NBA Don Played on 1949 NIT Championship Squad
(San Francisco) – Joe McNamee, a starting forward on USF's 1949 National Invitational Tournament Championship squad has passed away. He was 84.
A 1969 inductee into the USF Athletics Hall of Fame, McNamee was a key component for Pete Newell's Dons. McNameee was the second leading scorer for San Francisco, averaging 10.7 points on a front line featuring All-American Center Don Lofgran.
"We are saddened by the loss of Joe McNamee," USF Director of Athletics Scott Sidwell said. "Joe gave so much to the University of San Francisco, USF Athletics and Dons Basketball. We would like to extend our thoughts and prayers to his family at this difficult time."
San Francisco went a pedestrian 13-11 in 1948 before shocking the basketball world in 1949, posting a 21-5 regular season slate. The Dons were the first team from the West Coast selected to compete in the NIT Tournament and promptly rolled through the field, thanks in large part to McNamee, who averaged 9.8 points per game for the Dons, including a team-high 20 in a thrilling 64-63 triumph against Utah in the second round.
Following his senior season on the Hilltop, McNamee was selected in the first round (ninth overall pick) of the 1950 NBA draft by the Rochester Royals. As a rookie in 1950-51, McNamee helped the Royals win the franchise's lone NBA Championship, defeating the New York Knicks four games to three in the Finals. McNamee concluded his professional career with the Baltimore Bullets in 1951-52.
After basketball, McNamee embarked on a successful career with Watson and Meehan, a distributor for Cummins engines.
FUNERAL SERVICES: Family and friends are invited to attend a memorial mass Friday, July 22 at St. Sebastian Church in Kentfield. A reception will follow the mass.
