Black, Hughie

Edwin Black

Black was one of the founders of the Philadelphia Sphas, one of the greatest of the early professional teams. Speaking of the Jewish squad, Black explained, "...there was a social club called the South Philadelphia Hebrew Association. Some of the members were athletically inclined and they knew us from Southern [High School in Philadelphia]...half (the fans) would come to see the Jews killed, and the other half were Jews coming to see our boys win...ironically, we played most of our early games in churches against teams sponsored by the churches."

Hughie later became a physical education teacher in South Philadelphia, and bought a small camp for girls in the Poconos in 1931, calling it Pine Forest Camp, and bringing in Temple coach (and future Hall of Famer) Harry Litwack as a partner. The camp is still run by the Black family. Black is a member of the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Birth and Death Dates:
unknown

Career Highlights:
In the second decade of the 20th century, Black was one of Philadelphia's best basketball players, helping Southern High School win three consecutive city titles (1914-1916). At a time when the city's best players were Jewish, Black and other Jewish players introduced a new style of play. Behind a quick-passing running game, these Jewish players dominated their opponents, who relied on bullying and fighting. In 1918, Black and former high school teammates Harry Passon and Hall of Famer Eddie Gottlieb organized an amateur team under the banner of the Young Men's Hebrew Association (which provided the uniforms).

After the YMHA withdrew its sponsorship in 1921, Black and his partners found a home at the South Philadelphia Hebrew Association. The social club provided uniforms with the acronym SPHAs across the chest in Hebrew letters, and the teams would be forever known as the Philadelphia Sphas. The Sphas became one of the greatest barnstorming teams in the early days of professional basketball, and, under the leadership of Gottlieb, dominated any league they entered.

Black was the team's original captain and helped the Sphas capture the Philadelphia League title in 1921 and 1922. Hughie then attended the Normal School in Philadelphia and became a teacher, selling his shares of the club to Gottlieb. By the early 1930s, Black was no longer associated with the team, but for 15 years the Sphas became known as the best squad in the ABL (American Basketball League), when the league was the top semi-pro league in the East.

Origin:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Physical description:
5'7"

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