Edward Wachter
Inducted:
1961
Player Stats
6 ft 1in (1.85m)
Born
June 30, 1883
Troy, New York, U.S.
Died
March 12, 1966
Troy, New York, U.S.
Position:
Center
College:
NA
Edward “Ed” Wachter was one of the greatest professional basketball players of the early 20th century and one of the dominant centers of the pre-NBA era. Beginning his professional career at age 16,he played for more than two decades and became renowned for his scoring, defense, rebounding, passing and innovative approach to the game.
Wachter was the centerpiece of the powerful Troy Trojans and played for several of the leading professional teams of his era. He was also credited with pioneering the bounce pass and helped popularize important offensive and defensive techniques that became fundamental to modern basketball. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1961 as a player.
Wachter's Awards and Honors
- 4× League Champion with the Troy Trojans
- All-League center, Western Pennsylvania Basketball League (1900–1902)
- All-League center, New England Basketball League (1902–1904)
- All-time All-American basketball center (1928)
NBA Teams
Troy Trojans (1909–1915)
Utica Utes (1915–1916)
Albany Senators (1920–1921)
NBA Stats
Professional Career:
23 years
Professional Games:
1,800+
National AAU Basketball title:
1 (1905)
Hudson River League championship:
2 (1910, 1912)
New York State League championship;
2 (1912, 2015)