SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Syracuse University may not be a part of March Madness this year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk hoops in Central New York. There’s a piece of basketball history that’s right here in Syracuse, and it helps highlight the city’s rich history as a basketball destination.
The first ever NBA shot clock can be found in the Noreen Reale Falcone Library at Le Moyne College. The device was invented by Danny Biasone, a founding owner of the Syracuse Nationals, and was first used on Aug. 10, 1954. Director of Falcone Library Inga Barnello said that while not everyone around the world knows the shot clock came from Syracuse, locals take pride in it.
“The native sports fans know. And then when they did the monument downtown it makes people more aware… in Armory Square they have a duplicate kind of thing… so no it’s a sense of pride for sports fans, oh yeah,” Barnello said.
But why don’t more sports fans, or certainly NBA fans, know that the shot clock comes from Syracuse? Well the Syracuse Nationals moved to Philadelphia and became the 76ers in 1963, and Inga felt that had something to do with it.
“Probably because the team moved away, and so it wasn’t the big NBA teams after that,” Barnello said
There’s a replica shot clock in downtown Armory Square that was erected in 2005 to honor the Syracuse invention. It helps spotlight the great history of basketball in Syracuse. And while Danny Biasone may have invented the shot clock way back in 1954 and the Syracuse Nationals aren’t around anymore, there are some central New York fans who still appreciate Syracuse’s impact on professional basketball.
“So in one night I got to see Wilt and Bill Russell play, and not against each other, in Syracuse, New York,” said Joe Barnello, a lifelong Syracuse resident and basketball fan.
Barnello grew up going to Syracuse Nationals games with his father, and got to see legendary NBA players like Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson, and Bob Cousy. He grew up knowing basketball from his parents and grandparents, and he said that the shot clock changed basketball for the better.
“And so it just revolutionized the game. I don’t know if the NBA would have survived if they didn’t put the shot clock in.” Barnello said.
Danny Biasone’s original 24-second shot clock was implemented in the NBA in 1955, and it’s been a consistent fixture of the league ever since. After its success, a shot clock was also added to NCAA basketball in 1985. The invention breathed new life into basketball, and is part of the reason why the game is as exciting and popular as it is today.
