11 Facts About Al Cervi

1.

Alfred Nicholas Cervi was an American professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball League and National Basketball Association.

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2.

Al Cervi earned the nickname "Digger" because of his hard-nosed style of defense.

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3.

Al Cervi dropped out of school after his junior year when he was recruited by the Buffalo Bisons of the newly formed NBL.

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4.

Al Cervi played a major role in the development of Dolph Schayes.

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5.

The pinnacle of Al Cervi's coaching career was leading his squad to the NBA Championship over the Fort Wayne Pistons in seven games in 1955.

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6.

Al Cervi succeeded George Senesky as coach of the Philadelphia Warriors in 1958, but left after one season to accept a more lucrative job in the trucking business as an area manager for Eastern Freightways, Inc in Rochester, New York.

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7.

Al Cervi lived in the suburb of Brighton for the last 58 years of his life.

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8.

Al Cervi was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985.

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9.

Al Cervi received similar honors from the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.

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10.

Al Cervi died on November 9,2009 in Rochester, New York at the age of 92.

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11.

Al Cervi was featured in the book, Basketball History in Syracuse, Hoops Roots by author Mark Allen Baker published by The History Press in 2010.

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