Joe Fortenberry
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Fortenberry with the Phillips 66ers. | |||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
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| Born |
April 1, 1911 Slidell, Texas | ||||||||||||
| Died |
June 3, 1993 (aged 82) Amarillo, Texas | ||||||||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Happy (Happy, Texas) | ||||||||||||
| College | West Texas A&M (1929–1932) | ||||||||||||
| Position | Center | ||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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Medals
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Joe Cephis Fortenberry (April 1, 1911 – June 3, 1993) was an American basketball player who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics. He was part of the American basketball team, which won the gold medal. He played two matches including the final.
After he played in the Olympics, Fortenberry played five seasons with the Phillips 66 Oilers, the perennial power in the AAU basketball league, the premier basketball league in the United States before the NBA. He played from the 1936-37 season through the 1940-41 season, winning an AAU national championship in 1940. After college, he played for the Ogden Boosters in Utah. Then played with the McPhersen Oilers in McPhersen Ks. This was the team that won the AAU National Championship in 1936; prior to the Olympics. He was the high scorer in the Gold Medal game. He is credited with being one of if not the first to dunk the ball; this is in an article by reporter Mr. Daily, of the New York Times. He is also credited as the cause of the goaltending rule, and ending the jump ball after every made goal; he usually got the tip.