HAYES, Elvin Ernest

(b. 17 November 1945 in Rayville, Louisiana), one of the most talented forwards in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA), noted for his trademark turnaround jump shot.

Hayes was the youngest of six children born to Christopher Hayes and Savannah Hayes, cotton mill workers in the small, poverty-stricken town of Rayville, Louisiana. To escape the prejudice and violence against African Americans he witnessed daily, Hayes played baseball, his favorite sport. Beginning a career in basketball was completely unintentional. Although he was an honor student throughout high school, Hayes was often suspended for class pranks. In an attempt to steer him away from the dangerous turn his life was taking, the Reverend John Calvin, a teacher and coach at Eula D. Britton High School, arranged to place Hayes on the basketball team. Clumsy at first, Hayes practiced, and in his junior year he perfected his signature shot, the turnaround jumper. Hayes believed his outside shooting was inadequate, so he developed the turnaround jumper to neutralize taller opponents. He led his team to fifty-four straight wins and a state championship while averaging thirty-five points per game. He was named to the All-Conference, All-State, and All-America teams and in 1964, his senior year, he was voted the team's Most Valuable Player (MVP).

More than 100 colleges and universities recruited Hayes. He entered the University of Houston in 1964, where he and Don Chaney were the first African-American athletes to join the basketball program. Hayes credited Coach Guy Lewis for his development, saying Coach Lewis and his assistant Harvey Pate "were like fathers to us (Elvin's father died when he [Elvin] was seventeen), showing us respect and treating every one of us the same—black or white." Hayes established many records at the University of Houston, including 2,884 points, 1,602 rebounds, and a 31-points-per-game average. He led his team in scoring every year he played. Hayes carried Houston to three straight National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament appearances and held the NCAA record for most field goals at 1,215. He was named First Team All-America two times and was College Player of the Year in 1968.

Perhaps the most memorable event of Hayes's college years was competing in the "game of the century" against the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) led by Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). In January 1968 Hayes and the University of Houston Cougars ended the UCLA Bruins' forty-seven-game winning streak in the first nationally televised college basketball game, played at the Houston Astrodome in front of the largest attendance at a college basketball game to that date. Hayes broke a 69–69 tie with 28 seconds left by making 2 free throws. A Houston Post writer saw a parallel between the U.S. Navy's aircraft carrier Enterprise, called "the big E," and Hayes, thus coining the nickname "the Big E" that stayed with Hayes throughout his career. Prior to his senior year, Hayes married a fellow student Erna; they have four children.

Hayes was already a formidable player before he began his professional career, and he had not yet reached his full height of six feet nine inches. The San Diego Rockets chose him as the first overall pick in the 1968 NBA draft, and Hayes continued to set records his rookie year. He averaged twenty-eight points per game, leading all players, and was named to the All-Rookie Team. Hayes followed the Rockets to Houston (1971–1972) but later was traded to the Baltimore Bullets (1972–1973). He remained with the Bullets during their stint as the Capitol Bullets (1973–1974) and finally as the Washington Bullets (1974–1981). During his tenure with the Bullets, Hayes established himself as one of the greatest players in basketball history. He was named to the All-NBA first team in three years and was an All-Star for twelve straight years. The Bullets progressed to the NBA finals three times and were victorious in 1978. Named the Most Valuable Player of the series, Hayes finally overcame the stigma of "never winning the big one." Fittingly he finished his basketball career where he had developed his tremendous talent when he returned to Houston to join the Rockets in 1981.

When Hayes retired in 1984 he was among the top in many NBA statistical categories, including third in scoring (27,313 points), third in rebounds (16,279), third in blocked shots (1,743), and first in minutes played (nearly 50,000). Incredibly he missed only 9 games in 16 seasons and ranked third in most games played (1,303). Hayes's achievements earned him selection to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1996 Hayes was selected to the NBA's Fiftieth Anniversary All-Time Team.

Hayes completed his education at the University of Houston in 1986, graduating with a B.A. in recreation and speech. He entered into several business ventures, including raising cattle on his ranch near Brenham, Texas, and acquiring a car dealership in Houston.

Enjoying the time he spent with children, Hayes became involved with numerous charitable organizations, including the United Way, the Special Olympics, and the District of Columbia Society for Crippled Children among others. Perhaps most important to him was developing a "real relationship with God." Throughout the NBA, Hayes was well known for his religious conviction, and it was not unusual for him to give a speech at a church while he was on the road.

Hayes's autobiography, They Call Me the "Big E" (1978), co-written with Bill Gilbert, gives many insights into Hayes's character but contains little specific personal information. Scott Crawford, "Elvin Hayes," in African American Sports Greats (1999), edited by David Porter, is a good source for biographical information. S. H. Burchard, Sports Star Elvin Hayes (1980), is a good juvenile book on Hayes. David Llores, "No Back Seat for Elvin," Ebony (Mar. 1968), gives some family information not available elsewhere. John Papanek, "The Big E Wants an MVP," Sports Illustrated (16 Oct. 1978), is an excellent assessment of Hayes's career. Information can also be found at the NBA History website: <www.nba.com/history/Elvin_Hayes.html>.

Rachenetta V. Stimage