John Townsend (basketball)
.png)
Townsend from 1938 Michiganensian
|
|
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 20, 1916 Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Died | December 4, 2001 (aged 85) Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 208 lb (94 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Arsenal Tech (Indianapolis, Indiana) |
| College | Michigan (1935–1938) |
| Position | Forward / Center |
| Career history | |
| 1938–1939 | Hammond Ciesar All-Americans |
| 1939–1940 | Rochester |
| 1940–1941 | Michigan All-Stars |
| 1941 | Toledo |
| 1941–1942 | Indianapolis Kautskys |
| 1942 | Oshkosh All-Stars |
| 1942 | Toledo Jim White Chevrolets |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
John Frederick "Jake" Townsend, Sr. (September 20, 1916 – December 4, 2001) was an American basketball forward and center. He was an All-Big Ten player for the University of Michigan from 1935 to 1938. In 1938, he was named an All-American. He later played professional basketball for the Indianapolis Kautskys, Oshkosh All-Stars and Rochester Royals.
A native of Indiana, Townsend played for Arsenal Technical High School in Indianapolis. He led Arsenal Tech to the state finals in 1934, losing to Logansport. He was the leading scorer in the State Finals and was named All-State in basketball in Indiana twice and won the Dyer Medal, Indianapolis’ top athletic award.
He played collegiately for the University of Michigan from 1936 to 1938. Townsend was named to the All-Big Ten team and led Michigan in scoring each year from 1936-1938. Considered the greatest Michigan basketball player in the era before Cazzie Russell, Townsend was six feet, four inches (102 mm) tall.
Known as the “Houdini of the Hardwood,” Townsend scored 108 points in 1936 and was the only sophomore selected for the All-Big Ten team. The Associated Press chose Townsend as the All-Big Ten center in 1936 even though he played regularly at forward throughout the season. He was joined on the team by his older brother, Earl Townsend; who was the team captain. Earl had earlier led DePauw University to the 1934 Indiana Intercollegiate Conference title before transferring to Michigan.
In 1937, Townsend was named to the All-Big Ten year for the second consecutive year and finished second in scoring in the Big Ten. He had 40 field goals, made 43 out of 59 free throws, and had 123 points. Described by the AP as "the great Wolverine ball-handler," Townsend was again named as a center. He was "generally credited with being the best ball handler in the Big Ten."
...
Wikipedia