Lew Alcindor UCLA Game Worn Jersey Sets New Auction Record PR
Tag Archives: NCAA
The sale of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 1966-67 game worn UCLA Bruins home jersey for $137,849 back on November 5 at SCP Auctions set a new record price for a college jersey. The previous auction record for a college gamer belonged to Christian Laettner’s 1992 Duke Blue Devils home jersey which sold for $119,500 in 2014.
On the weekend of the annual Naismith Hall of Fame inductions, we’ve learned SCP Auctions will be offering a jersey that would be at home in Springfield, MA.
Only three more weeks remain in order to consign your prized sports memorabilia and graded cards in SCP Auctions’ 2016 Mid-Summer Classic. No other company will work harder to achieve outstanding results for your single item or collection through the online auction format. Hundreds of coveted items are already in the mix so don’t delay, call SCP Auctions today. The consignment deadline of June 17th is fast approaching!
Top lots thus far include: college basketball legend John Wooden’s circa 1970’s UCLA Basketball Coach’s jacket; the late Wilt Chamberlain’s 1971-72 game-worn L.A. Lakers warm-up jacket from that NBA championship season; a prized 1933 Goudey #149 Babe Ruth card (NM-MT PSA 8); a 1965 Topps #122 Joe Namath rookie card (NM-MT+ PSA 8.5); and Larry Bird’s circa 1978 Indiana State University game-worn warm-up jacket and pants. 
Overall, the auction will boast more than 1,000 sought-after prized memorabilia and cards and will no doubt be another event that media outlets around the world will be watching. Contact us today by either calling 949-831-3700 or emailing info@scpauctions.com to make your dream into a reality and score top dollar for your personal consignment(s).
Did you know that SCP Auctions has already set world record prizes in multiple categories across the industry? In fact, five of the top 10 highest priced sports items ever sold were sold by SCP Auctions including Babe Ruth’s circa 1920 New York Yankees game-worn road jersey, $4,400,000, highest price ever obtained for any piece of sports memorabilia; 1857 “Laws of Base Ball” documents authored by then-New York Knickerbocker Base Ball Club President Daniel Lucius “Doc” Adams, $3,263,246, highest price ever paid for a baseball document or player contract; Jesse Owens’ 1936 Olympic gold medal from the Berlin Summer Games, $1,466,000, highest price ever for any Olympic memorabilia; and Julius “Dr. J” Erving’s 1974 New York Nets ABA Championship Ring, $460,741, the top price ever for any championship ring in history. -Terry Melia
In the fall of 1951, Ollie Matson did everything right. As the punishing, 220-pound senior running back for the University of San Francisco, Matson – a 6’ 2” African-American – led the nation in rushing (1,566 yards) and scoring (21 touchdowns, 126 points) and guided the Dons to a perfect 9-0 season. 
Despite the team’s undefeated record, the USF Dons were not invited to play in any postseason bowl games. It was reported later that the Dons were not granted a bowl bid because the Orange, Sugar and Gator Bowls, all based in the South, did not consider inviting any teams that had black players. The jersey that Matson wore during that unforgettable season will now be going on the auction block at www.scpauctions.com starting April 8. A featured item in SCP Auctions’ online Spring Premier, the jersey could fetch $15,000 or more.
“This is a significant item in so many respects,” said SCP Auctions’ Vice President Dan Imler. “Not only was Matson a star running back who was clearly the best in the country that year, but the USF Dons actually turned down an eventual invite to the Orange Bowl after the selection committee would only allow them to play if they left their two black players behind. The team said no to that requirement, so this jersey represents both excellence on the field as well as honor among teammates.”
The circa 1951 green-and-white No. 33 nylon jersey, size 42, exhibits incredible wear and usage with noticeable fading and yellowing over time to go along with frayed numbers, rips and slight tears. 
A classic, vintage piece of sports memorabilia, the jersey symbolizes one of history’s groundbreaking African-American football players. It originates as a primary source acquisition from the esteemed Helms Athletic Foundation/LA84 Collection, a once prominent sports museum based in Los Angeles that originally opened its doors in 1936.
Matson, who died four years ago this week at the age of 80, went on to play 14 seasons in the NFL and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972. Online bidding, open to registered bidders, will run for two-and-a-half weeks and conclude on Saturday, April 25. -Terry Melia
In the fall of 1951, Ollie Matson did everything right. As the punishing, 220-pound senior running back for the University of San Francisco, Matson – a 6′ 2″ African-American – led the nation in rushing (1,566 yards) and scoring (21 touchdowns, 126 points) and guided the Dons to a perfect 9-0 season.
Few coaches in history have come close to the success of John Wooden, the late men’s basketball coach at UCLA. Nicknamed the “Wizard of Westwood” he produced 27 straight winning campaigns for the Bruins, compiling an incredible record of 620-147 (.808 winning percentage). As UCLA’s head coach he won 10 NCAA national championships in a 12-year period, including an unprecedented seven in a row from 1967 to ‘73. Within that time-frame, his teams won a record 88 straight games, which remains an NCAA basketball record. Not surprisingly, he was named national coach of the year six different times. SCP Auctions is proud to present Wooden’s circa 1970s UCLA Basketball Coach’s Jacket in its upcoming Spring Premier. Worn by Wooden during his later years at the helm, it’s a treasured piece of college basketball memorabilia from one of the greatest coaches in history. The auction begins April 8 and runs through April 25.
Many people may not be aware, but Wooden was quite an accomplished player himself long before assuming the coaching reigns. Born in Hall, Indiana in 1910, he became a play-making guard at nearby Martinsville High School and led the Artesians to three straight state championship games, losing as a sophomore and a senior but winning it all as a junior in 1927. After graduating in 1928, he attended Purdue University and became the first consensus three-time All-American in the history of college basketball. He helped the Boilermakers win a Helms Athletic Foundation National Championship in 1932, seven years before the birth of the NCAA Tournament. Wooden would eventually be named a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player (inducted in 1961) and as a coach (in 1973), the first person ever to be enshrined in both categories.
-Terry Melia
