Charley Eckman

Charles Markwood "Charley" Eckman Jr. (September 10, 1921 – July 3, 1995) was an NBA basketball coach, minor league baseball player, NCAA and NBA basketball referee, broadcaster, and author.

He was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Eckman officiated over 3,500 games in 29 years. He is best known, however, as the head coach of the Fort Wayne/Detroit Pistons from 1954 through 1957. His hiring came as something of a surprise; he'd never coached at any level before. However, he led the Pistons to the 1955 and 1956 NBA Finals losing to the Syracuse Nationals in 1955 and the Philadelphia Warriors in 1956. He later became a longtime sportscaster in Baltimore.

In 1995, he died of colon cancer. His autobiography, It's a Very Simple Game! The Life and Times of Charley Eckman was published posthumously.

External links

• Web site dedicated to Eckman
• Charley Eckman and Fred Neil, It's a Very Simple Game! The Life and Times of Charley Eckman, Borderlands Press (1995), ISBN 1-880325-15-2
• Charley Eckman at Find a Grave

Preceded by Paul Birch

Fort Wayne/Detroit Pistons head coach 1954–1957

Succeeded by Red Rocha

Persondata
Name	Eckman, Charles Markwood
Alternative names	Eckman, "Charley"
Short description	American NBA and NCAA figure
Date of birth	September 10, 1921
Place of birth	Baltimore, Maryland
Date of death	July 3, 1995
Place of death	Glen Burnie, Maryland