Mel Hirsch
Melvin M. Hirsch (July 31, 1921 – December 1968) was an American professional basketball player.[1][2] He played for the Boston Celtics of the Basketball Association of America (BAA), which would later become the National Basketball Association (NBA), for 13 games in the 1946–47 season. At 5 feet 6 inches tall, he was the shortest player in NBA history until Muggsy Bogues more than 40 years later. He is the third shortest NBA player of all time, after Bogues and Earl Boykins.
 Hirsch in 1945 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 31, 1921 |
| Died | December 1968 (aged 47) |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
| Listed weight | 165 lb (75 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Brooklyn (1939–1943) |
| Playing career | 1946–1947 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 3 |
| Career history | |
| 1946–1947 | Boston Celtics |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
A stand-out player at Brooklyn College, Hirsch graduated in 1943 and served in the US Army Air Corps as a Navigator on C-47 aircraft in the 13th Troop Carrier Squadron in the South Pacific. He played on the squadron's officer's basketball team.[3]
Hirsch died in December 1968, aged 47, from leukemia.
BAA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | ||||
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | ||||
| FT% | Free-throw percentage | ||||
| APG | Assists per game | ||||
| PPG | Points per game | ||||
References
- "Mel Hirsch Stats". Basketball Reference. Accessed on June 16, 2017.
- Grasso, John; Bradley, Robert; Hoover, Bill; Bender, David; Lawler, Frank (June 27, 2012). "Known deceased basketball individuals". APBR.org. The Association for Professional Basketball Research. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
- "The Thirsty 13th," by Seth Washburne, published 2011.