Jerry Harkness

Jerald B. Harkness
Born	(1940-05-07) 7 May 1940 Harlem, New York City, U.S.
Died	24 August 2021(2021-08-24) (aged 81)
Occupation(s)	Professional basketball player, civil rights activist, sportscaster
Years active	1963–1969 (basketball)
Known for	Captain of 1963 NCAA champion Loyola Ramblers, NBA and ABA player, civil rights activism

Jerald B. Harkness (May 7, 1940 – August 24, 2021) was an American professional basketball athlete who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the New York Knicks and in the American Basketball Association (ABA) with the Indiana Pacers. He served as captain of the Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team that secured the 1963 NCAA national championship and earned recognition as a consensus first-team NCAA Men's Basketball All-American. Selected by the Knicks in the second round of the 1963 NBA draft, Harkness was also distinguished for his activism in civil rights.

Early life and career

Originating from Harlem, Harkness demonstrated outstanding talent at DeWitt Clinton High School before gaining prominence at Loyola University Chicago. During the 1962–63 season, he led Loyola to an NCAA championship, highlighted by a historic 111–42 triumph over Tennessee Tech—the largest margin ever recorded in NCAA tournament history as of 2021. In a groundbreaking contest known as the Game of Change, Loyola, starting four African-American players, competed against Mississippi State, challenging segregation policies. Notably, Harkness shook hands with Mississippi State’s white captain prior to tip-off, marking a significant moment in both sports and civil rights progress. Loyola proceeded to defeat Illinois, Duke, and ultimately Cincinnati in overtime to capture the title, with Harkness and his teammates playing the entire championship game without substitution.

Harkness was chosen tenth overall by the Knicks in the 1963 NBA draft and participated in one NBA season (1963–64). Following this, he spent three seasons with the Twin Cities Sailors of the North American Basketball League (NABL), earning second-team All-League honors in his final year. This achievement led to a contract with the ABA’s Indiana Pacers, where he competed from 1967 through 1969.

He is particularly remembered for a game-winning buzzer-beater on November 13, 1967, that secured a 119–118 victory for the Pacers over the Dallas Chaparrals. Originally recorded as a shorter shot, it was later revised due to rim placement adjustments. This shot held the record as the longest distance made in professional basketball until 2001 and remains the longest game-winning shot on record.

Life after basketball

After retiring from professional play, Harkness broke new ground as Quaker Oats’ first African-American salesperson. In 1970, he became Indianapolis’s first African-American fundraiser while working with United Way of Greater Indianapolis and later achieved another milestone as the city’s inaugural African-American sportscaster at WTHR during the 1970s.

He devoted considerable energy to civil rights causes, collaborating with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in the early 1970s and serving as executive director of Indianapolis’s chapter of 100 Black Men—a national organization dedicated to supporting young African American males.

Harkness passed away in Indianapolis on August 24, 2021, at age 81.

Awards and honors

On July 11, 2013, Harkness reunited with former Loyola teammates for a visit with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office commemorating the 50th anniversary of Loyola’s 1963 national championship—the sole NCAA Division I basketball title won by an Illinois university. Later that year in September, the entire 1963 Loyola Ramblers squad was inducted into both the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame and subsequently into the College Basketball Hall of Fame, becoming the first team honored in this manner.

In June 2013, Harkness was honored with the Muhammad Ali Athlete Award. His accolades also include induction into both the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame and Loyola Athletics Hall of Fame.

NBA/ABA

Source

Regular season

Season	Team	Games Played	Minutes Per Game	Field Goal %	Three-Point %	Free Throw %	Rebounds Per Game	Assists Per Game	Points Per Game
	New York	5	11.8	.433		.375	1.2	1.2	5.8
	Indiana (ABA)	71	17.5	.437	.200	.682	2.7	1.8	7.0
	Indiana (ABA)	10	27.2	.463	–	.638	3.4	2.1	9.2
ABA Career Totals		81	18.7	.440	.200	.674	2.8	1.9	7.3
Overall Career Totals		86	18.3	.440	.200	.665	2.7	1.8	7.2

Playoffs

Season	Team	Games Played	Minutes Per Game	Field Goal %	Three-Point %	Free Throw %	Rebounds Per Game	Assists Per Game	Points Per Game
1968	Indiana (ABA)	3	10.7	.333	–	1.000	1.7	1.7	3.3

Further reading

• Ramblers: Loyola Chicago 1963 – The Team That Changed the Color of College Basketball by Michael Lenehan, Agate Publishing, February 2013.

External links

• Dan Carpenter: Indy's Jerry Harkness lived basketball and history, in black and white