Thursday, March 26, 2020

Curly

I just heard that Curly Neal has died at age 77. Man, that stinks. Curly is a legend, and also the only professional basketball player I've ever met. Star of the Harlem Globetrotters, he would also be known to people outside basketball for being part of the cartoon shows featuring them, including several guest appearances/team ups with Scooby Doo.



 In 1991, Curly and another Globetrotter came to James S. Evans Elementary, where I was a 1st grade student, and gave our school a display. I remember it, but I have no photos, unfortunately. I am 99% sure I did get a photo with him, but it's lost to storage unit/history. I remember he was just as cool in real life as he seemed on TV.

These are the only three cards of Curly Neal in my collection. All come from the 1971 Fleer Harlem Globetrotters set.

Rest in Peace Curly Neal.

9 comments:

  1. Oh man, thats too bad. I saw them play in our high school gym. It was awesome!

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  2. Aw, Curly is straight from my childhood. Him and Meadowlark Lemon and that '70s cartoon show.

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  3. Sad to hear he passed away today (and Jimmy Wynn) but it's great that you met him. I didn't know there were Harlem Globetrotter cards, those are really neat.

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  4. Who hasn't watched the Globetrotters and tried to spin a ball on their fingers and head? They were insanely talented... and Curly was an icon. He will be missed.

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  5. Early 70s, my dad was a big fan. I was around 7 or so when he got tickets to see them play. It meant nothing to me at the time but I always loved Curly - his name, smile - he was having so much fun. I have his card and a Meadowlark Lemon and some good memories.

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  6. Thank you for the comments. I'm still pretty sad about this.

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  7. I was able to see them a few times. I also get to see them practice in our school's gym prior to their performance. Amazing the shots those dudes could make. Curly was my favorite. Something about him just made him very likable. Sorry to hear of his passing.

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