Lerner, Ed

Edward Lerner

A member of the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and the Temple Basketball Hall of Fame, Lerner shot 97 percent from the free throw line during a four-year career at Temple University. One of Lerner's fondest memories was of the Jewish League, of which he said, "We played the preliminary game, before the SPHAs [a professional team - the South Philadelphia Hebrew Association], and then Gil Fitch would take off his uniform and put on a tuxedo, and lead the band. For 40 cents, it was the best Saturday night deal in the history of the world. Two basketball games and a dance! Our games were great. No formal practices. We made up the plays as we went along. I played under an assumed name, because South Philadelphia High didn't want us playing in those games."

Birth and Death Dates:
unknown

Career Highlights:
Born in Philadelphia, Lerner played basketball at every level in one of the best basketball cities in America, from playground ball as a schoolboy through professional ball in the Eastern League. As a youngster, he played on the Newsboys, a club team, and then attended Thomas Junior High before starring at South Philadelphia High School, where he set a city record by scoring 203 points in a single season. According to the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame web site, Lerner enlisted in the Navy after high school and spent two years at Bainbridge Naval Training Center, the youngest player on a team crammed with college standouts.

Lerner left the Navy and decided to attend Temple University in Philly instead of St. John's in New York. While with the Owls, Lerner led the team in scoring in 1946-47 with an average of 10.2 points per game. That year, Temple had a record of 8-12, although they improved to 12-11 the following year and then 14-9 in Lerner's senior season of 1948-49. An outstanding scorer, Lerner finished his career with 899 points in 85 games and was inducted into the Temple Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982. After retiring, Lerner became a food broker. He is now retired and living in New Jersey.

Origin:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Career Dates:
Lerner played forward at Temple University, 1946-49.

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