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Clair Bee May Have Had a Point
He knew sports and gambling was a dangerous mix.
And unless you are of a certain age, you are not doubt wondering who Clair Bee is. Even if you are of a certain age, you might wonder. No. it’s not Aunt Bee’s sister. Actually, Clair Bee was an author who wrote kids sports books back in the 50s and 60s. He wrote a series of books abound the hero, Chip Hilton.
Hilton played baseball, basketball and football. Chip was a star pitcher in baseball, scorer in basketball, and quarterback in football. The books followed Chip’s career from a freshman in high school through college.
The books instilled sportsmanship, high principles, and things that are generally yada yadaed today. The books put a negative slant on pro sports, and the idea of turning pro playing for money was viewed as almost sacrilegious. There was one thing that was more evil than anything else. Gamblers.
Clair Bee, coach
Clair Bee was a remarkably successful collegiate basketball coach, being the only coach in history to win the NIT and NCAA tournaments in the same year. He won two national championships, and his team was destroyed by a point shaving scandal. The scandal involved numerous players from several teams. Check out this link for a quick overview: CCNY point-shaving scandal — Wikipedia
