Thursday, 05 June 2025
Clair Bee
- Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Coaches 2025
- Sport(s): Basketball
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Statistics:
2 NIT Championships (1939 & 1941)
1 Helms National Championship (1939)
412-87 NCAA Record
Member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame -
Clare Bee’s basketball coaching career began at Rider, where, after three winning seasons, he moved on to Long Island University in 1931 and took over their program, which he held for twenty years.
Bee led LIU to two NIT Championships (1939 & 1941) and under his hand, the Blackbirds had a winning percentage well over .800. Considered one of the most innovative coaches of his day (his nickname was, in fact, The Innovator), Bee’s mind devised the 1-3-1 defense. He pushed (and got) the three-second rule in the foul lane. He wrote multiple publications on coaching and was beloved by his players and community alike, though this came crashing down around him in 1951.
Eight of his players were implicated in the 1951 CCNY Point Shaving Scandal, which rocked the sport and forced Bee to resign, although he was not aware of his players' actions. Bee later coached the Baltimore Bullets in the NBA, and remained active in the sport with coaching manuals and books.
We are proud to nominate Clare Bee for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.
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