Winter Auction 2017 Ending January 29
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/29/2017
Offered here is a program for the 1963 Hurricane Basketball Classic signed by Muhammad Ali as Cassius Clay. The Hurricane Classic that year featured multiple future Hall of Famers and important players. Dave Bing, a Hall of Fame guard and former Mayor of Detroit suited up for the Syracuse Orangemen, alongside future coach Jim Boeheim, then a sophomore guard. Rick Barry and Bill Bradley, an NBA All-Star and former Senator from New Jersey, also took part in this mid-winter tournament. Syracuse defeated Bill Bradley’s Princeton Tigers and Rick Barry’s Miami Hurricanes behind Dave Bing’s 29 points to come away with the title.
The cover of this program features two cartoon basketball players, with the names of the teams competing receiving marquee billing. Syracuse, Princeton, Army, and Miami took part in this edition of the Hurricane Classic. The inside of this program features the box scores from the first two games of the tournament, Syracuse vs Princeton and Miami vs Army. It is scored in blue ballpoint pen. The back of the 7 x 11 inch program gives a short preview of the tournament and a recap of past Hurricane Classics.
Ali signed the front of this green program in blue and black ballpoint pen. Ali signed this when he still went by his birth name of Cassius Clay, so he signed it as such. There is a slight crease on the front cover that bisects Ali’s signature. This item comes with a JSA LOA (Z11248).