Joe Colone
Encyclopedia
Joseph F. "Bells" Colone (January 23, 1924 – July 1, 2009) was an American
professional basketball player for the New York Knicks
.
in Berwick
, Pennsylvania
and then played basketball collegiately at Bloomsburg State Teachers College
(now named Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania).
. At 6 feet 5 inches tall and 210 pounds, Joe played the forward position. He only played for one season in the NBA and appeared in 15 games while averaging 5.5 points.
, New Jersey
to teach. He taught at Woodbury Junior-Senior High School
from 1954–1986. He was an assistant coach for the football
and basketball teams there. Colone mentored rising basketball star Dave Budd
, who later went on to play at Wake Forest University
and then, coincidentally, the New York Knicks
. Budd is still the only Woodbury High School graduate to ever reach the NBA. Budd's career lasted five seasons and he was also responsible in sharing the duty of guarding Wilt Chamberlain
during his 100–point game
. Budd and Colone stayed friends throughout the rest of Colone's life.
Joe "Bells" Colone died at age 83 on July 1, 2009 after many years of fighting various illnesses. He had been married to his wife Genevieve for 57 years and had five children – four sons and one daughter.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketball player for the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
.
Early life
Colone attended Berwick High SchoolBerwick Area Senior High School
Berwick Area Senior High School is a public high school in Berwick, a borough located in Columbia County, in Northeastern Pennsylvania, USA...
in Berwick
Berwick, Pennsylvania
Berwick is a borough in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, 22.6 miles southwest of Wilkes Barre. Berwick is one of two principal cities of the Bloomsburg–Berwick Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Columbia and Montour counties and had a combined population of 82,387...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and then played basketball collegiately at Bloomsburg State Teachers College
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, commonly referred to as Bloomsburg, BU or Bloom, is a public university in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, United States...
(now named Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania).
Professional career
He was not drafted into the NBA but still managed to make the Knicks' roster for the 1948–49 season1948-49 NBA season
The 1948–49 BAA season was the third and final season of the Basketball Association of America , before the league changed its name to the National Basketball Association , the following season...
. At 6 feet 5 inches tall and 210 pounds, Joe played the forward position. He only played for one season in the NBA and appeared in 15 games while averaging 5.5 points.
Personal
After his brief stint in the NBA, Colone migrated to WoodburyWoodbury, New Jersey
Woodbury is a city in Gloucester County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, 10,307 residents were counted. Woodbury is the county seat of Gloucester County....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
to teach. He taught at Woodbury Junior-Senior High School
Woodbury Junior-Senior High School
Woodbury Junior-Senior High School is a comprehensive community middle school and public high school that serves students in sixth through twelfth grades from Woodbury, in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Woodbury Public Schools system.As of the 2008-09 school year, the...
from 1954–1986. He was an assistant coach for the football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and basketball teams there. Colone mentored rising basketball star Dave Budd
Dave Budd
David L. "Dave" Budd is a retired American basketball player who used to play for the National Basketball Association's New York Knicks.-Woodbury High School:...
, who later went on to play at Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
and then, coincidentally, the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. Budd is still the only Woodbury High School graduate to ever reach the NBA. Budd's career lasted five seasons and he was also responsible in sharing the duty of guarding Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain was an American professional NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; he also played for the Harlem Globetrotters prior to playing in the NBA...
during his 100–point game
Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game
Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game, named by the National Basketball Association as one of its greatest games, was a regular-season game between the Philadelphia Warriors and the New York Knicks held on March 2, 1962, at Hersheypark Arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania.The Warriors won the game 169-147,...
. Budd and Colone stayed friends throughout the rest of Colone's life.
Joe "Bells" Colone died at age 83 on July 1, 2009 after many years of fighting various illnesses. He had been married to his wife Genevieve for 57 years and had five children – four sons and one daughter.