Doug Harrison

Sort Order HTML <h2><strong>DOUG HARRISON </strong></h2>

Sort Order HTML <h2><strong>Manager</strong></h2>

Sort Order HTML <h2><strong>1960 Olympic Games</strong></h2>

Sort Order HTML <p>Douglas Richard Harrison was born in Mile End, Hindmarsh, South Australia on the 15th of July 1909.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Doug served as a member of the 7th Australian Division A.S.C. 2nd AIF.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>He was a friend of the 1960 Olympic Games Basketball Coach Erik Erkins. His association with Erik may have been one of the reasons that Doug was chosen as the Manager of the 1960 Olympic Team. He was also recommended for the position by SA legendary basketball administrator Frank Angove.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Coach Erkinshad decided that the best way to prepare the 1960 Rome Olympic Basketball Team was to bring all the team to Adelaide for three months prior to the Olympics. The players would live, work, play and train in Adelaide for three months to bring the team together and to be the best prepared they could be. It would make much sense then to have the team Manager from Adelaide rather than that person having to take leave from work and move to Adelaide.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>The task of co-ordinating the management of twelve players (some with their wives with them from interstate) for three months in Adelaide would have been a big task, as would managing the team in Italy and on the long trip home by passenger liner.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Players on the 1960 Olympic Team who are from Adelaide are not sure whether Doug was associated with the Old Boys Institute basketball or with the District competition. Some suggested he was with the Church competition however the 1960 Olympic Captain John Heard who played in the Church competition does not remember Doug being associated with Church.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Australian basketball Legend Al Ramsay recalls, “There were two basketball associations in SA. One was a SA Basketball Association and the other was a combination of the Church of Christ and the Uniting Church. Doug Harrison was appointed the Secretary of the SA Basketball Association in 1954 and Frank Peacock was the President. He held the position of Secretary until after the 1960 Rome Olympic Games. After the formation of the recognised SA Basketball Association uniting the groups (under Frank Angove) Doug Harrison seemed to disappear.”</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Doug’s first appointment as State Team Manger came in 1954. He was the Manager of the South Australian Men’s Team in 1958 as there is a photo in the Hobart newspaper of him returning the Australian Trophy to the patron of Tasmanian Basketball Mr R. C. Townley. As Doug was chosen to be the Manager of the 1960 Olympic Team there is a strong likelihood that he was also the Manager of the SA Men’s Team at the 1959 and 1960 Australian Championships. SA won the Australian Men’s Championships in 1957, 1958, 1959 and 1960. This dominance by the SA teams coached by Erik Erkins would also be a factor in Doug being named as Olympic Manager as his State team was the dominant team in Australia.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>The players’ memories of Doug were that he was a “chirpy” character, quite amiable, always immaculately dressed and he acted and looked “like a business man.” The players also recalled that Doug liked to socialise while on the tour to Rome, which they thought was ironic because Erik Erkins was not the social type yet the two were always together. 1960 Olympic team member Alan Dawe remembers, “Most of our games in the 1960 Games were early in the morning...9 am...and I remember Doug working feverishly to wake everyone up.”</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>The general recollection of the players is that Doug Harrison did not stay in basketball very long after the Rome Olympics.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Doug Harrison is a Life Member of the South Australian Basketball Association. </p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Doug Harrison was the Manager of the first Australian Team to leave Australia to compete in an Olympic Games. As such he has a special place in Australian basketball history.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>He passed away on the 10th of November 1962 at Vermont SA. Doug was 53 years of age.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Doug Harrison at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Doug Harrison (front) on the way to the 1960 Rome Olympic Games</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Although Dad’s memory of Doug Harrison is not extensive, he believes that Doug’s background was mainly administrative,</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>for which he was rewarded with the position of Team Manager and probably recommended by Frank Angove.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>On one occasion, Dad remembers that Doug had arranged for the whole team to visit a watches and jewellery store in Hong Kong which was </p>

Sort Order HTML <p>recommended to him (Doug) by a friend in Adelaide. It worked out ok because most members of the team did make one or more</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>purchases. However, Dad thought that Doug may have been receiving a little reward for visiting this particular shop, but more than</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>likely it was his way of keeping everyone together to lighten his load.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Most of the qualifying games played in Bologna were in the morning and Dad recalls Doug working feverishly to wake everyone up and</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>to be ready and on time.</p>

Sort Order HTML <h2><strong>Doug Harrison</strong></h2>

Sort Order HTML <p>I believe became the manager of the SA state team in 1954 and held this position until after the Rome qualifying games. He was a very efficient and well liked manager by everyone. Doug also held the SAABA secretarial position since 1954.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>This is about all I can tell you about Doug as I have no other information on him and we did not socialise with him or his family.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Hoping that this may be of some assistance to you,</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Regards,&#160; Inga.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Friends of Doug Harrison were shocked to hear of his sudden death at the age of 53.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p> Doug was Secretary of the South Australian Association from 1953 - 1960. He was Manager of the Australian Basketball Team to the Rome Olympics in 1960 and was more </p>

Sort Order HTML <p>recently Deputy Chairman of the South Australian A.B.A.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p> On behalf of his many friends, Hoop High extends sincere sympathy to his family in their sad bereavement&quot;.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>They say if you can&#39;t say anything nice about someone, don&#39;t say anything at all. That is not quite the case with Doug Harrison, who was the basketball team manager of our 1960 Olympic team. He was appointed to the position at a time when Basketball Australia (then known as the ABUA - Amateur Basketball Union of Australia)appointed people to the management positions on the basis of &quot;rotation&quot;. That is, an official from a state would get his turn to be appointed to a position as basically a reward for services rendered. An ability to manage, or experience in such matters, was not the highest priority. I doubt that any of the players on the 1960 team, knew anything about Doug Harrison perhaps with the exception of the South Australian members and they would have known little about him. I think his origins were with the OBI venue in Adelaide where he probably acted as an official and therefore some connection with the SA Districts basketball. With Eric Erkens also from South Australia, it was a natural fit for Doug to be appointed as manager. My best memory of Doug was late at night after we had completed the pre Olympic tournament in Bologna and returned to Rome, George Dancis, Inga Fiedenfelds, Bill Wyatt and I had spent a bit of time &quot;socialising&quot; at a restaurant/bar near the Central Station. We were making our way across the main road heading to our Albergo when we saw Eric, who was a non drinker, ferrying Doug across the road ahead of us. Doug was &quot;paralyzed&quot;. This was not an uncommon situation for Doug in those days &#160;and Erik was aghast at Doug, but supportive and caring. I think Doug was a successful business man and always immaculately dressed when on duty. He did not stay in basketball for much longer after the Rome Olympics. </p>

Sort Order HTML <p>I don&#39;t expect you to publish these remarks in your book, but thought it might help give you just a little insight to our situation in Rome.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Regards</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Lindsay</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>I heard that Doug passed away. I’m not sure but I feel it was about 1962 in S.A.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Some of the SA boys may be able to confirm this.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Richard</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>BEFORE THE SA BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION WAS FORMNED UNDER FRANK ANGOVE THERE WERE TWO ASSOCIATYIONS IN S .A.. ONE WAS CSLLED THE S.A. BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION WHICH COMPRISED TWO MAIN GROUPS THE CHURCH OF CHRIST AND &#160;THE UNITING CHURRCH. DOUG HARRISIN WAS SECRETARY AND FRANK POCOCK PRESIDENT. PIOCOCK WAS THE MAIN PERSOM OR THE HEAVY WEIGHT. AFTER THE FORMATION OF THE RECOGNISED SA Association Harrison disappeared.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Personally I felt he was a lightweight and contributed zilch at abu meetings.. I guess after Melbourne there was felt the need to got away from Victoria as they had the coach and manager so as doc from nsw was coach haRRISON FROM SA WAS ELECTED AS MANAGER. AS YOU ARE AWARE THIS WAS A HOPELESS PERSOR MANCE DOC Was swayed by Watson who hated all sa players and persuaded doc not to have them in the team or only a cery few anyway this is what doc told me. Of course doc chose a few of his Newcastle plyersalsio.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Not much else i can tell you about doug. I never associated with him outside meetings and i believe he disappeared entirely from basktbsall after rome.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Please excuse the errors my mind and fingers do not connect at times</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Look forward to the hall of fame in a couple of months...still getting organised and settling in.i believe that Harrison was manager of the sa state team at the asutralianchamiopnsips at that time.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>All the best</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Doug was involved in basketball at a time when there were very few administrators who were &#160;lovers of the game. They were quite often business people who were helping out and looking for perks. As mentioned, I think Doug was connected to the OBI (Old Boys Institute( which was a &#160;club catering for a range of activities, although basketball was the main one. They had a concrete court and set up programs &#160;which tended to be in competition with the SA Districts competition. The Districts competition won the battle. No doubt Doug would have been a member of the SA committee, probably using his business contacts, but never a true lover or knowledgeable about the game. It would have been impossible to think of him as a manager who would be handing towels to the players during a game.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>I think his trip to Rome was just one long binge.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>I agree not much could be said about Doug in your book.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Lindsay</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Doug Harrison (left) and George Dancis at the Trevi Fountain in Rome (G. Dancis)</p>