Zack Clayton
Zachariah 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]
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 17, 1913 Gloucester County, Virginia  | 
| Died | November 20, 1997 (aged 84) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  | 
| Nationality | American | 
| Career information | |
| High school | Simon 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 | |
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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 the 1974 Ali-Foreman "Rumble In The Jungle". Clayton also refereed Muhammad Ali's last fight, against Trevor Berbick in 1981.[6]
References
    
- Grasso, John (15 November 2010). Historical Dictionary of Basketball. google.com. ISBN 9780810875067.
 - "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees".
 - Mangan, JA (2004). Ethnicity, Sport, Identity: Struggles For Status. Routledge. ISBN 0-7146-8458-9.
 - Jackson, Hal; Haskins, James (2003). The House that Jack Built. google.com. ISBN 9780972751940.
 - "New York Renaissance ('Rens') - The Black Fives Foundation". blackfives.org.
 - "Some Harlem Rens Became Famous Boxing Officials After Basketball". blackfives.org.
 
External links
    
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference and Baseball-Reference Black Baseball stats and Seamheads
 
