Oscar Furlong facts for kids
Furlong, playing with Gimnasia y Esgrima de Villa del Parque, circa 1950–1953.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 22 October 1927 Buenos Aires, Argentina |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Argentine | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 11 June 2018 (aged 90) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2.75 in (1.90 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College | SMU (1953–1956) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1944–1957 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1944–1957 | Gimnasia V. Parque | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As player:
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medals
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Oscar Alberto Furlong Chretienneau (born October 22, 1927 – died June 11, 2018) was an amazing Argentine basketball player. He also played and coached tennis. Oscar was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
As a basketball player, he helped Argentina win the FIBA World Cup in 1950. He also played in the 1948 and 1952 Summer Olympic Games. Oscar Furlong was honored by being added to the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007.
Contents
Early Life and Basketball Career
People called Oscar Furlong Pillín and El Primer Crack. He started playing basketball and tennis at a local club in Villa del Parque. Later, he focused more on basketball. He played in the youth teams for Club Gimnasia y Esgrima de Villa del Parque.
Oscar joined the club's main team in 1944. He helped them win the Torneo Metropolitano Buenos Aires League title six times. These wins were in 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1951, and 1954. This was part of an amateur league in Argentina.
In 1953, Furlong went to Southern Methodist University in the United States. He played college basketball there for the SMU Mustangs. He finished college in 1956. During his time there, his team reached the 1956 NCAA Final Four. He played alongside Jim Krebs, who later became an NBA player.
Playing for Argentina
At the 1948 London Summer Olympic Games, Oscar Furlong played as a center. He scored 18 points against the United States team. Argentina lost 59–57, but they played very well against the strong US team.
After the game, the US coach, Omar Browning, said Furlong was "one of the finest ball players I ever saw". Argentina finished fifteenth in the 1948 Olympics basketball tournament. They did not make it to the final eight teams.
After the Olympics, Furlong was offered chances to play in the United States. He was invited to join NBA teams like the Minneapolis Lakers and Baltimore Bullets. He also had an offer from Adolph Rupp at the University of Kentucky. However, Furlong chose not to accept these offers.
Furlong was a key player for the Argentine team that won the gold medal. This was at the 1950 FIBA World Championship. He was the second-highest scorer in the tournament. He was also named to the FIBA World Cup All-Tournament Team. Best of all, he was chosen as the MVP of the tournament. In the final game against the United States, he scored 20 points.
In 1951, he helped Argentina win a silver medal in basketball. This was at the 1951 Pan American Games. At the 1952 Helsinki Summer Olympics, his team finished fourth. They lost to the United States in the semifinals.
In 1953, his team won the gold medal at the World University Games. After this, he received a scholarship to play basketball at Southern Methodist University. In 1955, he helped Argentina win another silver medal. This was at the 1955 Pan American Games.
Retirement from Basketball and Tennis Career
In 1957, Oscar Furlong had to stop playing basketball at age 30. This happened because of a new rule change in Argentina. The rule said that all players on Argentina's FIBA World Cup team were considered "professional". This was because they had received gifts, like cars. This went against the "Amateurism Code" of the IOC.
On January 8, 1957, all players from the Argentine FIBA World Cup team were banned from playing basketball for life.
After his basketball career ended, Furlong started playing tennis. He became very good and reached seventh place in Argentina's national tennis rankings. In 1966, he joined the committee of the Argentine Tennis Association (AAT). He became Vice-President and later coached the Argentine Davis Cup team. In 1977, his team reached the semifinals of the 1977 Davis Cup.
Images for kids
-
Furlong, playing with Gimnasia y Esgrima de Villa del Parque, circa 1950–1953.
See also
In Spanish: Oscar Furlong para niños
