Red Wallace

Michael John "Red" Wallace (July 12, 1918 – July 7, 1977) was an American professional basketball player and coach.^[1] He played for the Boston Celtics during the 1946–47 Basketball Association of America season, the first in the league's existence, before he was traded to the Toronto Huskies for Charlie Hoefer.^[1] He also played for various teams in the American Basketball League prior to his stint in the BAA. Wallace played in the Eastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL) for the Sunbury Mercuries during the 1947–48 season and Wilkes-Barre Barons from 1954 to 1957.^[2] He won EPBL championship with the Barons in 1955^[3] and 1956.^[4]

Red Wallace

Bas-relief sculpture of Red Wallace at the Elk Lake (Pa.) High School gym which bears his name
Personal information
Born	(1918-07-12)July 12, 1918 Simpson, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	July 7, 1977(1977-07-07) (aged 58)
Listed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight	185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school	Fell Township (Fell Township, Pennsylvania)
College	Keystone JC (1937–1939) Scranton (1939–1941)
Playing career	1944–1957
Position	Guard
Number	13, 23, 17
Coaching career	1957–1965
Career history
As a player:
1944–1945	New York Gothams
1946–1947	Boston Celtics
1947	Toronto Huskies
1947–1948	Sunbury Mercuries
1947–1949	Scranton Miners
1949–1951	Paterson Crescents
1951–1952	Allentown Aces
1954–1957	Wilkes-Barre Barons
As a coach:
1957–1977	Elk Lake HS
1958–1960	Wilkes-Barre Barons
1964–1965	Scranton Miners
Career highlights
As player: 2× EPBL champion (1955, 1956) As head coach: EPBL champion (1959) 2× PIAA state champion (1969, 1977)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

In college, Wallace played for two seasons at Keystone College, which at the time was a junior college, before finishing his career at the University of Scranton.^[5] In his post-playing career, Wallace coached teams in the EPBL, winning the league championship in 1958–59 with the Wilkes-Barre Barons.^[5] He was head coach of the Scranton Miners of the EPBL during the 1964–65 season.^[6] Wallace also coached the Elk Lake (Pa.) High School boys' basketball team and won two state championships.^[7]

BAA career statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	FG%	Field-goal percentage
FT%	Free-throw percentage	APG	Assists per game
PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	FG%	FT%	APG	PPG
1946–47	Boston	24	.246	.438	.8	5.5
1946–47	Toronto	37	.291	.574	1.0	11.5
Career		61	.278	.541	1.0	9.1