Zack Clayton
Personal information
Born(1913-04-17)April 17, 1913
Gloucester County, Virginia, U.S.
DiedNovember 20, 1997(1997-11-20) (aged 84)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Career information
High schoolSimon Gratz
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
Zack Clayton
First baseman
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
Negro league baseball debut
1932, for the Philadelphia Bacharach Giants
Last appearance
1945, for the Baltimore Elite Giants
Teams

Zachary M. Clayton, (April 17, 1913 November 20, 1997) was a basketball player for the New York Rens.[1] He was also a Negro league baseball player and a professional boxing referee. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.[2]

As a boy, Clayton's family moved from Virginia to Philadelphia. Clayton played at the Christian Street YMCA along with Charles "Tarzan" Cooper, Jackie Bethards and Bill Yancey. There they began four fruitful careers on a squad called the Tribune Men.[3] Clayton also played for the Harlem Globetrotters.[4] Clayton would win world championships with both teams.[4] Clayton is enshrined in the Philadelphia basketball Hall of Fame.[5] Clayton later became a boxing referee. His most famous bout was the 1974 Ali-Foreman "Rumble In The Jungle". Clayton also refereed Muhammad Ali's last fight, against Trevor Berbick in 1981.[6] Clayton was a lieutenant in the Philadelphia Fire Department for 26 years. He retired in 1979.

References

  1. Grasso, John (15 November 2010). Historical Dictionary of Basketball. ISBN 9780810875067.
  2. "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees". NBA.com.
  3. Mangan, JA (2004). Ethnicity, Sport, Identity: Struggles For Status. Routledge. ISBN 0-7146-8458-9.
  4. 1 2 Jackson, Hal; Haskins, James (2003). The House that Jack Built. ISBN 9780972751940.
  5. "New York Renaissance ('Rens') - The Black Fives Foundation". blackfives.org.
  6. "Some Harlem Rens Became Famous Boxing Officials After Basketball". blackfives.org.


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