Tannenbaum, Sid

Sidney Harold Tannenbaum

Tannenbaum was one of college basketball's best players in the 1940s and one of the greatest Jewish players in history. During his career at New York University, he was twice named winner of the Haggerty Award as the outstanding college player in the Metropolitan New York area (in 1946 and 1947). Tannenbaum finished his career at NYU as the school's all-time scorer with 992 points. The Student-Athlete award for graduating seniors at NYU is named the Sid Tannenbaum Memorial Award. During his lifetime Tannenbaum was inducted into the NYU Athletics Hall of Fame and the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. Oct. 8, 1925 - d. Sept. 4, 1986

Career Highlights:
In 1945, Tannenbaum helped lead NYU to a 12-6 record and a regional bid to the NCAA tournament. The Violets defeated Tufts, 59-44, then trounced Ohio State, erasing a 10 point deficit in the final two minutes to force the game into overtime. Their winning score of 70-65, enabled them to reach the final match. In the final, Tannenbaum and NYU lost 49-45 to tournament MVP Bob Kurland and Oklahoma A&M.; Tannenbaum averaged 11.3 points per game in the tournament.

In 1946, Tannenbaum was named Helms and Sporting News first team All-America and Converse third team All-America. He led NYU to a 18-2 record and a regional bid to the NCAA tournament. The Violets lost 57-49 to North Carolina in the first round and then defeated Harvard 67-61 in the regional consolation game (Sid averaged 7.5 points per game in the two contests). In 1947, Tannenbaum was named Helms first team All-America and Converse second team All-America, and captained NYU to a 12-9 record. That year, Sid also received the Bar Kochba Award as America's outstanding Jewish athlete.

After his terrific college career at NYU, Tannenbaum played two seasons in the NBA's predecessor, the BAA (Basketball Association of America). He joined the New York Knicks in 1947-48 and contributed to their second place finish in the Eastern Division (26-22). In the playoffs, they lost in the quarterfinals to the eventual league champions. the Baltimore Bullets, 2-1. In 1948-49, Tannenbaum began the season with the Knicks, then moved to the Baltimore Bullets midseason. The Bullets finished the season 29-31 and lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Knicks, 2-1; Sid always seemed to be on the wrong side when the two teams met in the playoffs.

Tannenbaum retired following the season after playing in 70 career games. He is a member of the Helms Hall of Fame, the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame, and the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Origin:
Brooklyn, New York

Career Dates:
Tannenbaum played guard at New York University from 1944-1947. He played guard in the BAA with the New York Knicks in 1947-48, and for the Baltimore Bullets in 1948-49.

Physical description:
6'0", 160 pounds

Career Statistics:
In the NBA:
Games: 70
Points: 633
Points Per Game: 9.0

Field Goals Made: 236
Field Goals Attempted: 861
Field Goal Percentage: .274

Free Throws Made: 161
Free Throws Attempted: 194
Free Throw Percentage: .830

Rebounds: not available
Assists: 162
Assists Per Game: 2.3
Personal Fouls: 107

NBA playoffs:
Games: 6
Points: 47
Points Per Game: 7.8

Field Goals Made: 17
Field Goals Attempted: 62
Field Goal Percentage: .274

Free Throws Made: 13
Free Throws Attempted: 16
Free Throw Percentage: .813
Rebounds: not available
Assists: 14
Assists Per Game: 2.3
Personal Fouls: 13

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