1961 Fleer #12 Wayne Embry (misspelled Embrey) Rookie Card

Wayne Richard Embry (March 26, 1937-) was the first African-American NBA General Manager when he took over the position with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1972. The St. Louis Hawks selected Embry in the third round of the 1958 NBA Draft out of the University of Miami-Ohio, but was traded with four others to the Cincinnati Royals week later for Clyde Lovellette. Embry teamed with Hall of Famers Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas and drove the team to the Eastern Conference playoffs before facing the ever-dominant Boston Celtics. Wayne played center and forward for eleven seasons in the NBA with the Royals (1958-1966), the Celtics (1966-1968) and the Bucks (1968-69). He was a five time NBA All-Star selection and captured his only NBA Finals Championship with the Boston Celtics in 1968. Wayne Embry finished his career with 10,380 points, 7,544 total rebounds and 1,194 assists. Following his playing days, he moved to the front offices of Milwaukee, Cleveland and Toronto before retiring in 2006. He was named NBA Executive of the Year in 1992 and 1998 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a Contributor in 1999.

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David P. Gambee (April 16, 1937-) won the 1967 NBA Finals Championship with the Philadelphia 76ers before being drafted by the now-defunct San Diego Rockets in the expansion draft. The St. Louis Hawks selected two-time Second Team All-American as the sixth pick overall in the 1958 NBA Draft out of the University of Oregon. Gambee was a well-travelled veteran who played small forward for the Hawks (1958-1960), Cincinnati Royals (1960), Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers (1960-1967), San Diego Rockets (1967-68), Milwaukee Bucks (1968-69), Detroit Pistons (1969) and Philadelphia Warriors (1969-70). Dave Gambee finished his career with 7,935 points, 3,891 total rebounds, 2,820 field goals and 757 assists.

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Thomas Joseph “Tom” Gola (January 13, 1933 - January 26, 2014) was considered, by many, as one of the most talented college players in Philadelphia’s long history. He led the LaSalle University Explorers to the NCAA Tournament Championship in 1954, was named NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player, won the Helms Foundation Player of the Year and was named to his second of three consecutive NCAA All-American First Teams. He followed his stellar 1854 performance with the 1955 UPI Player of the Year Award. Tom Gola had exceptional skills shooting, scoring, rebounding, but was also a very capable defender, making him a commodity in the NBA. He could be equally dangerous driving the lane and from under the basket as he was from outside. The Philadelphia Warriors took Gola as a territorial pick in the 1955 NBA Draft. Tom played ten years in the NBA with the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors (1955-1963) and the New York Knicks (1962-1966). In his 1955-56 rookie season with Philadelphia, Gola, a small forward/point guard, and fellow Hall of Famer Paul Arizin and Neil Johnston led the team to the NBA Finals championship over the Fort Wayne Pistons. Gola was selected for five consecutive All-Star Games (1960-1964). Tom Gola retired from playing after the 1965-66 season with 7,871 points, 5,417 total rebounds and 2,962 assists. Tom returned to LaSalle University as head coach from 1968-70. Now at the helm, he guided his former team to a 23-1 record during the 1968-69 season. Tom Gola was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1976. Gola served in the Pennsylvania State Legislature after retiring from basketball and made an unsuccessful run for Mayor of Philadelphia in 1983.

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Sihugo “Si” Green (August 20, 1933 - October 4, 1980) was selected Number 1 overall in the 1956 NBA Draft by the Rochester Royals, shockingly ahead of Hall of Famer Bill Russell. Si played nine seasons in the NBA with the Rochester/Cincinnati Royals (1956-1959), the St. Louis Hawks (1959-1961), the Chicago Packers/Zephyrs/Baltimore Bullets (1961-1965) and the Boston Celtics (1965-66). Sihugo played guard and forward at Duquesne University and likewise throughout his career in the NBA. Though he made two appearances in the NBA Finals with the St. Louis Hawks, the Russell-led Boston Celtics beat the Hawks 4-3 and 4-1 in 1960 and 1961, respectively. Si Green finished his career with 4,636 points, 2,152 total rebounds and 1,655 assists. Following his NBA career, he spent two more seasons playing in the Eastern Professional Basketball League (now the CBA). 

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Harold Everett “Hal” Greer (June 26, 1936 - April 14, 2018) is considered the third best NBA guard of the 1960s behind Oscar Robertson and Jerry West and is the only African-American athlete to ever be enshrined into a major sports hall of fame. Greer was second round pick of the Syracuse Nationals, who became the Philadelphia 76ers in 1963, in the 1958 NBA Draft with whom he played his entire 15-year career. In the 1967 season, Greer teamed with fellow Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Billy Cunningham to win the NBA Championship over the San Francisco Warriors. Named to 10 NBA All-Star Games and voted the 1968 NBA All-Star Game MVP, Greer was also selected for the All-NBA Second Team seven times. Hall Greer retired in 1973 with 21,586 points, 5,665 total rebounds and 4,540 assists. Hal Greer was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982. In 1996, Hal was named to the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History list. 

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Richard Vincent “Richie” Guerin (May 29, 1932-) retired for one season from his player/coach position with the St. Louis Hawks to focus on his head coaching duties, and won the 1968 NBA Coach of the Year Award. He returned the following season as player/coach assisting the newly relocated Atlanta Hawks to their first playoff appearance. Guerin played college ball for Iona College while serving with the Marine Corps Reserves, scoring 1,375 points in 67 games. The New York Knicks drafted Richie in the second round of the 1954 NBA Draft, but waited for two years for his debut as he completed his term on active duty. Guerin was a beloved teammate and fan favorite for his passion for the game, innate scoring ability and happy-go-lucky attitude. Guerin was selected for six NBA All-Star Games and named to three All-NBA Second Teams. He played point guard for thirteen seasons with the Knicks (1956-1963) and the St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks (1963-1970). During Richie Guerin’s playing career, he compiled 14,676 points, 4,278 total rebounds and 4,211 assists. Guerin served as player/coach for five of his eight seasons coaching with the St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks (1964-1972) compiling a record of 327-291 in 618 games. Once retired from basketball, Richie became a sportscaster and eventually found a home on Wall Street. Richie Guerin was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.

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Clifford Oldham Hagan (December 9, 1931-) returned to the University of Kentucky after he graduated to play a final season for the Wildcats, guiding them to an undefeated 25-0 record in 1954 with fellow graduates Frank Ramsey and Lou Tsioropoulos. At Kentucky, Hagan was a two-time All-American and was a member of the 1951 NCAA National Champions. The Boston Celtics selected Hagan in the third round of the 1953 NBA Draft, as well as selecting Ramsey and Tsiolopoulos, though Hagan never played a game for the high-powered Beantown team. Hagan was shipped to St. Louis with Ed Macauley in exchange for the Hawks newest draftee Bill Russell in 1956. L’il Abner, as he was called, made his NBA debut with the St. Louis Hawks in 1956 and played his entire 10-year NBA career with the club (1956-1966) before embarking on a three year stint as player/coach with the upstart ABA’s Dallas Chaparrals (1967-1969). Hagan was named to five consecutive NBA All-Star Games and one ABA All-Star Game and was selected for two All-NBA Second Teams. In 1958, Hagan led all playoff teams in games (11), points (305) and points per game (27.7), field goals (111) and field goal percentage (50.2%) as the St. Louis Hawks beat the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. Cliff retired with 14,780 points, 5,555 total rebounds and 2,646 assists. Cliff Hagan was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978. Hagan returned to the University of Kentucky to become the athletic director until he resigned in 1988.

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Thomas William “Tom” Heinsohn (August 26, 1934-November 10, 2020) was the second president of the NBA Players Association and was impetus in the development of free agency in the NBA and the ABA. Tom Heinsohn was a star in high school, and then attended Holy Cross where he became the school’s all-time leading scorer. The Boston Celtics selected Heinsohn as a territorial pick in the 1956 NBA Draft and he played his entire career at forward and center with the Celts (1956-1965). Tom was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1957, was named to his first of six All-Star Games and won his first NBA Finals Championships. Heinsohn was a member of seven consecutive NBA Championship Celtics teams (1959-1965) and is surpassed only by teammates Bill Russell and Sam Jones for most career NBA titles. He was also named to four All-NBA Second Teams. Heinsohn retired from playing with 12,194 career points, 5,749 total rebounds and 1,318 assists. Tom Heinsohn coached Boston for nine seasons (1969-1978) and led them to two more championships as head coach in 1974 and 1976. After an extraordinary 1972-73 season when Boston poted a 68-14 record, Tom was named the NBA Coach of the Year. Tom Heinsohn was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1986. Following his on-the-court responsibilities, Tom became a color commentator for the Celtics for more than two decades.

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Bailey E. Howell (January 20, 1937-) is unquestionably the greatest basketball player in the history of Mississippi State University. Playing three seasons with the Bulldogs (1957-1959), Howell holds numerous school records including career scoring average (27.1 per game) and career rebounds (1,277). The Detroit Pistons picked Bailey second overall in the 1959 NBA Draft. Howell played 12 seasons with the Detroit Pistons (1959-1964), the Baltimore Bullets (1964-1966), the Boston Celtics (1966-1970) and the Philadelphia 76ers (1970-71). Defined by his rebounding ability and intense work ethic, Howell was named to six All-Star Games and the All-NBA Second Team in 1963. Playing alongside fellow Hall of Famers Bill Russell and John Havlicek, Howell won the 1968 and 1969 NBA Finals Championships. Howell led all teams in those playoffs in personal fouls. Howell finished his career after the 1970-71 season with the 76ers with 17,770 points, 9,383 total rebounds and 1,853 assists. Bailey Howell was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997.

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Rodney Clark “Rod” Hundley (October 26, 1934 - March 27, 2015) is the fourth player in NCAA history to score 2,000 points in a college career and he did it in only three years. Rod was a gifted and star point guard for West Virginia University from 1954-1957. Led by Hot Rod, the Mountaineers earned their first NCAA Tournament berth in 1955 followed by two more in 1956 and 1957. The Rochester Royals selected Hundley and the Number 1 overall pick in the 1957 NBA Draft, and he remains to only West Virginia player to be taken first overall. The Royals immediately traded with four others to the Minneapolis Lakers for Jim and future Hall of Famer Clyde Lovellette. Hot Rod Hundley played his entire career with the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers (1957-1963) and was named to two NBA All-Star Games in 1960 and 1961. Rod Hundley’s playing career was cut short due to knee problems but he retired for the court with 3,625 points, 1,420 total rebounds and 1,455 assists. Hundley made a successful transition to the broadcast booth until he retired in 2009.

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K.C. Jones (May 25, 1932-) seemingly spent his entire career alongside fellow Hall of Famer Bill Russell, capturing two NCAA Tournament titles (1955, 1956) with the University of San Francisco, the gold medal at the 1956 Olympic Summer Games in Melbourne and eight NBA Finals Championships with the Boston Celtics. The Boston Celtics selected K.C. in the second round of the 1956 NBA Draft, the same draft that produced his Hall of Fame teammates Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn and Sam Jones. Unlike his fellow draftees, K.C. was chosen primarily for his defensive ability, though he was an excellent contributor to an already potent lineup. Jones played his entire nine-year career with the Celtics accumulating eight championship rings in consecutive seasons (1959-1966). K.C. finished his playing career with 5,011 points, 2,399 total rebounds and 2,908 assists. K.C. began coaching after his playing days, spending time with the ABA’s San Diego Conquistadors (1972-73), the Capital/Washington Bullets (1973-1976), the Celtics (1983-1988) and the Seattle SuperSonics (1990-1992). As a coach he led his teams to five Eastern Conference titles (Washington – 1975, Boston – 1984-1987) and collected two NBA Finals Championships with the Celts (1984, 1986). K.C. is the only African-American “strictly” head coach to guide his team to two championships. K.C. Jones was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1989. 

Description courtesy of PSA website.