We’ve been working our way through the 1993 Action Packed Hall of Fame set. We have videos of the first ten cards, a subset called “One on One” that matches up pairs of players. The set continues on with a subset of coaches. Only six coaches made the cut to get into Series I, but this #14 Lou Carnesecca card just doesn’t hold up against the Red Auerbach, John Wooden and Red Holzman that we already looked at. In this video, the we’ll examine the card and try to determine why he was picked. Whether we agree with the pick or not, at least we get a nice embossed sweater in this card! Don’t overlook this detail! Carnesecca was known for his sweaters and Action Packed probably deliberately looked for one with a red that matched the set name on the left.
It’s rare that we mention the birth date on a basketball card, but here it’s noteworthy. Lou Carnesecca was born on January 5, 1925 and he’s still alive as of this recording. That means he’ll be turning 100 in a few months! And, as with all the coach cards, Action Packed didn’t adjust the biographical info, so the coaches have height and weight listed just like players, with Carnesecca coming in at a very typical 5′ 8″ and 170 lbs. Like the John Wooden card we looked at, Carnesecca’s claim to fame was in the NCAA with St. John’s, only a brief detour for a few years coaching the ABA’s New York Nets interrupted his time there.
Moving to the information, the 526 wins and 200 losses at St. John’s is great, but compared to that John Wooden card… Wooden’s win percentage topped .800. And Wooden had 10 NCAA Finals wins compared to a 1985 Final Four appearance for Carnesecca. It’s hard to follow a John Wooden card, but Carnesecca should be appreciated for his loyalty to St. John’s. A mark of true leadership and greatness not measured by statistics alone.
As the gold foil strip on the front reminds us, these cards mark the 25th anniversary of the Basketball Hall of Fame, so every card lists the year of induction for the figure. Here we see that Lou Carnesecca entered the Hall of Fame in 1992.
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