View source for George Glamack

{{Short description|American basketball player (1919–1987)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name            = George Glamack
| image           = George_Glamack.jpg
| caption         = Glamack from the 1941 ''The Blind Bomber''
| height_ft       = 6
| height_in       = 6
| weight_lb       = 225
| league          = 
| birth_date      = {{birth date|1918|6|7}}
| birth_place     = [[Johnstown, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| death_date      = {{death date and age|1987|3|10|1918|6|7}}
| death_place     = [[Buffalo, New York]], U.S.
| high_school     = Johnstown<br>(Johnstown, Pennsylvania)
| college         = [[North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball|North Carolina]] (1938–1941)
| career_start    = 1941
| career_end      = 1949
| career_number   = 99
| career_position = [[Power forward (basketball)|Power forward]] / [[Center (basketball)|center]]
| years1          = 1941–1942
| team1           = [[Akron Goodyear Wingfoots]]
| years2          = 1945–1947
| team2           = [[Rochester Royals]]
| years3          = 1947–1948
| team3           = [[Indianapolis Kautskys]]
| years4          = [[1948–49 BAA season|1948–1949]]
| team4           = [[Indianapolis Jets]]
| years5          = 1948–1949
| team5           = [[Hammond Calumet Buccaneers]]
| years6          = 1950–1951
| team6           = [[Grand Rapids Hornets]]
| highlights      = 
* [[List of National Basketball League (United States) champions|NBL champion]] (1946)
* [[All-National Basketball League (United States) Team|All-NBL First Team]] (1946)
* [[All-National Basketball League (United States) Team|All-NBL Second Team]] (1942)
* [[NBL (United States) Rookie of the Year Award|NBL Rookie of the Year]] (1942)
* 2× [[Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year|Helms Player of the Year]] (1940, 1941)
* 2× First-team consensus [[NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|All-American]] ([[1940 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1940]], [[1941 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1941]])
* No. 20 [[North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball#Retired numbers|retired by North Carolina Tar Heels]]
| bbr             = glamage01
}}
'''George Gregory Glamack''' (born '''Gjuro Gregorvitch Glamoclij''',<ref name="bbd">{{cite book |last1=Porter |first1=David L. |title=Basketball: A Biographical Dictionary |date=30 July 2005 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=978-0-313-06197-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8tzEEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA169&dq=%22Gjuro+Gregorvitch+Glamocli%22&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi0wcyzkYKLAxV3rokEHdJZNigQ6AF6BAgGEAI#v=onepage&q&f=false |access-date=19 January 2025 |language=en}}</ref> June 7, 1919 – March 10, 1987) was an American professional [[basketball]] player.

==Amateur career==
Born in [[Johnstown, Pennsylvania]], he was of [[Serbs|Serbian]] origin. His parents were immigrants from [[Belgrade]]; his father was a mechanic in a steel mill.<ref name="ch" /><ref name="bbd" /> Glamack attended [[Greater Johnstown High School]] and Allentown Preparatory School.

A 6'6" [[forward-center]], Glamack attended the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]], whose basketball team was known as the White Phantoms.<ref name=ch>{{cite news |last1=Campbell |first1=Orville B. |title='Mad Bomber' Loved Carolina |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-chapel-hill-news/163410049/ |access-date=19 January 2025 |work=The Chapel Hill News |date=15 March 1987 |pages=28}}</ref> Glamack, an All-American in 1940 and 1941, was nicknamed the Blind Bomber because a childhood football injury had left him blind in his right eye and with blurry vision in his left, forcing him to rely on the lines drawn on the court to determine his positioning when shooting.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.goheels.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=3350&ATCLID=209520041 |title=George Glamack Bio - University of North Carolina Tar Heels Official Athletic Site |access-date=2017-04-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160531143203/http://www.goheels.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=3350&ATCLID=209520041 |archive-date=2016-05-31 |url-status=dead }}</ref> One writer noted that "Glamack, who is ambidextrous when on the court, is also so nearsighted that the ball is merely a dim object, but apparently he never looked where he was shooting, depending upon his sense of distance and direction."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Douchant |first1=Mike |title=Inside sports college basketball |date=1997 |publisher=Detroit : Visible Ink Press |isbn=978-1-57859-009-4 |page=35 |url=https://archive.org/details/insidesportscoll0000douc/page/35/mode/1up?q=%22the+ball+is+merely+a+dim+object%22 |access-date=19 January 2025}}</ref>

He scored 45 points against Clemson in 1941, still the fourth-highest total in UNC history.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://northcarolina.rivals.com/news/no-14-george-glamack|title = TarHeelIllustrated – No. 14: George Glamack| date=17 June 2016 }}</ref> That year, he led UNC to a [[Southern Conference]] championship and the [[NCAA]] tournament. In both 1940 and 1941, he won the [[Helms Foundation Player of the Year]], which was the only college basketball MVP award of the time.  He is one of eight players to have his jersey number retired by UNC, the others being [[Jack Cobb]], [[Lennie Rosenbluth]], [[Phil Ford (basketball)|Phil Ford]], [[James Worthy]], [[Michael Jordan]], [[Antawn Jamison]], and [[Tyler Hansbrough]]. He scored 1,336 career points, the third-highest total in college basketball history to that point.<ref name="bbd" /> The 31 points he scored in his final game, against [[Dartmouth College|Dartmouth]], was the single-game record in the [[NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA tournament]] until 1951.<ref>{{cite news |title=No. 14: George Glamack |url=https://northcarolina.rivals.com/news/no-14-george-glamack-1 |access-date=19 January 2025 |work=northcarolina.rivals.com |date=12 June 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

==Professional career==
Glamack entered pro basketball in 1941, playing one season for the [[Akron Goodyear Wingfoots]] of the [[National Basketball League (United States)|National Basketball League]], after which he was named to [[All-National Basketball League (United States) Team|second-team All-NBL]]. He then joined the [[U.S. Navy]] for [[World War II]]. His partial blindness kept him from action overseas; during the war, he played basketball for the [[Great Lakes Naval Training Center]].<ref name="bbd" /> Great Lakes featured an array of former college stars, including [[Dick Klein (basketball)|Dick Klein]], [[Pete Newell]], [[George Sobek]], [[Ed Riska]], [[Bob Davies]], [[Bob Dietz]], [[Forrest Sprowl]], [[Wilbur Schumacher]], and [[Forddy Anderson]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Abundance of Talent Makes Court Coach's Job Tougher |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-journal/163458300/ |access-date=20 January 2025 |work=The News Journal |date=24 November 1942 |pages=26}}</ref> Under coach [[Tony Hinkle]], Great Lakes went 34–3 in 1942–43 and 33–3 in 1943–44. While in the Navy, Glamack spent two years working for the [[Office of Strategic Services]], the predecessor of the [[Central Intelligence Agency]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Selected OSS Documents, 1941-1945, Microfilm Roll List and Index, Record Group 226, Entry 180 |url=https://www.archives.gov/files/iwg/declassified-records/rg-226-oss/directors-microfilm-roll-list.pdf |access-date=19 January 2025 |quote=Glamack, George G.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Glamack, George G. - [Serial Number] 7260115 |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/203218156 |publisher=National Archives |access-date=19 January 2025}}</ref>

In 1945, he joined the NBL's [[Rochester Royals]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://probasketballencyclopedia.com/player/George-Glamack/|title = George Glamack}}</ref> Glamack scored a team high 12.3 points per game, and the team finished with a record of 24–10. The Royals won the 1946 NBL championship, defeating the [[Sheboygan Red Skins]], 3–0, and Glamack was named [[All-National Basketball League (United States) Team|first-team All-NBL]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/nbl/teams/RCR/1946.html|title=1945–46 Rochester Royals Stats}}</ref> The following season, Glamack scored 8.5 points per game and the team finished with a record of 31–13,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/nbl/teams/RCR/1947.html|title=1946–47 Rochester Royals Stats}}</ref> the best record in the league. The Royals returned to the NBL finals in 1947 but lost to [[George Mikan]] and the [[Chicago American Gears]]. Glamack finished his NBL career as the league's [[List of National Basketball League (United States) scoring leaders|ninth-highest career scorer]].

In 1948, Glamack set the NBL record for more free throws made in a game, making 20 for the [[Indianapolis Kautskys]] against the [[Oshkosh All-Stars]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stranahan |first1=Bob |title=Glamack Sets NL Free Throw Record As Kautskys Win, 69-65 |url=https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=IPT19480128.1.18&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN------- |access-date=19 January 2025 |work=Indianapolis Times |publisher=Hoosier State Chronicles: Indiana's Digital Historic Newspaper Program |date=28 January 1948}}</ref>

That fall, the Kautskys moved from the NBL to the [[Basketball Association of America]], becoming the [[Indianapolis Jets]]. But facing financial struggles, the Jets cut Glamack after only eight games, on November 25, 1948, after acquiring the less expensive [[John Mahnken]] from the [[Baltimore Bullets (1944–1954)|Baltimore Bullets]]. Glamack was claimed on waivers by the [[Philadelphia Warriors]] but could not agree to a contract, so Glamack signed a contract with the NBL's [[Hammond Calumet Buccaneers]] for what would be the league's final season, 1948–49.

A few months later, Glamack sued the Jets franchise for $50,000 in unpaid salary and "damages to his business reputation."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Angelopoulos |first1=Angelo |title="Anderson Packers" to Replace Jets? |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-news/163416356/ |access-date=19 January 2025 |work=The Indianapolis News |date=3 February 1949 |pages=14}}</ref> The Jets declared bankruptcy and folded shortly before the 1949 merger of the BAA and NBL that created the modern [[National Basketball Association]]. (The NBL had already committed to an expansion franchise, the [[Indianapolis Olympians]].)<ref>{{cite news |title=Geo. Glamack, Former All American, Signs Contract With Bucs |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times/163417241/ |access-date=19 January 2025 |work=The Times |date=7 December 1948 |pages=17}}</ref>

In 1950, after retiring from basketball and working as a refrigeration equipment salesman, he ran as a Republican candidate for [[sheriff]] of [[Marion County, Indiana]], losing in the primary.<ref>{{cite news |title=Glamack Enters Race for Sheriff |url=https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=IPT19500114.1.11&srpos=5&e=------195-en-20--1--txt-txIN-glamack------ |access-date=19 January 2025 |work=Indianapolis Times |publisher=Hoosier State Chronicles: Indiana's Digital Historic Newspaper Program |date=14 January 1950}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Former Cage Star in Sheriff's Race |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-news/163419660/ |access-date=19 January 2025 |work=The Indianapolis News |date=14 January 1950 |pages=9}}</ref> But he was already working to return to the sport — this time as an owner in the [[National Professional Basketball League (1950–51)|National Professional Basketball League]], a new circuit created for teams that had been contracted out of the new NBA. After being granted a franchise, he tried unsuccessfully to place the team in [[Muncie, Indiana]] before settling on [[Grand Rapids, Michigan]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Barnet |first1=Bob |title=Pro Basketball May Come to Town |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-star-press/163419917/ |access-date=19 January 2025 |work=The Star Press |date=6 June 1950 |pages=10}}</ref>

Along with serving as president and general manager of the [[Grand Rapids Hornets]], Glamack played for the team, alongside player/coach [[Bobby McDermott]], fellow Tar Heel [[Fritz Nagy]], the seven-footer [[Elmore Morgenthaler]], 5'9" [[Ralph O'Brien|Ralph "Buckshot" O'Brien]], [[Easy Parham]], and two-time college All-American [[Carlisle Towery|Blackie Towery]]. (He also served as head coach for nine Hornets games.) The team had lots of height for the era, with four players 6'6" or taller, but did not fare well, winning only six games against 13 losses before folding mid-season.<ref>{{cite news |title=Grand Rapids' Pro Basketball Venture Comes to Abrupt End |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-grand-rapids-press/163440285/ |access-date=19 January 2025 |work=The Grand Rapids Press |date=30 December 1950 |pages=20}}</ref>

Glamack later worked as a beer company executive and real estate broker.<ref name="bbd" /> He also served as an assistant coach at the [[Rochester Institute of Technology]] from 1957 to 1965.<ref>{{cite web |title=1964 Techmila |url=https://www.rit.edu/alumni/DrupalFiles/yearbook/pdfs/1964.pdf |publisher=Rochester Institute of Technology |access-date=19 January 2025}}</ref> He died March 18, 1987 in Rochester, leaving two daughters and a son, the Emmy-nominated animator Marko Glamack.<ref>{{cite news |title=Glamack dies at 68; was pro basketball pioneer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle/163441101/ |access-date=19 January 2025 |work=Democrat and Chronicle |date=11 March 1987 |pages=7}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Barnes |first1=Mike |title=Mark Glamack, Emmy-Nominated Animator, Dies at 73 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/mark-glamack-dead-emmy-nominated-animator-was-73-1299491/ |access-date=19 January 2025 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=19 June 2020}}</ref>

==NBL career statistics==
{{NBL (United States) player statistics legend}}
{|class ="wikitable"
|-
|style="background:#ffe6fa; width:3em;"|†
|Denotes seasons in which Glamack's team won an [[List of National Basketball League (United States) champions|NBL championship]]
|}

=== Regular season ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Year<ref name=NBL>{{Cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/nbl/players/g/glamage01n.html|title=George Glamack NBL stats|website=[[Basketball Reference]]|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|accessdate=19 January 2025}}</ref>
! Team
! GP
! FGM
! FTM
! PTS
! PPG
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1941–42 National Basketball League (United States) season|1941–42]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Akron Goodyear Wingfoots|Akron]]
| 24 || 87 || 82 || 256 || 10.7
|-
| style="text-align:left; background:#ffe6fa;"| [[1945–46 National Basketball League (United States) season|1945–46]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Rochester Royals|Rochester]]
| 34 || 151 || 115 || 417 || '''12.3'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1946–47 National Basketball League (United States) season|1946–47]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Rochester Royals|Rochester]]
| 44 || 141 || 90 || 372 || 8.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1947–48 National Basketball League (United States) season|1947–48]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Indianapolis Kautskys|Indianapolis]]
| '''57''' || '''215''' || 162 || '''592''' || 10.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1948–49 National Basketball League (United States) season|1948–49]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Hammond Calumet Buccaneers|Hammond]]
| 43 || 169 || '''163''' || 501 || 11.7
|-
|style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 202 || 763 || 612 || 2138 || 10.6
|}

=== Playoffs ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Year<ref name=NBL />
! Team
! GP
! FGM
! FTM
! PTS
! PPG
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1941–42 National Basketball League (United States) season|1941–42]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Akron Goodyear Wingfoots|Akron]]
| 3 || 11 || 15 || 37 || 12.3
|-
| style="text-align:left; background:#ffe6fa;"| [[1945–46 National Basketball League (United States) season|1945–46]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Rochester Royals|Rochester]]
| 7 || 34 || 20 || 88 || 12.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1946–47 National Basketball League (United States) season|1946–47]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Rochester Royals|Rochester]]
| '''10''' || '''35''' || '''28''' || '''98''' || 9.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1947–48 National Basketball League (United States) season|1947–48]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Indianapolis Kautskys|Indianapolis]]
| 4 || 24 || 20 || 68 || '''17.0'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1948–49 National Basketball League (United States) season|1948–49]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Hammond Calumet Buccaneers|Hammond]]
| 2 || 5 || 5 || 15 || 7.5
|-
|style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 26 || 108 || 88 || 306 || 11.8
|}

==BAA career statistics==
{| class="toccolours" style="font-size: 90%; white-space: nowrap;"
|-
! colspan="6" style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid #aaa;"| Legend
|-
| style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"| &nbsp;&nbsp;GP
| Games played
|-
| style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"| &nbsp;FG%&nbsp;
| style="padding-right: 8px" | [[Field goal (basketball)|Field-goal]] percentage
|-
| style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"| &nbsp;FT%&nbsp;
| [[Free throw|Free-throw]] percentage
|-
| style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"| &nbsp;APG&nbsp;
| [[Assist (basketball)|Assists]] per game
|-
| style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"| &nbsp;PPG&nbsp;
| Points per game
|-
|}

===Regular season===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Year
! Team
! GP
! FG%
! FT%
! APG
! PPG
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| [[1948–49 BAA season|1948–49]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1948–49 Indianapolis Jets season|Indianapolis]]
| 11 || .248 || .764 || 1.7 || 9.3
|-
|style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 11 || .248 || .764 || 1.7 || 9.3
|-
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{basketballstats|bbr=g/glamage01}}

{{navboxes|list=
{{Rochester Royals 1945–46 NBL champions}}
{{NBL (United States) All-Time Team}}
{{NBL (United States) Rookies of the Year}}
{{Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year}}
{{1940 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans}}
{{1941 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Glamack, George}}
[[Category:1919 births]]
[[Category:1987 deaths]]
[[Category:Akron Goodyear Wingfoots players]]
[[Category:All-American college men's basketball players]]
[[Category:American men's basketball players]]
[[Category:American people of Serbian descent]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Centers (basketball)]]
[[Category:Hammond Calumet Buccaneers players]]
[[Category:Indianapolis Jets players]]
[[Category:Indianapolis Kautskys players]]
[[Category:North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Power forwards]]
[[Category:Rochester Royals players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Johnstown, Pennsylvania]]