EZ Ed is Still the Youngest Player Ever Elected to the Hall of Fame

Ed Macauley got rave reviews as one of the best big men in the NBA during the 1950s. The college player of the year in 1949, he finished fifth in the league in scoring as a rookie with the St. Louis Bombers. When the Bombers folded, New York Knicks owner Ned Irish wanted Macauley so much that he tried to buy the St. Louis franchise for $50,000. Commissioner Maurice Podoloff nixed the deal and awarded Macauley to the Boston Celtics, where he became the first in a long line of great Celtics centers

"We didn't win much with the Celtics," Macauley says. "We didn't get past the first round most years, although we had Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, and myself We didn't have real size. I was 185, 190 pounds and playing against George Mikan and Vern Mikkelsen and Sweetwater Clifton and people like that."

In his six years with the Celtics, Macauley finished third in the league in scoring twice, fourth in the league twice, eighth once, and 10th once. But before the 1955-56 season, Macauley was dealt with fellow future Hall-of-Famer Cliff Hagan to the St. Louis Hawks in one of the biggest trades in NBA history. In return, the Celtics selected second in the draft, where they had their eye on a center from San Francisco.

Playing back in his hometown, Macauley helped the Hawks win the NBA title in 1958, where they bested the Celtics in the Finals. The next season, Macauley assumed the coaching reins for St. Louis. He would retire as a player during the 1958-59 season, finishing with 17.5 ppg and 6.7 rpg over 641 regular-season games. But he stayed on as coach and led the Hawks to two first-place finishes in the Western Conference.

At the end of the 1959-60 season, Macauley stepped down as coach. Later that year, at age 32, he was elected to the Hall of Fame. To this day, he is still the youngest player ever elected to the Hall.