As a basketball innovator who focused on team play and a clean lifestyle in which players were prohibited from drinking or smoking, Blood emphasized the fast break, well-controlled passing and the full-court press over individual performance. Known as the "Professor", he was also a showman who would wrestle the team's bear cub mascot at halftime and could toss a 16-pound shot put into the air and catch it on the back of his neck.[1]
Between 1915 and 1924 he coached Passaic High School to a remarkable 200-1 record, winning seven state basketball championships during his tenure, though the team's success on the court created conflict between Blood and the school's principal, Arnold D. Arnold, who thought that the team's overwhelming athletic accomplishments were distracting students from their academics. Passaic High's 1921–22 basketball team finished the season with a record of 33–0 and outscored its opponents by a margin of 2,293–612, scoring almost four times as many points as their foes did in each game. Passaic was unbeaten for more than five seasons, and won 159 consecutive games from 1919-25, a feat which considered to be the longest winning streak in high school basketball history in the United States.[1] The streak ended on February 6, 1925, after Blood had already left Passaic High, in a game the Hilltoppers lost 39–35 to the Hackensack High School Comets. The game, played at the Hackensack Armory, was said to have been designed to slow down the Passaic High fast break through the placement of sawdust on the playing surface.[1]
Blood coached St. Benedict's Prep from 1925 to 1950 to a 421-128 record, winning five prep-school state championships during his quarter century at the school. He briefly coached at United States Military Academy (West Point) and Potsdam Normal School (predecessor of SUNY Potsdam as well as at Clarkson Universityl.[2]
He won a grand total of 1,200 games over the span of his 50 years in basketball, coaching YMCA, high school, prep school and college teams. In recognition of all of his accomplishments as a basketball coach, Blood was one of ten individuals inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts with the class of 1960, the second year of the Hall's existence (in the same class with John Wooden, who was initially enshrined as a player and only later as a coach).[2]
ernest, blood, ernest, artel, blood, october, 1872, manchester, hampshire, february, 1955, high, school, college, basketball, coach, best, known, wonder, teams, jersey, passaic, high, school, which, lost, only, game, span, decade, american, high, school, recor. Ernest Artel Blood October 4 1872 Manchester New Hampshire February 5 1955 was a high school and college men s basketball coach He was best known for his Wonder Teams at New Jersey s Passaic High School which lost only one game in the span of a decade and set an American high school record for most consecutive victories As a basketball innovator who focused on team play and a clean lifestyle in which players were prohibited from drinking or smoking Blood emphasized the fast break well controlled passing and the full court press over individual performance Known as the Professor he was also a showman who would wrestle the team s bear cub mascot at halftime and could toss a 16 pound shot put into the air and catch it on the back of his neck 1 Between 1915 and 1924 he coached Passaic High School to a remarkable 200 1 record winning seven state basketball championships during his tenure though the team s success on the court created conflict between Blood and the school s principal Arnold D Arnold who thought that the team s overwhelming athletic accomplishments were distracting students from their academics Passaic High s 1921 22 basketball team finished the season with a record of 33 0 and outscored its opponents by a margin of 2 293 612 scoring almost four times as many points as their foes did in each game Passaic was unbeaten for more than five seasons and won 159 consecutive games from 1919 25 a feat which considered to be the longest winning streak in high school basketball history in the United States 1 The streak ended on February 6 1925 after Blood had already left Passaic High in a game the Hilltoppers lost 39 35 to the Hackensack High School Comets The game played at the Hackensack Armory was said to have been designed to slow down the Passaic High fast break through the placement of sawdust on the playing surface 1 Blood coached St Benedict s Prep from 1925 to 1950 to a 421 128 record winning five prep school state championships during his quarter century at the school He briefly coached at United States Military Academy West Point and Potsdam Normal School predecessor of SUNY Potsdam as well as at Clarkson Universityl 2 He won a grand total of 1 200 games over the span of his 50 years in basketball coaching YMCA high school prep school and college teams In recognition of all of his accomplishments as a basketball coach Blood was one of ten individuals inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield Massachusetts with the class of 1960 the second year of the Hall s existence in the same class with John Wooden who was initially enshrined as a player and only later as a coach 2 Blood died in New Smyrna Beach Florida on February 5 1955 3 from a cerebral hemorrhage 4 References Edit a b c Cowen Richard Prof a character winner The Record Bergen County October 13 2009 Accessed October 16 2009 a b Ernest A Blood profile Archived 2009 08 31 at the Wayback Machine Basketball Hall of Fame Accessed October 16 2009 Jable J Thomas February 2000 Blood Ernest Artel 04 October 1872 05 February 1955 athlete and basketball coach nicknamed Prof American National Biography Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 anb 9780198606697 article 1900406 ISBN 978 0 19 860669 7 Retrieved 8 October 2020 500 at Rites for Ernest A Blood Famous Coach Paterson Evening News February 10 1955 Retrieved October 8 2020 via Newspapers com External links EditBasketball Hall of Fame profile Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ernest Blood amp oldid 1035735678, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
