Hal Lear

Hal Lear
Personal information
Born	January 31, 1935; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	June 25, 2016 (aged 81); White Plains, New York, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight	163 lb (74 kg)
Career information
High school	Overbrook (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
College	Temple (1953–1956)
NBA draft	1956: 1st round, 7th overall pick
	Selected by the Philadelphia Warriors
Playing career	1956–1967
Position	Point guard
Number	16
Career history
1956	Philadelphia Warriors
1956–1961	Easton Madisons
1962–1965	Camden Bullets
1965–1966	Johnstown C-J's
1966–1967	New Haven Elms
Career highlights and awards
	EPBL Most Valuable Player (1957); 4× All-EPBL First Team (1957, 1959–1961); 2× All-EPBL Second Team (1958, 1965); Third-team All-American – Collier's (1956); NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player (1956); No. 6 retired by Temple Owls;
	Stats at NBA.com
	Stats at Basketball Reference

Harold C. Lear Jr. (January 31, 1935 – June 25, 2016) was an American professional basketball player.

Biography

A 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) guard born in Philadelphia, Lear starred at Temple University in his hometown during the 1950s. He earned the NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player in 1956 after leading Temple to the Final Four, where they lost to the University of Iowa.^[1]

After college, Lear was selected by the Philadelphia Warriors with the seventh pick of the 1956 NBA draft. His NBA career was brief, however: he appeared in just three games during the 1956–57 NBA season and scored four points.^[2] He played for the Easton Madisons of the Eastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL) and was named the league's Most Valuable Player in 1957.^[3]

He was a four-time selection to the All-EPBL First Team and two-time selection to the Second Team.^[4]

In 2013, Temple retired his No. 6 jersey.^[5]

Lear died on June 25, 2016, at his home in White Plains, New York, after an illness.^[6]

Source^[2]

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1956–57	Philadelphia	3	4.7	.333	–	.3	.3	1.3

^ NCAA Postseason History at BradleyRD Member Page, AOL.com
^ ^a ^b "Hal Lear NBA sats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
^ Bradley, Robert. "History of the Eastern League". The Association for Professional Basketball Research. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
^ "Harold Lear minor league basketball statistics". Stats Crew. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
^ Hunt, Donald (January 25, 2013). "Temple's Lear joins select few with retired jersey". phillytrib.com.
^ Pompey, Keith (June 26, 2016). "Philly hoops legend Hal Lear passes away". philly.com.