The Ernie Barrett Interview
Written By: Michael D. McClellan | His basketball career began in a Kansas railroad town, and while his legacy will forever be defined by his contributions to Kansas State University – first as an All-American guard with a feathery touch from outside, and then as the school’s athletic director and fund-raiser extraordinaire – Ernie Barrett will also remain deeply woven into the fabric of professional basketball’s greatest franchise. Selected in the first round of the 1951 NBA Draft by Red Auerbach and the Boston Celtics, Barrett’s most important contribution may have come years later, as Auerbach wrestled over whom to select with the Number 4 overall pick in 1970 – New Mexico State big man Sam Lacey, or Florida State’s undersized-but-energetic Dave Cowens. Auerbach respected Barrett’s opinion immensely. He also knew that Barrett, then the K-State athletic director, had seen Lacey in action against the Wildcats. Barrett came away from that contest less than enamored with the Aggies’ 6’-10” center, and he shared his evaluation with Auerbach on the eve of the draft. The Celtics patriarch heeded Barrett’s advice and selected Cowens at Number 4; and while Lacey would go on to play thirteen solid-yet-unspectacular seasons with the Cincinnati Royals, New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers, Cowens would win two NBA championships with Boston and wind up in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Barrett may have grown up in the shadow of the Great Depression, but the hard times did little to dampen his can-do spirit or quell his outsized personality, gifts that have served him well throughout an illustrious career capped by a statue in his honor and the unofficial title of “Mr. K-State”. His palm-crushing handshake has become both his calling card and the stuff of legend. Years earlier that calling card was his dead-eye shooting, a gift that helped propel a tiny Kansas high school to its only state basketball championship and earn Barrett a scholarship to Kansas State University.
Barrett joined the Wildcats in 1947, the same season legendary coach Jack Gardner – who would later earn the distinction as the only coach to take two schools to the Final Four twice – returned to the helm at K-State. The union proved just the tonic for the once-moribund basketball program, as the Wildcats improved their win total by 10 games and posted a winning season for the first time in sixteen years. By 1951 the circle was complete; K-State toppled mighty Oklahoma State before battling Adolph Rupp’s Kentucky Wildcats in the Final Four title game. UK may have won that game, shutting down K-State with rock-hard defense in the second half, but Barrett capped his dream season in style; the talented senior received All-American honors, and quickly found himself the draft-day property of the Boston Celtics.
Barrett joined a Celtics team boasting a fiery, young coach named Red Auerbach, but the arrival of the great Bill Russell was still several years way. The league was still in its infancy. Fans flocked to the college game, while the NBA struggled to attract a mainstream audience and earn a place alongside baseball and football as one of the country’s major professional sports. Players such as Barrett were vital in this regard; they possessed valuable name recognition, a key component in selling the league to a reluctant public. Auerbach, of course, only cared about winning. He selected Barrett to upgrade a roster that still had plenty of holes, not to help sell more tickets. Winning would take care of that.
Championship banners did not flow like wine until Russell joined the team in 1956, but the pieces were slowly coming together – Bill Sharman was there, sharing the backcourt with a young basketball wizard named Bob Cousy – and Auerbach was always on the prowl for standout players. Barrett certainly fit that bill, but he could not immediately join the team; a military obligation beckoned, and it would be the 1953-54 season before K-State’s favorite son could bring his basketball marksmanship to the Boston Celtics. Auerbach, famous for taking his team on barnstorming exhibitions throughout New England, made liberal use of Barrett’s talents during these games. Sharman, however, saw the lion’s share of the action once the regular season started.
His chances of unseating the future Hall-of-Famer slim, Barrett returned to Kansas following the season determined to begin a career in coaching. The stay would be short-lived, as the NBA adopted the 24-second shot clock following the 1954-55 season. Auerbach, sensing that the change would be a boon to free-wheeling, dead-eye players like Barrett, wasted little time in placing a call to coax the All-American out of retirement. Barrett gladly accepted, playing one more successful season in a Celtics uniform before returning to his beloved K-State for good. (The 1955-56 Boston Celtics averaged a league-high 106 points-per-game, with super-sub Barrett averaging 20.2 minutes-per-game off the bench.)
Barrett’s name is indelibly linked to Kansas State University, his legend there secure. He has been inducted into the K-State Athletic Hall of Fame, both as a player and as an administrator. He has been part and parcel of the university for six decades, first as an All-America basketball player, later as the athletics director and now as fund-raiser extraordinaire. Still, he remains closely connected to the Boston Celtics. He counts Bob Cousy among his closest friends, and his relationship with Auerbach is especially noteworthy. Barrett played alongside Celtic tough man Bob Brannum in his first stint with the team, and then played with “Jungle” Jim Loscutoff two years later. And then there is Dave Cowens. Had Auerbach selected Lacey, those championships in 1974 and 1976 – banners twelve and thirteen on your scorecard – probably wouldn’t have happened at all. Barrett’s advice validated Auerbach’s faith in his one-time sharpshooter, and proved to be the perfect gift indeed.
Celtic Nation would like to thank Ernie Barrett for granting this interview. He is a class act, and deserving of every accolade.
You were born on August 27th, 1929, two months before Black Thursday and the onset of the Great Depression. Please tell me a little about your childhood.
I was born in the small town of Pratt, Kansas. My father was a railroader for the Katy Railroad, which was also known as the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. We didn’t live in Pratt for very long, because my father’s work moved us around quite a bit during that time. From Pratt we ended up in Blackwell, Oklahoma, which was another small railroad town located just across the Kansas-Oklahoma border. Then, just about as quickly, he went to work for the Santa Fe Railroad in Wellington, Kansas. So I spent most of my childhood growing up in Wellington. I went to high school there, played basketball there, and still think of it as home.
You were an All-State basketball star at Wellington High School. What memories of that experience have stayed with you through the years?
We won the state championship in 1947, which is still the last time a team from Wellington has won a state title in basketball. That ’47 Wellington squad had plenty of talent, fine players like Harold Rogers who went on to play for coach [Henry] Iba at Oklahoma State University. Our coach was John Floyd, and I credit him with all of my success as a basketball player. He was the person who taught me the fundamentals, and the one who really helped me to improve my shooting. I was a 6’-1” center in high school – that should tell you about the height we had on that team – and I went on to play guard at Kansas State. I probably wouldn’t have made it as a college player if Coach Floyd hadn’t worked with me on my outside shooting. Even back then you just didn’t find many 6’-1” centers playing major college basketball [laughs]. K-State had a 6’-5” guard that first year I was on the team, and the Boston Celtics had players like Bob Donham who were bigger than me. So learning to play away from the basket was a tremendous help, and Coach Floyd was the person who had the most to do with that development.
You captained the 1950-51 team that opened one of America’s most spectacular basketball arenas — fabled Ahearn Fieldhouse. Please tell me a little about the atmosphere in that arena, and also compare it to where you played professional basketball – the fabled Boston Garden.
When Ahearn Fieldhouse opened on December 9th, 1950, it was the second largest facility of its kind behind Jenison Fieldhouse on the Michigan State campus. It was a multipurpose facility, designed for basketball and other sports such as indoor track, volleyball and various intramurals. It had an original seating capacity of 11,700, but there were always 12,500 fans packed into the stands for our home games [laughs]. Every game was a sellout. It was extremely noisy, which gave us a great homecourt advantage.
It’s hard to compare Ahearn to the Boston Garden, or to any NBA stadium for that matter. NBA arenas like the Boston Garden were entertainment facilities. They were built to accommodate anything from basketball games to ice shows to music concerts. So it was hard to match the excitement that you’d find in a true basketball stadium like Ahearn Fieldhouse.
You earned All-America honors for that 1950-51 season. What did this award mean to you then, and what does it mean to you now?
I was the captain of that team, and the success that we had during my senior season had a lot to do with my being honored as an All-American. It meant a lot to be selected, but we had five or six guys who scored in double-figures. It was truly a team effort. And while we had a great season, a lot of what we accomplished was overshadowed by the 1951 point-shaving scandal.
Do you have any direct memories of the scandal?
I remember going up against Long Island University. LIU was a powerhouse, and had players like Ray Felix and Sherman White on the team. Felix was a 6’-11” center who would go on to play in the NBA. White was a 6’-8” All-American, and The Sporting News Player of the Year. LIU was favored by eleven points, but the game was much closer than that. I vividly remember coming down the court and hearing [LIU head coach] Clair Bee screaming at his players to play better, and warning them that they were going to throw the game away by playing so poorly. He didn’t know the fix was on, of course, only that his team was playing horribly.
LIU could have won the national championship that year, but White, LeRoy Smith and [Adolph] Bigos were arrested for taking bribes to throw games. LIU dropped its basketball program and Bee retired from coaching, so those things definitely stand out. But it was still a great season for me, and for K-State. We finished second in the nation, Ahearn Fieldhouse opened during the regular season, and I was named to the All-American team. It was a thrill for me to be recognized, and it’s still an honor after all of these years.
Kansas State finished the 1950-51 season with a 25-4 record and advanced all the way to the NCAA championship game under legendary head coach Jack Gardner. What was this experience like for you?
Unfortunately I injured my shoulder against Oklahoma State in the West Regional Final in Kansas City – there were only two Regionals then – and wasn’t able to play to my fullest against Kentucky. We beat BYU 64-54 in the semifinals and then defeated Oklahoma State to advance to the championship game. It was the worst defeat Coach Iba had ever suffered at Oklahoma State. I took a charge in that game and ended up with a deep muscle bruise. We were going to shoot it up with Novocain but Coach Gardner was against it – he thought it might be injurious to my health, and he didn’t want to cause any long-term damage to the shoulder.
Kentucky was coached by Adolph Rupp, and they had some really great players on that team. They had Bill Spivey, who scored 22 points in that game, and a couple of other pretty good players in Cliff Hagan and Frank Ramsey. We jumped out to an early lead and were up by two at the half, 29-27, but couldn’t hold them off after intermission. Kentucky dominated the boards and won the game by ten [68-58].
Future Celtic great Frank Ramsey was a member of that 1951 Kentucky championship team. What can you tell me about Mr. Ramsey?
Kentucky was a senior-laden team, so Frank didn’t get to play much in that game. He did score something like nine points for them, though, so he was productive when he was on the court. I remember him being very quick, and very aggressive. He joined the Boston Celtics the year after I finished playing there, but we have remained friends through the years. We used to visit, and still correspond by letter.
You were named the Most Valuable Player at the East/West All-Star game in Chicago following your senior year at Kansas State. What stands out most about this game, and how did it feel to be recognized in such a way?
I had the good fortune of being coached by legendary Kansas coach Phog Allen in that game, and that’s one of my biggest memories. Phog was an unbelievable motivator. I remember that he hardly worked with us prior to that game, and that he was constantly feuding with the media. It was all a part of his plan to bring out the best in us. We were from the western United States, and he used that as motivation because we were playing the game a pretty good ways from home. He treated it as if it were a home game for the East.
We had a great squad. Mel Hutchins of BYU was on that team, and so was Don Sunderlage of Illinois. Hutchins was a first round pick for Tri-Cities Blackhawks. Sunderlage was drafted in the first round by Philadelphia. Both men were fine players. I finished with 17 points in that game and was leading scorer, so it really helped raise my profile in the pros. Chuck Cooper, the first black player to be drafted in the NBA, recommended me to Red Auerbach after that game.
You were drafted in the first round by the Boston Celtics in 1951. What was it like coming to Boston, and what was it like to play for Red Auerbach?
It was a great honor to be the first round selection of the Boston Celtics. I had a two-year military obligation, so I didn’t get to play for them immediately. I had to wait until I was out of the service to go to Boston, so my “rookie” year was actually two years later (1953-54). Red started me every game during the exhibition season, opposite Bob Cousy, for what amounted to 15-20 games over a three week period. We basically barnstormed all over New England.
Things changed once the regular season started. I didn’t get into a single game during the first 35 games, at which point [Celtic owner] Walter Brown went to Red and wanted to know why I wasn’t playing. He [Brown] looked at me as the team’s first round selection in 1951 and figured I should be seeing some action. Needless to say, I was on Walter Brown’s side [laughs]. So I ended up playing more during the second half of the season, sharing time with the great Bill Sharman.
Bob Brannum was a teammate during your first season with the Boston Celtics, in 1953-54. Mr. Brannum grew up in Winfield, Kansas, which is roughly 25 miles from Wellington. What can you tell me about Mr. Brannum?
Bob was a hard-nosed player who gave it everything he had. He wasn’t the best shooter on the court, but he worked hard and he didn’t take any grief from anyone. He had a twin brother named Clarence, who played at K-State and was drafted by Tri-Cities in the third round of the 1950 NBA Draft. Both men were built the same, and both were offered scholarships to play at the University of Kentucky. Bob went to Kentucky, but Clarence got homesick and ended up coming home.
I got to know Clarence, and you really couldn’t tell the two of them apart. During my rookie year I thought I’d pull a joke on Ed Macauley and Bob [Cousy]. We were playing a game in St. Louis, so I arranged for Clarence to drive down. I was going to have him show up, and then put him in uniform and have him pretend to be Bob. Well, when Clarence showed up he had a big pot belly – needless to say, the joke didn’t pan out [laughs].
You did not play for the Celtics during the 1954-55 season. Please tell me about this period in your life.
I wanted to play – I’m a competitor. Red could tell you about the fights [laughs]. After my rookie season I went back to K-State and took a job, but after one season away the NBA instituted the 24-second shot clock. Red thought that this change suited my style of play, so he asked me to come back. I said that I would, but only if I got a chance to play. Red was true to his word – I played in every game that season. I really wanted to stay on, but the next season the Celtics got Heinsohn and Russell. Tex Winter was the head coach at K-State at the time, and he offered me a position as assistant coach. I jumped at the opportunity, and went to work at my alma mater.
Coach Auerbach approached me after I went back to Kansas, and said that he was interested in the University of South Carolina job, which was open at the time. Red and I had a great relationship, and I had the good fortune to work with him while I was young. He had great people skills. He really knew how to treat people and how to work with them, which is what made him such a great coach. Red offered me an assistant coaching position if he decided to take the South Carolina job, but he ended up staying in Boston. That was in the 1954-54 timeframe. It might have happened, had he accepted, but I stayed on at K-State. It proved to be the right decision for me – I became assistant athletic director in 1961, and was named athletic director in 1969.
When you returned for the 1955-56, Jim Loscutoff had replaced Mr. Brannum as the team’s enforcer. Please tell me about Mr. Loscutoff.
They were practically identical on the court – they both had the same hardnosed style, and both of them were very aggressive players. Jim was a better shooter than Bob, and that’s probably what set him apart. He was a small forward in those days, and handicapped because a lot of the taller players blocked his shots. Wilt Chamberlain comes to mind. But he was cantankerous and didn’t back down from anyone, Wilt included. So nobody pushed him around on the court [laughs]. And he could run. He never stopped running. Jim and I are good friends – we saw a lot of each other in Boston after I retired – we’d go to the Final Four together, and get together whenever we could.
Brawls were commonplace in the NBA when you played. One that comes to mind is the fight between Bob Cousy and Philadelphia Warriors center Neil Johnston in the Boston Garden. Were you ever a part of the festivities?
I wasn’t involved in the Philly brawl, but I was involved in fights with Rochester and Fort Wayne. Fred Schaus, who later coached Purdue University, checked off on me one night because his coach wanted him to guard the little man. We went at each other pretty good, and he said to me, “Hell, you’re not very little.” I got in a fight that night with one of the Fort Wayne guards, and official Sid Borgia called a technical and threw me out of the game. There were always fights in games back then. You knew they were going to happen. Red always said, “Listen, just make sure you get the first punch in.” [Laughs].
Please tell me about Mr. Cousy.
There’s so much to say that you could probably write a book on him and not cover it all. Bob was my roommate, and he was an unbelievable player. He’s one of the rare players from that era who could play in the NBA today. To show you how times have changed, he was the highest paid player in the NBA in those days and his yearly salary may not have been $20,000. Red always told us to keep our eye on the ball when Bob was on the floor. I made that mistake once during an exhibition game in Bangor. I took my eye off the ball for just an instant and Bob hit me in the face with a perfect pass. [Laughs].
The two of you have remained very close through the years. Do you have a funny story that you would care to share?
There are so many! We went to Philly for a road game, and we’re rooming together. I’m asleep in my hotel room and Bob is out on the town. The phone rings, wakes me up. It’s him. He says, “Rook, what are you doing?” I say, “Sleeping!” Then Bob says, “Get out of bed and come get me.” I say, “This is Philadelphia. How do I know where you are?” Then Bob looks at the flashing signpost on the corner and says, “I’m at the corner of Walk and Don’t Walk!” [Laughs].
Bill Sharman is legendary for his free throw shooting. What kind of player was Mr. Sharman?
Bill is another outstanding individual. We used to play one-on-one after practice, and we had some real knockdowns. I always accused him of taking an extra step during those games, but he always responded with “It’s legal in this league.” [Laughs]. Bill was very quick, and a great athlete – he was an outstanding baseball player. Red worked a lot of screens for him, so that he could get off those jumpers and set shots. And he was the best free throw shooter in the NBA.
The 1955-56 Boston Celtics led the league in scoring with a 106 ppg average. Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman and Ed Macauley finish 6th, 7th and 8th in the league in scoring, respectively. Please take me back to that season, and tell me a little about Mr. Macauley.
Ed was an outstanding player as well. I played against him in college, and that’s when I realized how good a shooter he was. He was tall, but he didn’t weigh much, so he wasn’t very physical. He wasn’t a strong rebounder. Red worked him into the fast break, which took advantage of his speed and his ability to run the court.
Red Auerbach was a disciple of George Washington’s Bill Reinhart, and firmly believed in an attacking, up-tempo style of basketball – a philosophy also embraced by your college coach, Jack Gardner. Please compare and contrast this coaching giants.
Coach Auerbach amazed me with the way he handled the players, and with how he was able to keep them all happy and ready to play. He knew which players responded well to the screaming, and he knew which ones to motivate in a more subtle way. There really is no comparison between Red and anyone else. He was extremely intelligent, a real genius.
Coach Gardner – and Tex Winter, for that matter – were truly instrumental in instilling me with discipline, and for preparing me for the level of play that I needed in Boston. I can’t say enough about either of these men. Coach Gardner loved the up-tempo game. He was an astute coach, and he knew how to attack.
The Boston Celtics held the fourth overall selection in the 1970 NBA Draft. Legend has it that Red Auerbach was set to select Sam Lacey, the 6’-10” center from New Mexico State, but that Red called you at the last minute to get your opinion. The Celtics then selected Dave Cowens, who would go on to become one of the NBA’s 50 Greatest players. Did you play a role in changing Red’s mind?
That’s exactly how it happened. I saw Sam Lacey, so I knew what he was capable of – not to say that he couldn’t play, but I just thought Cowens had much better mobility and could shoot the ball better. Red was leaning toward choosing Lacey, and he called to ask who I thought was the better player. To me, Cowens was a perfect fit in the Celtics’ system. He could get up and down the court, and he could run all day long. And he was intense. Red took my advice, and it worked out well for everyone involved.
Final Question: You’ve achieved great success in your life. If you could offer one piece of advice on life to others, what would that be?
Success is determined by personality, loyalty, and dedication. Anyone who adheres to these positives will be successful.
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