Alan Leigh Sawyer (January 1, 1928 – June 30, 2012[1]) was an American professional basketball player for the Washington Capitols of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins from 1945 to 1950.[2] He missed the end of the 1948–49 season after an appendectomy.[3] Sawyer helped lead the 1949–50 team to their first Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) championship.[2] He was named to the first team of the All-Southern Division PCC team in 1949,[3] and voted to the second team in 1950.[4] He was selected in the third round of the 1950 NBA draft by the Capitols.[5]

Alan Sawyer
Sawyer, circa 1948
Personal information
BornJanuary 1, 1928
Long Beach, California, U.S.
DiedJune 30, 2012(2012-06-30) (aged 84)
Sequim, Washington, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High schoolSan Pedro (San Pedro, California)
CollegeUCLA (1945–1946, 1948–1950)
NBA draft1950: 3rd round
Selected by the Washington Capitols
Playing career1950–1951
PositionForward
Number29, 17
Career history
1950–1951Washington Capitols
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference

After the Capitols were disbanded mid-season in 1951, its players were allocated to other teams, and Sawyer was drafted by the Tri-Cities Blackhawks.[6] However, he decided to return to the University of California, Los Angeles, to complete his degree.[7]

Sawyer later became a math teacher and coached basketball at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California.[1][2]

NBA career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

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Year Team GP FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1950–51 Washington 33 .370 .860 3.7 0.8 6.6
Career 33 .370 .860 3.7 0.8 6.6

References

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  1. ^ a b "Alan Leigh Sawyer Obituary". The Peninsula Daily News. July 13, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c "SPHS great went on to star with early Wooden teams". News-Pilot. San Pedro, California. October 15, 1994. p. A6. Retrieved February 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b "Two Bruins Land on All-Star Club". Los Angeles Times. March 17, 1949. Part IV, p. 3. Retrieved February 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Hoop Coaches Select All-Star Northern, Southern Quintets". Herald and News. Klamath Falls, Oregon. March 9, 1950. p. 10. Retrieved February 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Finney, Ryan (2010). "2010–11 UCLA Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). UCLA Athletic Department. pp. 107–8. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 8, 2011.
  6. ^ Hayden, Fred (January 9, 1951). "NBA to lose Caps, Face Garden Loss". The Ithaca Journal. AP. p. 11. Retrieved February 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Tribe Gets 91–85 Win in Brief Home Stay Saturday". Moline Daily Dispatch. January 22, 1951. p. 17. Retrieved February 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.