Joe Fulks
Fulks in 1946
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
October 26, 1921 Birmingham, Kentucky |
| Died | March 21, 1976 (aged 54) Eddyville, Kentucky |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Kuttawa (Kuttawa, Kentucky) |
| College | Murray State (1941–1943) |
| Playing career | 1946–1954 |
| Position | Small forward |
| Number | 10 |
| Career history | |
| 1946–1954 | Philadelphia Warriors |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career statistics | |
| Points | 8,003 (16.4 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,379 (5.3 reb) |
| Assists | 587 (1.2 ast) |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame as player | |
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College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 |
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Joseph Franklin "Jumping Joe" Fulks (October 26, 1921 – March 21, 1976) was an American professional basketball player, sometimes called "the first of the high-scoring forwards". He was posthumously enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978.
Fulks was born in Birmingham, Kentucky, a small town in the state's far-western Purchase region that was inundated in the 1940s after the Tennessee Valley Authority dammed the Tennessee River to create Kentucky Lake. He played college ball at Murray State University (then known as Murray State Teachers College) for two years before leaving school to join the Marines in May 1942. He served with 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines during World War II, and was discharged as a corporal in May 1946. His number 26 hangs in the rafters at Muttay State's CFSB Center.
Fulks joined the BAA's Philadelphia Warriors in 1946, at age 25, and as a rookie won the league's first scoring title with a 23.2 points per game average as the Warriors won the BAA title. Fulks again led the league's in scoring average during the 1947–48 season at 22.1 points per game, but lost the scoring title to Max Zaslofsky, who had more total points. Fulks had a career best 26.0 points per game average in the 1948–49 season. Fulks led the NBA in free throw percentage during the 1950–51 season.
Fulks set the BAA/NBA single game scoring record four different times. On December 3, 1946, in just his eighth game as a professional, Fulks became the league's record holder for most points scored in a single game when he scored 37 points, making 16 field goals and five free throws, in Philadelphia's 76 to 68 win over the Providence Steam Rollers. Just 20 games later on January 14, 1947, Fulks set a new single game scoring record when he scored 41 points, making 15 field goals and 11 free throws, in Philadelphia's 104 to 74 win over the Toronto Huskies. In the 1946–47 season, Fulks also led the league in scoring for its inaugural season, scoring 23.2 points per game. The following season on December 18, 1948, Fulks again set a single game scoring record when he scored 47 points, making 18 field goals and 11 free throws, in Philadelphia's 99-71 loss to the New York Knickerbockers.
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