Mark Workman

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Mark Workman

| image =

| width =

| caption =

| number = 12, 24

| position = Center

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 9

| weight_lb = 215

| birth_date = {{birth date|1930|03|10}}

| birth_place = Logan, West Virginia, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1983|12|21|1930|03|10}}

| death_place = Bradenton, Florida, U.S.

| high_school = {{nowrap|Charleston (Charleston, West Virginia)}}

| college = West Virginia (1949–1952)

| draft_year = 1952

| draft_round = 1

| draft_pick = 1

| draft_team = Milwaukee Hawks

| career_start = 1952

| career_end = 1954

| years1 = {{nbay|1952|start}}

| team1 = Milwaukee Hawks

| years2 = {{nbay|1952|full=y}}

| team2 = Philadelphia Warriors

| years3 = {{nbay|1953|full=y}}

| team3 = Baltimore Bullets

| highlights =

Consensus second-team All-American (1952)
Third-team All-American – AP, Look (1951)

| stats_league = NBA

| stat1label = Points

| stat1value = 386 (4.9 ppg)

| stat2label = Rebounds

| stat2value = 230 (2.9 rpg)

| stat3label = Assists

| stat3value = 44 (0.6 apg)

| bbr = workmma01

}}

Mark Cecil Workman (born March 10, 1930 – December 21, 1983) was an American professional basketball player from Charleston, West Virginia. He played collegiately at West Virginia University. Workman was the first overall pick in the 1952 NBA draft, by the Milwaukee Hawks.

Early life

Born in Logan, West Virginia, Workman moved from Logan to Charleston, West Virginia, in 10th grade, leading the Charleston High School Mountain Lions to the state title as a junior.{{cite web|url=http://wvusports.com/hof.aspx?hof=5|title=Mark Workman (1994) – WVU Sports Hall of Fame|website=West Virginia University Athletics}} Workman averaged 32.8 points per game as a senior in 1948. He scored 63 points in a sectional tournament game that season.{{cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/12/22/Mark-Workman-a-former-All-America-basketball-player-at-the/2700440917200/|title=Mark Workman, a former All-America basketball player at the...|website=UPI}}

Workman (1952) and Hot Rod Hundley (1957 NBA draft) are the only No. 1 overall draft picks to come from the same high School.{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/chi-jabari-parker-bucks-nba-draft-20140626-story.html|title=Jabari Parker to Bucks at No. 2: 'Excited to represent Chicago'|first=Mike Helfgot, Special to the|last=Tribune|website=chicagotribune.com|date=26 June 2014 }}

He also lettered in track, specializing in shot put, javelin, and discus. Upon graduation some local car dealers gave him a Chrysler New Yorker in order make the drive to Morgantown, becoming the first automobile in the Workman family.

College career

After graduating from Charleston High School, Workman was recruited to West Virginia University by the legendary coach Lee Patton. Patton died from the effects of a car crash before Workman's playing days began. Under Robert N. "Red" Brown, Workman led the Mountaineers from 1950 to 1952, scoring 1,469 career points (21.0 point-per-game average).{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/mark-workman-1.html|title=Mark Workman College Stats|website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com}}

Workman averaged 26.1 points a game in 1950–1951. In 1951–1952, he averaged 23.1 points and 17.5 rebounds for the 23–4 Mountaineers.{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/west-virginia/1952-schedule.html|title=1951–52 West Virginia Mountaineers Schedule and Results|website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com}} Workman was a 1952 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans, alongside Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Cliff Hagan, Clyde Lovellette and Bob Pettit, as well as major league baseball All-Star Dick Groat.{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/all_america.html|title=NCAA College Basketball AP All-America Teams|website=Basketball-Reference.com}}{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/workmma01.html|title=Mark Workman NBA Stats|website=Basketball Reference|publisher=Sports Reference, LLC|accessdate=September 15, 2023}}

His top scoring performance was 50 points against Salem College in 1951. He also scored 48 points against Washington and Jefferson College, and 44 points against George Washington University. He still holds the WVU single-game records for field goals (22), free throws (17), and points in a half (37), along with four of the top 10 scoring marks.

One of Workman's greatest accomplishments was winning the United States Basketball Writers Association Gold Star Award as the outstanding visiting player in the state of New York for the 1951–52 season for leading WVU to wins over New York University (100–75) and Niagara University (74–71), despite the New York press having labelled him "the Galloping Goon from West Virginia" the previous year.

Workman also competed in Track and Field at West Virginia. He once beat future Olympic Champion Bob Mathias in the javelin. “Mark Workman was a very good athlete — not a goon as some people thought,” said Eddie Barrett, who was the WVU Sports Information Director at the time. “He also competed in varsity track and field.”{{cite web|url=https://www.register-herald.com/sports/west-virginia-s-workman-once-beat-mathias-in-javelin/article_1243e1ac-39a8-5a64-bcac-dbad2b9a9737.html|title=West Virginia's Workman once beat Mathias in javelin|first=Mickey|last=Furfari|website=Beckley Register-Herald|date=5 September 2006 }}

Professional career

Workman was the first overall pick in the 1952 NBA draft, selected by the Milwaukee Hawks, but went on a tour of Europe with the Harlem Globetrotters before playing two years for the NBA Philadelphia Warriors and Baltimore Bullets.

In 1952–1953, Workman played five games for Milwaukee and was traded on November 19, 1952, to the Philadelphia Warriors for Don Sunderlage. He averaged 5.3 points in 60 games for Philadelphia. In 1953–54, Workman played in 14 games for the Warriors, averaging 4.0 points and 3.6 rebounds.

Personal

After retiring from basketball, Workman became a salesman, bringing bowling to the Orient as a representative of the Brunswick Corporation. He later moved to Florida where he worked as a salesman for a mining company while enjoying his true love of fishing.{{cite web|url=http://collegehoopedia.com/players/basketball-stars-in-real-world|title=Blasts From the Past: What Did Basketball Stars Do in "Real World"?|website=collegehoopedia.com}}

Workman died at his home on December 21, 1983, after a long illness. He was survived by his wife, Jane.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/12/23/obituaries/mark-workman.html|title=Mark Workman|last=Upi|newspaper=The New York Times |date=23 December 1983}}

Honors

Workman was inducted into the West Virginia Sports Writers Hall of Fame in 1974.

In 1994, Workman was inducted into the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame.

In 2017, Workman was named an inaugural member of West Virginia University's Mountaineer Legends Society.{{cite web|url=https://www.timeswv.com/sports/wvu-basketball-greats-to-be-inducted-into-mountaineer-legends-society/article_24e7ec76-a403-11e7-b597-b3130acf48d4.html|title=WVU basketball greats to be inducted into Mountaineer Legends Society|last=Wvusports.com|website=Times West Virginian|date=28 September 2017 }}

Career statistics

=NBA=

Source

==Regular season==

class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
Year !Team !GP !MPG !FG% !FT% !RPG !APG !PPG
style="text-align:left;"\|{{nbay\|1952}} \| style="text-align:left;"\|Milwaukee \|5 \|5.8 \|.294 \|.500 \|1.2 \|.2 \|2.2
style="text-align:left;"\|{{nbay\|1952\|nolink=y}} \| style="text-align:left;"\|Philadelphia \|60 \|16.7 \|.320 \|.622 \|3.1 \|.6 \|5.3
style="text-align:left;"\|{{nbay\|1953}} \| style="text-align:left;"\|Baltimore \|14 \|10.8 \|.417 \|.600 \|2.6 \|.5 \|4.0
colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" \|Career \|79 \|14.9 \|.331 \|.618 \|2.9 \|.6 \|4.9

class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"

Year

!Team

!GP

!MPG

!FG%

!FT%

!RPG

!APG

!PPG

style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1952}}

| style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee

|5.8

|.294

|.500

|1.2

|.2

|2.2

style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1952|nolink=y}}

| style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia

|60

|16.7

|.320

|.622

|3.1

|.6

|5.3

style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1953}}

| style="text-align:left;"|Baltimore

|14

|10.8

|.417

|.600

|2.6

|.5

|4.0

colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |Career

|79

|14.9

|.331

|.618

|2.9

|.6

|4.9

References

External links

[http://www.wvusports.com/hallOfFame.cfm?func=viewProfile&hofID=63 West Virginia U. Sports, Workman bio.]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20070513193253/http://www.basketballreference.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=WORKMMA01 Career statistics]

Category:1930 births

Category:1983 deaths

Category:All-American college men's basketball players

Category:Baltimore Bullets (1944–1954) players

Category:Basketball players from West Virginia

Category:Centers (basketball)

Category:Charleston High School (West Virginia) alumni

Category:Milwaukee Hawks draft picks

Category:Milwaukee Hawks players

Category:Philadelphia Warriors players

Category:Sportspeople from Charleston, West Virginia

Category:West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball players

Category:American men's basketball players

Category:First overall NBA draft picks