{{Short description|American basketball player (1918–1977)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox basketball biography | name = Red Wallace | image = Redwallace.png | image_size = | caption = Bas-relief sculpture of Red Wallace at the Elk Lake (Pa.) High School gym which bears his name | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 1 | weight_lb = 185 | birth_date = {{birth date|1918|7|12}} | birth_place = Simpson, Pennsylvania, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1977|7|7|1918|7|12}} | death_place = | high_school = Fell Township<br>(Fell Township, Pennsylvania) | college = *Keystone JC (1937–1939) *Scranton (1939–1941) | draft_year = | career_start = 1944 | career_end = 1957 | career_position = Guard | career_number = 13, 23, 17 | coach_start = 1957 | coach_end = 1965 | years1 = 1944–1945 | team1 = New York Gothams | years2 = 1946–1947 | team2 = Boston Celtics | years3 = 1947 | team3 = Toronto Huskies | years4 = 1947–1948 | team4 = Sunbury Mercuries | years5 = 1947–1949 | team5 = Scranton Miners | years6 = 1949–1951 | team6 = Paterson Crescents | years7 = 1951–1952 | team7 = Allentown Aces | years8 = 1954–1957 | team8 = Wilkes-Barre Barons | cyears1 = 1957–1977 | cteam1 = Elk Lake HS | cyears2 = 1958–1960 | cteam2 = Wilkes-Barre Barons | cyears3 = 1964–1965 | cteam3 = Scranton Miners | highlights = '''As player:''' * 2× EPBL champion (1955, 1956) '''As head coach:''' * EPBL champion (1959) * 2× PIAA state champion (1969, 1977) }} '''Michael John''' "'''Red'''" '''Wallace''' (July 12, 1918 – July 7, 1977) was an American professional basketball player and coach.<ref name=bbr>{{cite web | url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/wallare01.html | title=Red Wallace NBA stats| publisher=Sports Reference LLC | work=basketball-reference.com | accessdate=September 17, 2014}}</ref> He played for the Boston Celtics during the 1946–47 Basketball Association of America season, the first in the league's existence, before he was traded to the Toronto Huskies for Charlie Hoefer.<ref name=bbr/> He also played for various teams in the American Basketball League prior to his stint in the BAA. Wallace played in the Eastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL) for the Sunbury Mercuries during the 1947–48 season and Wilkes-Barre Barons from 1954 to 1957.<ref>{{cite web |title=Red Wallace minor league basketball statistics |url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbasketball/stats/p-wallared001 |website=Stats Crew |access-date=March 5, 2025}}</ref> He won EPBL championship with the Barons in 1955<ref>{{cite web |title=1954-55 Wilkes-Barre Barons Statistics |url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbasketball/stats/t-CBAPAB/y-1954 |website=Stats Crew |access-date=March 5, 2025}}</ref> and 1956.<ref>{{cite web |title=1955-56 Wilkes-Barre Barons Statistics |url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbasketball/stats/t-CBAPAB/y-1955 |website=Stats Crew |access-date=March 5, 2025}}</ref>
In college, Wallace played for two seasons at Keystone College, which at the time was a junior college, before finishing his career at the University of Scranton.<ref name=keystone>{{cite web | url=http://www.gokcgiants.com/hof.aspx?hof=3&path=&kiosk= | title=Keystone Giants Hall of Fame – Mike "Red" Wallace| publisher=Keystone College| work=GoKCGiants.com | accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref> In his post-playing career, Wallace coached teams in the EPBL, winning the league championship in 1958–59 with the Wilkes-Barre Barons.<ref name=keystone/> He was head coach of the Scranton Miners of the EPBL during the 1964–65 season.<ref>{{cite web |title=Red Wallace minor league basketball coaching records |url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbasketball/stats/c-wallared001 |website=Stats Crew |access-date=February 28, 2025}}</ref> Wallace also coached the Elk Lake (Pa.) High School boys' basketball team and won two state championships.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.pahoops.org/coaches2.htm | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130415161115/http://www.pahoops.org/coaches2.htm | url-status=usurped | archive-date=April 15, 2013 | title=Pennsylvania Basketball Coaches| publisher=PAHoops.org | accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref>
==BAA career statistics== {| class="toccolours" style="font-size: 90%; white-space: nowrap;" |- ! colspan="6" style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid #aaa;"| Legend |- | style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"| GP | Games played | style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"| FG% | style="padding-right: 8px" | Field-goal percentage |- | style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"| FT% | Free-throw percentage | style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"| APG | Assists per game |- | style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"| PPG | Points per game | style="background-color: #F2F2F2; border: 1px solid black" | '''Bold''' | Career high |- |}
===Regular season=== {| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;" |- ! Year ! Team ! GP ! FG% ! FT% ! APG ! PPG |- |style="text-align:left;"| 1946–47 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 24 || .246 || .438 || .8 || 5.5 |- |style="text-align:left;"| 1946–47 | style="text-align:left;"| Toronto | '''37''' || '''.291''' || '''.574''' || '''1.0''' || '''11.5''' |- |style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 61 || .278 || .541 || 1.0 || 9.1 |- |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wallace, Red}} Category:1918 births Category:1977 deaths Category:American expatriate basketball people in Canada Category:American men's basketball players Category:Basketball coaches from Pennsylvania Category:Basketball players from Pennsylvania Category:Boston Celtics players Category:Continental Basketball Association coaches Category:Guards (basketball) Category:High school basketball coaches in the United States Category:Junior college football players in the United States<!--Keystone was a junior college when Wallace played for them--> Category:Junior college men's basketball players in the United States<!--Keystone was a junior college when Wallace played for them--> Category:Keystone College alumni Category:Paterson Crescents players Category:Scranton Royals men's basketball players Category:Sportspeople from Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania Category:Toronto Huskies players Category:Wilkes-Barre Barons players