Jewish Brawlin’, 1961
The UNC-Duke rivalry goes way back
August 25, 2010
Art Heyman, 1962.(Sports Illustrated)
Prompted by my list of the Top Ten Jewish-American Athletes, one reader writes in:
“When I was 15, two of the best players in the country were Barry Kramer at NYU and Art Heyman at Duke. Heyman was Player of the Year in 1963 and MVP of the NCAA tourney even though they lost in the semis (in those days the two semi losers played each other, a nice touch I’m sorry they discontinued).
“I just learned that in his sophomore year, Heyman was ejected and suspended for several games, along with the UNC player with whom he started a fight that led to a major melee … Larry Brown!”
Brown, who is also Jewish, became one of basketball’s all-time great coaches. Ironically, he was also present for the most famous brawl in basketball history. Best of all? You can watch Heyman v. Brown below! 1961!
(P.S. It just so happens that the above e-mailer was my father. But you don’t have to be responsible for my existence to send me helpful tips: [email protected].)
Earlier: The Top Ten Jewish-American Athletes
Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.
