Truman men’s basketball legend and Hall of Fame NBA player Harry Gallatin has been named the New York Knicks’ outstanding player for the 1950s. Gallatin will be recognized at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 23 during the Knicks’ game against Milwaukee.
Gallatin, a member of both Truman’s and the MIAA’s Hall of Fame, played for the Bulldogs from 1946 to 1948 and was a two-time all-MIAA selection. He scored 816 career points in just two seasons as a Bulldog before graduating and advancing to the National Basketball Association (NBA). As the only Bulldog to ever play in the NBA, Gallatin competed for the Knicks until 1957, earning all-pro accolades following both the 1953-54 and 1954-55 seasons. He was a seven-time NBA all-star and was the NBA’s rebounding leader in 1954.
Nicknamed “The Horse” once he reached the professional level, Gallatin played in 746 consecutive NBA games and, following brief stints as the head coach at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and for the NBA’s St. Louis Hawks, Gallatin returned to the Knicks franchise and coached the team from 1964-66.
Gallatin will be recognized alongside legendary NBA players Dick Barnett (1960s), Earl Monroe (1970s), Mark Jackson (1980s), John Starks (1990s) and Allan Houston (2000s) as part of the “Knicks Legends Awards” campaign.