29 Facts About Cal Bruton

Cal Bruton has been an integral part of the National Basketball League since its inception.

Cal Bruton won a second NBL championship while coaching the Perth Wildcats in 1990.

Cal Bruton acquired Australian citizenship and played for the Australian national basketball team.

Cal Bruton was a basketball playground legend from Jamaica, Queens in New York City.

Cal Bruton played his high school basketball at Springfield Gardens.

Cal Bruton believed that the incident "put a damper" on his professional career as he had been viewed "as one of the best little men in the country" prior to his case.

Cal Bruton averaged 12.9 points per game during his senior season and was selected to the All-Missouri Valley Conference first-team in 1976.

Cal Bruton helped to coach the basketball team at his alma mater, Springfield Gardens.

In July 1977, Cal Bruton was invited to a free agent camp held by the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association.

Cal Bruton's performance saw him return to their veterans' camp.

On 4 August 1977, Cal Bruton signed a one-year deal with the Spurs.

Cal Bruton instead found a job as a hauler on a garbage truck and worked 12-hour days.

Cal Bruton tried out for the Kansas City Kings in 1978.

Cal Bruton was recruited to play in Australia for the Brisbane Bullets of the National Invitational Basketball League by David Adkins, the director of coaching for Queensland Basketball, Inc Adkins had seen Cal Bruton during his tryout with the Kings and asked Shockers coach Gene Smithson to arrange a meeting.

Cal Bruton set a single game league-record 53 points during his first season.

Cal Bruton did not return to the Bullets in 1980, instead playing for the Geelong Supercats in the Victorian league.

Cal Bruton stayed with them when they joined the South East Australian Basketball League and won the SEABL championship in 1981.

Three games into the season, the team's head coach was fired and Cal Bruton was selected to take over.

Cal Bruton was selected as the 1982 NBL Coach of the Year.

Cal Bruton's best friend off the court happened to be Adelaide's point guard Al Green who was a native of New York.

Cal Bruton led all scorers, averaging 30.0 points, plus he had 3.3 assists per game over the Grand Final series.

Cal Bruton was immediately snapped up as playing coach of perennial easy-beats the Perth Wildcats for the 1987 NBL season and immediately set about building a championship contending team.

Cal Bruton played three seasons in Perth, before becoming the head coach in 1990 in somewhat controversial circumstances.

Cal Bruton himself was replaced the following year by Murray Arnold.

Cal Bruton sat out the 1991 NBL season, but returned in 1992 with another of the NBL's perennial easy-beats, the Hobart Devils.

Cal Bruton now helps out coaching for junior teams in his spare time, as a role model to the junior basketball players.

Cal Bruton was once in a celebrity episode of 1980s gameshow It's a Knockout where he dressed in a horse suit alongside Big Sports Breakfast co-host and journalist Terry Kennedy.

Originally an American import, Cal Bruton became a naturalised Australian in 1983.

Cal Bruton renounced his American citizenship to play for the Australia men's national basketball team in 1986.