Happy Birthday! December Celebration Dates for A-As and HOF Coaches

A high this month of 10 NCAA Division I All-Americans were born on December 11th including Seattle twins Eddie and Johnny O'Brien (also infielders for the Pittsburgh Pirates). Kentucky contributed the most A-As born in December with five. Luka Garza (Iowa) is among three All-Americans from different Big Ten Conference members plus pair of former Tulsa coaches (Nolan Richardson Jr. and Bill Self) born on the 27th this month. Following are A-As and Hall of Fame coaches born in December:

DECEMBER

1: All-American Rakeem Christmas (born in 1991/Syracuse).
2: All-Americans Ralph Beard (1927/Kentucky), Jason Collins (1978/Stanford), Alan Henderson (1972/Indiana) and De'Andre Hunter (1997/Virginia).
3: All-Americans Mike Bantom (1951/St. Joseph's) and Jim Brewer (1951/Minnesota) plus Hall of Fame coach Fred Taylor (1924/Ohio State).
4: All-Americans Brian Cook (1980/Illinois), Bernard King (1956/Tennessee), Jerome Lane (1966/Pittsburgh), Dick Ricketts (1933/Duquesne), Ronnie Shavlik (1933/North Carolina State), Doug Smart (1936/Washington) and Corliss Williamson (1973/Arkansas).
5: All-Americans Alfred "Butch" Lee (1956/Marquette) and Charlie Yelverton (1948/Fordham) plus Hall of Fame coach Bruce Drake (1905/Oklahoma).
6: All-American Otto Graham (1921/Northwestern).
7: All-Americans Larry Bird (1956/Indiana State), Aaron Gray (1984/Pittsburgh), Gary Phillips (1939/Houston) and Al Thornton (1983/Florida State).
8: All-Americans Ken Durrett (1948/La Salle), Bill Green (1940/Colorado State) and Johnny Green (1933/Michigan State).
9: All-Americans Otis Birdsong (1955/Houston), Cliff Hagan (1931/Kentucky) and Gerald Henderson (1987/Duke).
10: All-Americans Mark Aguirre (1959/DePaul), Lou Pucillo (1936/North Carolina State), Bennie Purcell (1929/Murray State) and Ray Ragelis (1928/Northwestern).
11: All-Americans Shareef Abdur-Rahim (1976/California), Mark Alarie (1963/Duke), Ernie Beck (1931/Penn), Malcolm Brogdon (1992/Virginia), Roy Hibbert (1986/Georgetown), Eddie O'Brien (1930/Seattle), Johnny O'Brien (1930/Seattle), Billy Schaeffer (1951/St. John's), Bob Spessard (1915/Washington & Lee VA) and Jim Tucker (1932/Duquesne).
12: All-Americans Bill Chmielewski (1941/Dayton), Byron Larkin (1965/Xavier), Bob Pettit (1932/Louisiana State) and Murray Wier (1926/Iowa).
13: All-Americans Fred "Buzz" Borries (1911/Navy), Phil Hubbard (1956/Michigan), Larry Kenon (1952/Memphis State) and Herb Wilkinson (1923/Iowa).
14: All-Americans William Bedford (1963/Memphis State) and John Brown (1951/Missouri).
15: All-Americans Thad Jaracz (1946/Kentucky), Jahlil Okafor (1995/Duke) and Charlie Scott (1948/North Carolina) plus Hall of Fame coach Phil Woolpert (1915/San Francisco).
16: All-Americans Brandin Knight (1981/Pittsburgh), Jeff Ruland (1958/Iona), Ben Swain (1933/Texas Southern), Jan van Breda Kolff (1951/Vanderbilt) and Sherman White (1928/Long Island).
17: All-Americans Jeff Grayer (1965/Iowa State), Bob Hassmiller (1916/Fordham), Chavano "Buddy" Hield (1992/Oklahoma), Kris Joseph (1988/Syracuse) and Albert King (1959/Maryland) plus Hall of Fame coach Sam Barry (1892/Iowa and Southern California).
18: All-Americans Vern Huffman (1914/Indiana), Bobby Jones (1951/North Carolina), Eric "E.J." Liddell Jr. (2000/Ohio State) and Gene Shue (1931/Maryland) plus Hall of Fame coach Ray Meyer (1913/DePaul).
19: All-Americans Jay Arnette (1938/Texas), Tom Gugliotta (1969/North Carolina State) and Jimmy McNatt (1918/Oklahoma).
20: All-Americans Bill Hosket (1946/Ohio State), Dave Stallworth (1941/Wichita) and Don Sunderlage (1929/Illinois) plus Hall of Fame coaches Edgar "Eddie" Hickey (1902/Creighton, St. Louis and Marquette) and William "Bo" Ryan (1947/Milwaukee and Wisconsin).
21: All-Americans Walt "Corky" Devlin (1931/George Washington), Ervin Johnson (1967/New Orleans) and Cameron Krutwig (1998/Loyola of Chicago).
22: All-Americans Tom Hawkins (1936/Notre Dame), Nick Johnson (1992/Arizona), Dave Robisch (1949/Kansas), Jack Smiley (1922/Illinois), George Wahlquist (1913/Nebraska) and Bob Wiesenhahn (1938/Cincinnati).
23: All-Americans Frank Ehmann (1933/Northwestern), Ben Hansbrough (1987/Notre Dame), Bob Kurland (1924/Oklahoma A&M), David "Big Daddy" Lattin (1943/Texas Western) and Dan Swartz (1931/Morehead State).
24: All-Americans Dennis "Mo" Layton (1948/Southern California) and Paul Pressey (1958/Tulsa) plus Hall of Fame coach Jerold "Jay" Wright (1961/Hofstra and Villanova).
25: All-Americans Eric Gordon (1988/Indiana), Tim James (1976/Miami FL), Ollie Johnson (1942/San Francisco), Markquis Nowell (1999/Kansas State) and Wil Robinson (1949/West Virginia) plus Hall of Fame coach Charles "Lefty" Driesell (1931/Davidson, Maryland, James Madison and Georgia State).
26: All-Americans Vince Hanson (1923/Washington State) and Eddie Owens (1953/UNLV).
27: All-Americans Kent Benson (1954/Indiana), Dwight Eddleman (1922/Illinois), Luka Garza (1998/Iowa) and Bill Henry (1924/Rice) plus Hall of Fame coaches Nolan Richardson Jr. (1941/Tulsa and Arkansas) and Bill Self (1962/Oral Roberts, Tulsa, Illinois and Kansas).
28: All-Americans Clyde Bradshaw (1959/DePaul), Keith Lee (1962/Memphis State) and Melvin Turpin (1960/Kentucky).
29: All-American Carlos "Bud" Ogden Jr. (1946/Santa Clara).
30: All-Americans Jesse Arnelle (1933/Penn State), Bill Logan (1934/Iowa), Kenyon Martin Sr. (1977/Cincinnati) and Jack Tingle (1924/Kentucky).
31: All-Americans Audley Brindley (1923/Dartmouth), Francisco Garcia (1981/Louisville), Cleo Littleton (1932/Wichita) and Chuckie Williams (1953/Kansas State).

Birthdays in April for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in May for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in June for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in July for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in August for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in September for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in October for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in November for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches