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USF Basketball Legend Hal Perry Passes Away
May 3, 2009
(San Francisco) - The University of San Francisco and Dons Basketball lost a dear member of its family with the passing of Hal Perry, a member of USF's back-to-back NCAA Championship basketball teams in 1955-56. Perry passed away Thursday, April 30 in the East Bay after a long illness. A USF Hall-of-Famer, Perry was a starter and played a key role as the Dons rose to the pinnacle of the college basketball world in the mid-1950s. San Francisco made history featuring three African-American starters, including Perry along with future Naismith Hall-of-Famers K.C. Jones and Bill Russell. In two years as a starter, under the guidance of the legendary Phil Woolpert, the Dons posted a 57-1 record from 1954-56, including an unblemished 29-0 mark in 1955-56 en route to their second consecutive NCAA Championship. As a junior, Perry averaged 6.9 points and 1.9 rebounds per game and increased his output to 9.1 points and 1.9 rebounds as a senior. During the 1956 Final Four, Perry averaged 14.0 points and was selected to the all-tournament team. In addition, Perry captured West Coast Athletic Conference Second Team honors in 1956. A 1956 graduate of the University of San Francisco, Perry earned his degree in English. After leaving USF, Perry became an attorney, graduating from Lincoln Law School and began a successful private practice. In 2008, he was inducted into the African American Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame. Funeral services for Hal Perry will be held Thursday, May 7, 2009 at Fouche's Hudson Funeral Home in Oakland. Services will start at 11:00 AM. Fouche's Hudson Funeral Home Letters and cards of condolence may be sent to:
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