Charley Eckman
Fort Wayne & Detroit Pistons Head Coach | 2× NBA Finalist | Former NBA Referee
Charley Eckman was born on September 10, 1921, in Baltimore, Maryland. Before becoming a professional coach, he worked as an NBA referee.
In 1954, Fort Wayne Pistons owner Fred Zollner hired Eckman as head coach despite Eckman having no previous professional coaching experience.
Eckman led the Pistons to the NBA Finals in each of his first 2 seasons and coached the franchise through its move from Fort Wayne to Detroit.
Coach Eckman passed away on July 3, 1995, at the age of 73.
- Overall Coaching Record: 123-118
Coaching Career
Charley Eckman became head coach of the Fort Wayne Pistons for the 1954-1955 NBA season.
The Pistons went 43-29 and finished first in the Western Division in Eckman’s first season. Fort Wayne defeated the Minneapolis Lakers in the Western Division Finals before losing Game 7 of the NBA Finals to the Syracuse Nationals, 92-91.
Fort Wayne finished first in the Western Division again in 1955-1956 with a 37-35 record. The Pistons defeated the St. Louis Hawks in the Western Division Finals before losing to the Philadelphia Warriors in 5 games in the NBA Finals.
The Pistons went 34-38 in 1956-1957 and reached the playoffs, where they were eliminated by the Minneapolis Lakers.
The franchise moved to Detroit for the 1957-1958 season. Eckman started the season 9-16 before leaving the head coaching position on December 18, 1957. Red Rocha replaced him.
Eckman finished his NBA head coaching career with a 123-118 regular-season record and a 10-13 playoff record.
Notable Players Coached
- George Yardley
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 6× NBA All-Star
- 1958 NBA scoring champion
- Larry Foust
- 8× NBA All-Star
- Andy Phillip
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 1957 NBA champion
- 5× NBA All-Star