Al Cervi

• 1. The Hard-Nosed Defender

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  Alfred Nicholas Cervi was born on the 12th of February 1917 in Buffalo, New York. He attended East High School where he captained both the baseball and basketball teams. His high school career earned him All-City honors in two different sports. Cervi left school after his junior year to join the Buffalo Bisons of the National Basketball League. The Bisons played only nine games during their single season in 1937, 38. He never attended college but served five years in the United States Army Air Forces from 1940 through 1945. This military service interrupted his early athletic development before World War II ended.

• 2. Rochester Royals Victory

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  Cervi joined the Rochester Royals immediately after World War II concluded. The team entered its first year of operations when he arrived. They captured the 1945, 46 league title by sweeping the Sheboygan Red Skins in a best-of-five series. Cervi made the All-NBL First Team in 1947 and 1948. He led the team with 632 points during the 1946, 47 campaign. The Royals returned to the finals for two consecutive seasons following that victory. They lost both times to the Chicago American Gears and Minneapolis Lakers respectively. Cervi stayed with the NBL while other teammates moved to the Basketball Association of America.

• 3. Player Coach Dispute

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  Team owner Les Harrison denied Cervi's request for a $3,500 raise. Other teammates were earning more than his annual salary of $7,500. Cervi chose to stay in the National Basketball League instead of moving with the Royals. He joined the Syracuse Nationals who met his salary demands. The Nationals appointed him as player-coach in 1948. This dual role continued until his retirement as an active player in 1953. His last full season playing at least 50 games was 1952. He earned Coach of the Year honors after joining the new franchise.

• 4. Syracuse Dynasty Years

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  The Syracuse teams he piloted took on his relentlessly competitive nature. Cervi played a major role in developing Dolph Schayes. The Nationals qualified for the playoffs in eight of nine seasons under his leadership. They reached the NBA Finals three times during this period. The team lost to the Minneapolis Lakers in six games in 1950. They also lost to the same opponent in seven games in 1954. Cervi led his squad to win the NBA Championship over the Fort Wayne Pistons in 1955. That series ended in seven games and marked the franchise's first title.

• 5. Business Career Shift

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  Cervi was replaced by team captain Paul Seymour when the Nationals started the 1956, 57 campaign at 4, 8. He coached one season with the Philadelphia Warriors in 1958 before leaving coaching entirely. He accepted a more lucrative job in trucking management as an area manager for Eastern Freightways, Inc. This business venture took him back to Rochester, New York. He declined a two-year offer to coach the Lakers in Los Angeles in 1960. His wife was reluctant to leave the Rochester area for California. He later served as head coach for the New Haven Elms during the 1966, 67 season.

• 6. Hall Of Fame Recognition

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  Alfred N. Cervi was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985. He received similar honors from the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. The basketball legend died on the 9th of November 2009, in Rochester, New York. He lived in the suburb of Brighton for the last 58 years of his life. A book titled Basketball History in Syracuse Hoops Roots featured his story. Author Mark Allen Baker published this work through The History Press in 2010. The text includes details about teams like Vic Hanson's All-Americans and the Syracuse Reds.