Les Harrison
1951 NBA Champion | Rochester Royals Head Coach | Hall of Fame Contributor
Les Harrison was born on August 20, 1904, in Rochester, New York. He became one of the most important figures in early professional basketball as a coach, owner, and executive with the Rochester Royals.
Harrison coached the Royals after the franchise entered the Basketball Association of America and remained the team's head coach through the 1954-1955 NBA season.
He led Rochester to the 1951 NBA championship and finished his BAA/NBA head-coaching career with a 295-181 record.
Harrison was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor in 1980. Coach Harrison passed away on December 23, 1997, at the age of 93.
- Overall Coaching Record: 295-181
Coaching Career
Harrison was hired as head coach of the Rochester Royals before the 1948-1949 BAA season.
Rochester went 45-15 in its first BAA season and reached the playoffs. The Royals followed with a 51-17 record in 1949-1950.
In 1950-1951, Rochester went 41-27 and defeated the Fort Wayne Pistons, Minneapolis Lakers, and New York Knicks to win the NBA championship.
The Royals reached the playoffs in all seven seasons under Harrison. He resigned after the 1954-1955 season with a 295-181 regular-season record and a 19-19 playoff record.
Notable Players Coached
- Bob Davies
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 1951 NBA champion
- 4× NBA All-Star
- Arnie Risen
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 2× NBA champion
- 4× NBA All-Star
- Bobby Wanzer
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 1951 NBA champion
- 5× NBA All-Star
- Jack Coleman
- 2× NBA champion
- 1955 NBA All-Star