Frank Benjamin "Pep" Saul Jr. (February 16, 1924 – November 7, 2019) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Rochester Royals, Baltimore Bullets and Minneapolis Lakers. Saul won four consecutive NBA championships from 1951 to 1954. He played college basketball for the Seton Hall Pirates and had his number 3 retired by the team.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 16, 1924 Oradell, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | November 7, 2019 (aged 95) East Hanover, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
|
| College | Seton Hall (1942–1943, 1946–1949) |
| BAA draft | 1949: 1st round, 10th overall pick |
| Selected by the Rochester Royals | |
| Playing career | 1949–1955 |
| Position | Guard |
| Number | 03, 33, 18, 10 |
| Career history | |
| 1949–1951 | Rochester Royals |
| 1951–1952 | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1952–1955 | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 2,152 (5.6 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 683 (2.0 rpg) |
| Assists | 596 (1.6 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Early life
editSaul was born in Oradell and raised in Westwood, New Jersey, as the eldest of eight children to Frank and Lena Saul.[1] He attended Holy Trinity High School in Hackensack, where he captained the baseball and basketball teams to state championships.[1] He transferred to Seton Hall Preparatory in West Orange for his senior year.[2]
College basketball career
editSaul played collegiately for the Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball, leaving college after his freshman year to serve for three years in the United States Army during World War II. He scored his 1,000th career point in a game against Creighton University on March 5, 1949, making him the first player from Seton Hall to reach that milestone.[2]
Professional career
editSaul won four consecutive NBA championships with the Rochester Royals in 1951 and with the Minneapolis Lakers from 1952 to 1954. He, Steve Kerr and Patrick McCaw are the only three players in NBA history who won three championships with two different teams in consecutive seasons,[3] with him and Kerr winning four times in a row.
Later life and death
editSaul worked in insurance after his athletic retirement.[1] He worked with State Farm and James E. Wordley Agency before he opened his own agency in 1967; he sold his business in 1994.[1]
Saul was married to his wife for 72 years and had eight children.[1] He was a resident of East Hanover, New Jersey.[2] Saul died on November 7, 2019, at the age of 95.[1]
Career statistics
edit| 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 |
| † | Won an NBA championship | * | Led the league |
Playing
editNBA
editSource[4]
Regular season
edit| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949–50 | Rochester | 49 | – | .404 | .723 | – | .6 | 3.7 |
| 1950–51† | Rochester | 63 | – | .339 | .686 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 4.3 |
| 1951–52 | Baltimore | 39 | 18.5 | .339 | .800 | 2.2 | 2.0 | 5.6 |
| 1951–52† | Minneapolis | 25 | 30.4 | .389 | .763 | 3.2 | 2.7 | 8.6 |
| 1952–53† | Minneapolis | 70 | 25.7 | .397 | .710 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 7.4 |
| 1953–54† | Minneapolis | 71 | 25.4 | .347 | .753 | 2.2 | 2.0 | 6.4 |
| 1954–55 | Milwaukee | 65 | 17.5 | .317 | .772 | 2.1 | 1.6 | 4.4 |
| Career | 384 | 23.0 | .360 | .739 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 5.6 | |
Playoffs
edit| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Rochester | 2 | – | .538 | .800 | – | 2.0 | 9.0 |
| 1951† | Rochester | 9 | – | .333 | .500 | .3 | .7 | 1.0 |
| 1952† | Minneapolis | 13 | 40.8 | .463 | .729 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 11.3 |
| 1953† | Minneapolis | 12* | 24.8 | .419 | .727 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 7.2 |
| 1954† | Minneapolis | 13* | 17.5 | .353 | .735 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 4.7 |
| Career | 49 | 27.7 | .428 | .730 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 6.6 | |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "Frank Saul Obituary". Dignity Memorial. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
- ^ a b c Iseman, Chris (February 9, 2016). "Where are they now? Seton Hall basketball star Frank 'Pep' Saul". The Record. Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
- ^ Hudson, Jr., David L. (2007). Basketball Championships' Most Wanted. Potomac Books, Inc. p. 202. ISBN 978-1-59797-014-3. Retrieved May 25, 2022 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Pep Saul NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
External links
edit- Career statistics from NBA.com and Basketball Reference