Frank Harrigan

Frank Arnold Harrigan (c. 1904 – after 1934) was an American basketball player. As a student at the University of Michigan, he was a member of the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team from 1925 to 1928. He was the leading scorer on the 1925–26 and 1926-27 teams that won consecutive Big Ten Conference championships. He was also the captain of the 1927–28 team and the first Michigan basketball player to score over 100 points in three consecutive seasons. He continued playing organized basketball for several years after graduating from Michigan and was selected as an AAU All-American while playing AAU basketball for the Cook Paint and Varnish team that won the 1929 national championship. He later played semi-professional basketball for the Akron Goodyears from 1931 to 1934.

Frank Harrigan
Harrigan cropped from 1926-27 Michigan team portrait
Personal information
Bornc. 1904
Hairwood, West Virginia
Listed height6 ft 2.5 in (1.89 m)
Career information
CollegeMichigan (1925–1928)
Career highlights and awards

Early years

Harrigan was born in Hairwood, West Virginia in approximately 1904, but moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan as a child. At the time of the 1910 United States Census, Harrigan was living in Grand Rapids with his parents, Archibald Harrigan and Adelia Belle (Callaway) Harrigan, and three younger siblings. His father was employed as a superintendent for a plaster manufacturer.[1] At the time of the 1920 Census, Harrigan remained living with his family in Grand Rapids.[2] He graduated from Florence Union High School in 1923. While at Florence Union, he was the captain of the 1923 basketball team and was a member of the football and track teams, glee club, and art club. The Florence Union yearbook for 1923 said of Harrigan: "His fame was great in all the land."[3]

Student athlete at Michigan

Harrigan attended the University of Michigan. While attending Michigan, he played three years at the forward and guard positions for the basketball team from 1924 to 1927. As a sophomore, he was the leading scorer on the 1925–26 basketball team that finished in a tie for the Big Ten Conference basketball championship. As a junior, Harrigan and Bennie Oosterbaan led the 1926–27 team to a 14–2 record and the school's first outright Big Ten basketball championship. Harrigan led the 1926-27 team with 153 points, and Oosterbaan added 130 points. As a senior, Harrigan was the team captain and second leading scorer. Harrigan was the first player in Michigan basketball history to score over 100 points in three consecutive seasons, totaling 106, 153, and 172 points in his three seasons at Michigan.[4]

AAU and semi-professional basketball

Harrigan played AAU basketball after graduating from Michigan. He was a member of the Cook Paint and Varnish team out of Kansas City, Missouri. The Cook Paint team, commonly known as the "Cook Painter Boys," won the national AAU basketball championship in 1928 and again in 1929.[5] A December 1928 newspaper article on the Cook team noted: "Frank Harrigan, one of the regular forwards, was an all-Big Ten selection during his three years with the University of Michigan. Harrigan stands two and a half inches over the six-foot mark and is one of the fastest men on the squad."[6] Harrigan was known as "a deadly shot" for the 1929 Cook team,[7] and was selected as a first-team AAU All-American for the 1928–29 season.

At the time of the 1930 United States Census, Harrigan was living in Kansas City and was employed by a paint manufacturer.[8]

From 1931 to 1934, as elite corporate AAU teams began to evolve toward the creation of the first professional basketball league,[9] Harrigan played for the Akron Goodyears.[10][11][12]

References
  1. Harrigan, Archibald. "1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Year: 1910; Census Place: Grand Rapids Ward 8, Kent, Michigan; Roll: T624_657; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 0097; Image: 1028; FHL microfilm: 1374670". ancestry.com. United States Federal Census (as re-printed on Ancestry.com). Missing or empty |url= (help)(Census entry for Archibald Harrigan and family. Frank Harrigan was listed as being five years old and having been born in West Virginia.)
  2. Harrigan, Archibald. "1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Year: 1920; Census Place: Grand Rapids Ward 1, Kent, Michigan; Roll: T625_777; Page: 24A; Enumeration District: 32; Image: 400". ancestry.com. United States Federal Census (as re-printed on Ancestry.com). Missing or empty |url= (help)(Census entry for Archibald Harrigan and family. Frank Harrigan was listed as being 15 years old and having been born in West Virginia. His father remained employed as a superintendent with a plaster company.)
  3. Florence Union High School yearbook for 1923, page 19.
  4. "University of Michigan Basketball Record Book" (PDF). University of Michigan. pp. 23–24.
  5. "Painter Boys Smear Trail To National Title Again". Ogden Standard Examiner (Ogden, Utah) (AP story). February 12, 1929.("Frank Harrigan, captain and forward of the 1928 University of Michigan quintet, plays guard for the Cooks this season.")
  6. "Butte Awaits Acceptance of Cooks for Bobcat Contest". The Montana Standard, Butte, Montana. December 6, 1928.
  7. Adolph H. Grundman (2004). The Golden Age of Amateur Basketball: The AAU Tournament, 1921-1968. Univ. of Nebraska Press. p. 18. ISBN 0803271174.("The Painters returned ... and Frank Harrigan, a deadly shot from the University of Michigan.")
  8. Harrigan, Archibald. "1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Year: 1930; Census Place: Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri; Roll: 1195; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 74; Image: 350.0; FHL microfilm: 2340930". ancestry.com. United States Federal Census (as re-printed on Ancestry.com). Missing or empty |url= (help)(Census entry for Frank A. Harrigan, age 25, born in West Virginia.)
  9. The Akron team went on to win the first NBL championship in 1938.
  10. "With Akron Quintet". The Times Recorder (Zanesville, Ohio). January 30, 1932.("Pictured above is Frank Harrigan, former University of Michigan star, who will be seen in actin Saturday night when the Akron Goodyears meet the Richard Dry Cleaners in Junction City high school gymnasium. Harrigan plays forward for the Goodyears.")
  11. Harry Barnett (February 22, 1934). "Spinning The Sports Globe". The Charleroi Mail (Charleroi, Penn.).(article about the Akron Goodyears: "Frank Harrigan, who can play either forward or a back-court position, was a great player at University of Michigan. Later he played with the famous Cook Paints of Kansas City.")
  12. "Coaches Book Goodyear Five Here Sunday: Fast Akron Club Likely to Give Toledo Quintet Real Court Fight". The Toledo News-Bee. January 7, 1933.
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