Chuck Cooper Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pa. Last College: Duquesne Position: Forward Experience: 1947-50

Chuck Cooper made professional basketball history on April 25, 1950 when the Boston Celtics selected him in the second round of the NBA draft.

As the first African-American drafted by an NBA team, Cooper was a trailblazer for a league whose players currently span the globe. Cooper, who led Duquesne to a 78-19 record and a pair of NIT appearances, captained a 1949-50 squad that finished with a 23-6 record and No. 6 national ranking.

The '50 Dukes were the first Duquesne team to be ranked for an entire season by the Associated Press. A consensus second team All-American in 1950, Cooper played six NBA seasons before earning his Master's Degree and embarking on a successful professional career.

The Pittsburgh native was inducted into the Duquesne University Sports Hall of Fame in 1969 and the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1974. He passed away on May 2, 1984, in Pittsburgh.