Billy Gabor
'Cuse To Retire Gabor's Jersey March 1
2/19/2009 1:45:14 PM | Men's Basketball
SYRACUSE, NY -- Syracuse University will retire the jersey of All-American Billy Gabor on March 1 when the Orange host Cincinnati at the Carrier Dome. Gabor, a two-time Helms Foundation All-American at Syracuse, was the program's top scorer for four seasons between 1942-and-1948.
Gabor's jersey will join those of Dave Bing, Derrick Coleman, Sherman Douglas, Vic Hanson, Billy Owens, Wilmeth Sadat-Singh, Rony Seikaly, and Dwayne “Pearl” Washington, which have been previously honored.
Gabor, who wore number 17, was a fixture in the Syracuse lineup during the 1942-43, 1945-46, 1946-47 and 1947-48 seasons. He missed two seasons while serving in the U.S. Air Force during World War II. Gabor was the first SU player to tally 400 season points when he scored 409 in 1946-47. He also was the first to score 1,000 career points, finishing with 1,344. He still ranks tied for 28th in career scoring at SU. Gabor set what was then the school record for game points, scoring 36
He was coached at Syracuse by Lewis Andreas. After playing on a sub-.500 club his first season, in 1942-43 (8-10), Gabor returned from the armed forces to help the Orange post a 23-4 record in 1945-46. The squad was the first to win 20 games at Syracuse and earned the program's first NIT berth. The following campaign, SU was 19-6 and played in the NCAA District II Play-off. In Gabor's final campaign, the Orange was 11-13.
Gabor, who was nicknamed "The Bullet" because of his quickness, was named to the Syracuse All-Century Team in 2000, one of two Syracuse performers selected who played before 1950. Prior to that, he was honored as an SU LetterWinner of Distinction and received the Hardwood Club's Vic Hanson Medal of Excellence.
He was signed by the NBA's Syracuse Nationals in 1948 and played seven seasons with the club. Gabor was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team in 1948-49 and was picked for the NBA All-Star game in 1953. He accumulated 3,352 points in the NBA and averaged in double digits in 1949-50 (10.9 ppg.) and 1950-51 (11.3 ppg.). Gabor was a member of the Nationals' NBA Championship club in 1954-55. His career was cut short by hepatitis.
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