ball, so I decided to come to New York,\u201d Wingo said in a 2017 interview. \u201cI got on the Greyhound bus and I came to New York.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wingo would soon find a home at Rucker Park, perhaps the best known of New York City\u2019s basketball playgrounds. He played with current and future NBA stars there, but also made his own mark, later named one of the 50 greatest to ever take part in Rucker\u2019s Pro League.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wingo received an invitation in 1970 to join the Harlem Wizards. and soon caught the eye of the Knicks, who steered Wingo to a contract with the Allentown Jets of the Eastern League. He led Allentown to a league title during the 1971-1972 season and earned selection as the league\u2019s MVP. Wingo rejoined Allentown for the 1972-73 season, but soon got a call from the Knicks and, on Feb. 1, 1973, signed his first NBA contract.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Tryon native would appear in 212 games with the Knicks, averaging 4.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. His best season came in 1974-75, when he played 20 minutes a game and averaged seven points and six rebounds while becoming a fan favorite in Madison Square Garden.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Knicks acknowledged<\/a> Wingo\u2019s death Monday and tweeted a statement<\/a> from former Knicks star and current broadcaster Walt Frazier, who remembered Wingo as \u201ca very unique individual.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHe was effervescent, gregarious, with an infectious personality not only endearing to his teammates but the Knicks Nation as well,\u201d Frazier said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Apart from Frazier, Wingo played on a title team with the likes of Willis Reed, Earl Monroe, Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere, Jerry Lucas, Dick Barnett and Phil Jackson.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wingo was from Tryon, a town in Polk County near the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. He played in junior college before making his way to New York and earning a reputation as an elite playground player at the famed Rucker Park.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a Knick, he may not have played much but he won over Madison Square Garden fans. They\u2019d chant for Wingo to come off the bench, delighting in the lyrical ring of his name, as if they had just completed a winning Bingo card.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Beastie Boys referenced Wingo\u2019s name in a rap lyric to the song \u201cLay It On Me\u201d more than a decade after Wingo\u2019s Knicks career had ended<\/strong><\/p>\n

Following his retirement in 1983, Wingo returned to New York City and struggled with financial and substance abuse issues for several years. A rehabilitation visit in the early 1990s helped Wingo beat the latter, but an assortment of health issues plagued him for the rest of his life.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Following a PolkSports story in early 2018, a group of former teammates worked to bring Wingo back to Polk County. He eventually visited in February 2019, spending several days in the area, that visit capped by a benefit game at Landrum High School involving the Wizards.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Wingo also returned to the Tryon High campus, now Tryon Elementary School, and spoke to students about the journey that took him to the NBA and basketball courts around the world.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I left here in 1965, I wasn\u2019t nervous at all, because I had some certain things I wanted to do in life,\u201d he told the group. \u201cI got on the Grayhound bus, and 800 miles I went to New York.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t really have any problems because no one knew me. So they would say, when I was playing ball in the park, who are you? What\u2019s your name? And I would always say, my name\u2019s Harthorne Wingo, and I\u2019m from Tryon, North Carolina.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

HAWTHORNE WINGO IS LISTED BELOW AS A PART OF THE 1973 NEW YORK KNICKERBOCKERS CHAMPIONSHIP ROSTER AND TEAM.<\/strong><\/p>\n

New York Knicks<\/span><\/h3>\n

The 1973 NBA World Championship Series<\/a> was the championship series of the 1972\u201373 National Basketball Association (NBA) season<\/a>, and the culmination of that season’s playoffs<\/a>. The Eastern Conference<\/a> champion New York Knicks<\/a> defeated the Western Conference<\/a> champion Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> 4 games to 1. The series was an exact reversal of the prior year, with the Lakers winning Game 1 and the Knicks taking the next four games. Knicks center Willis Reed<\/a> was named as the NBA Finals MVP<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Roster listing<\/caption>\n
<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n\n
1972\u201373 New York Knicks roster<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Players<\/strong><\/th>\nCoaches<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/tfoot>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n
Pos.<\/abbr><\/strong><\/th>\nNo.<\/abbr><\/strong><\/th>\nName<\/strong><\/th>\nHeight<\/strong><\/th>\nWeight<\/strong><\/th>\nDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)<\/strong><\/th>\nFrom<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
SG<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n12<\/strong><\/td>\nBarnett, Dick<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n6\u00a0ft 4\u00a0in (1.93\u00a0m)<\/strong><\/td>\n190\u00a0lb (86\u00a0kg)<\/strong><\/td>\n1936\u201310\u201302<\/strong><\/td>\nTennessee State<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
PG<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n17<\/strong><\/td>\nBibby, Henry<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n6\u00a0ft 1\u00a0in (1.85\u00a0m)<\/strong><\/td>\n185\u00a0lb (84\u00a0kg)<\/strong><\/td>\n1949\u201311\u201324<\/strong><\/td>\nUCLA<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
SF<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n24<\/strong><\/td>\nBradley, Bill<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n6\u00a0ft 5\u00a0in (1.96\u00a0m)<\/strong><\/td>\n205\u00a0lb (93\u00a0kg)<\/strong><\/td>\n1943\u201307\u201328<\/strong><\/td>\nPrinceton<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
PF<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n22<\/strong><\/td>\nDeBusschere, Dave<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n6\u00a0ft 6\u00a0in (1.98\u00a0m)<\/strong><\/td>\n220\u00a0lb (100\u00a0kg)<\/strong><\/td>\n1940\u201310\u201316<\/strong><\/td>\nDetroit<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
PG<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n10<\/strong><\/td>\nFrazier, Walt<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n6\u00a0ft 4\u00a0in (1.93\u00a0m)<\/strong><\/td>\n200\u00a0lb (91\u00a0kg)<\/strong><\/td>\n1945\u201303\u201329<\/strong><\/td>\nSouthern Illinois<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
C<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n40<\/strong><\/td>\nGianelli, John<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n6\u00a0ft 10\u00a0in (2.08\u00a0m)<\/strong><\/td>\n220\u00a0lb (100\u00a0kg)<\/strong><\/td>\n1950\u201306\u201310<\/strong><\/td>\nPacific<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
PF<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n18<\/strong><\/td>\nJackson, Phil<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n6\u00a0ft 8\u00a0in (2.03\u00a0m)<\/strong><\/td>\n220\u00a0lb (100\u00a0kg)<\/strong><\/td>\n1945\u201309\u201317<\/strong><\/td>\nNorth Dakota<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
PF<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n32<\/strong><\/td>\nLucas, Jerry<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n6\u00a0ft 8\u00a0in (2.03\u00a0m)<\/strong><\/td>\n230\u00a0lb (104\u00a0kg)<\/strong><\/td>\n1940\u201303\u201330<\/strong><\/td>\nOhio State<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
SG<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n7<\/strong><\/td>\nMeminger, Dean<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n6\u00a0ft 0\u00a0in (1.83\u00a0m)<\/strong><\/td>\n175\u00a0lb (79\u00a0kg)<\/strong><\/td>\n1948\u201305\u201313<\/strong><\/td>\nMarquette<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
SG<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n15<\/strong><\/td>\nMonroe, Earl<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n6\u00a0ft 3\u00a0in (1.91\u00a0m)<\/strong><\/td>\n185\u00a0lb (84\u00a0kg)<\/strong><\/td>\n1944\u201311\u201321<\/strong><\/td>\nWinston-Salem State<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
C<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n19<\/strong><\/td>\nReed, Willis<\/a>\u00a0(C)<\/strong><\/td>\n6\u00a0ft 9\u00a0in (2.06\u00a0m)<\/strong><\/td>\n235\u00a0lb (107\u00a0kg)<\/strong><\/td>\n1942\u201306\u201325<\/strong><\/td>\nGrambling State<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
C<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n6<\/strong><\/td>\nRiker, Tom<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n6\u00a0ft 10\u00a0in (2.08\u00a0m)<\/strong><\/td>\n225\u00a0lb (102\u00a0kg)<\/strong><\/td>\n1950\u201302\u201328<\/strong><\/td>\nSouth Carolina<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
F<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n43<\/strong><\/td>\nWingo, Harthorne<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n6\u00a0ft 6\u00a0in (1.98\u00a0m)<\/strong><\/td>\n210\u00a0lb (95\u00a0kg)<\/strong><\/td>\n1947\u201309\u201309<\/strong><\/td>\nFriendship Junior College<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n
\n
\n
Head coach<\/strong><\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n