Al Ramsay

Sort Order HTML <h2><strong>AL</strong><strong>ISTAIR</strong><strong> RAMSAY</strong></h2>

Sort Order HTML <h2><strong>Olympic Delegate</strong><strong> and Assistant Manager</strong></h2>

Sort Order HTML <p>No book on the history of Australian Olympic Basketball can be complete without recognition of Alistair (Al) Ramsay. He has represented Australian basketball in some administrative capacity at every Olympic Games from 1956 to 2000. He has been the most dominant Australian basketball administrator on the world stage and has been recognised by FIBA the world basketball authority and by Australian Basketball where he has been inducted into the BA Hall of Fame as a Legend. </p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Al Ramsay’s first foray into basketball administration had the touch of Machiavelli about it. His boss, one of the greats of NSW basketball development, Gordon Young Head of Sport and Recreation in NSW did a deal with Jack Small to take over as President of NSW. Jack agreed as long as Gordon got him a very competent State Secretary from within the NSW Department of Sport and Recreation to assist him. Gordon obliged and Al Ramsay was appointed.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Al Ramsay started playing basketball in the armed forces in 1943 and played in the Public Service Competition from 1946 to 1948 He finished playing basketball in 1953. He qualified as a State referee in 1947.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Al was a supervisor of Physical Education. He had a Diploma from Sydney Teachers College and a Bachelor of Science (Physical Education) from McGill University in Canada. His job when he became State Secretary in 1955 was as an Inspector of Schools in Physical Education. He travelled around NSW with his work and this enabled him to make good contacts with those in NSW country basketball. Within a year Al was a Manager of the NSW Men’s Team and State Delegate to the annual Australian Basketball Union (ABU) Conference. He was appointed Secretary of the ABU in 1963.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Under Al’s leadership basketball in NSW prospered. In 1955 there were six affiliated Associations and some fifteen hundred registered players in the NSW Basketball Association. By 1963 there were 110 affiliated Associations and over six thousand registered players in the NSW Basketball Association.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>During his tenure as NSW State Secretary Al established the State’s first basketball office and started Basketball Sales a company to sell basketball products to the public. He found the land for the NSW Basketball Stadium at Alexandria and assisted in organizing the stadium’s construction. He pushed for gymnasiums in all high schools in NSW.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Al becamea member of the ABU Executive Committee in 1958 and National Secretary in 1963. He was to hold that position until 1977. It has been claimed that Al Ramsay brought sanity and unity to Australian basketball when it was most needed.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>As part of his work with the ABU as national Secretary Al became heavily involved with the international basketball controlling body FIBA. He is recognised as the “father of Oceania” for his work in establishing through FIBA an Oceania Region. This was to have great effect on basketball in Australia, New Zealand and the islands of the Pacific. It would subsequently have a great bearing on Australia and New Zealand’s ability to qualify through the Oceania Region for Olympic Games and World Championships. He was also a member of the three person Technical Committee in the Munich, Montreal and Moscow Olympic Games. He was made Associate General Secretary of FIBA in 1980. He became Secretary General of the Oceania Basketball Region.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Al has been involved in the running of ten Olympic Games and ten World Championships in his amazing career. The Men’s Olympic and World Championship qualification games between Australia and New Zealand are played under the banner of the Ramsay Shield. Ramsay established the Oceania central office at Coff’s Harbour, ran Oceania basketball for many years, and in doing so brought the game of basketball to many islands, countries and territories. He held the position of Secretary General of Oceania from 1968 to 2001 and was elected as president in 1997.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Oceania Basketball was the child of Al Ramsay; he conceived it, assisted in its birth, watched over it closely and nurtured it carefully during its formative years. On many occasions he argued passionately at world meetings for help from FIBA for the various programs within Oceania. </p>

Sort Order HTML <p>When Al Ramsay retired Boris Stankovic, Secretary General of FIBA said, “During Ramsay’s more than 34 year involvement with FIBA-Oceania firstly as its Secretary General and then as its President, the organisation has grown from the four foundation members to the present 21 Federation membership. During that time, competitions have been commenced where none existed before, new Federations have been founded, many thousands of people introduced to the game, an efficient administration established within the FIBA-Oceania Secretariat and a world class basketball development program established to help in the growth of the game in the smaller island nations of the zone.”</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Stankovic added, “During his time with Oceania Basketball, Ramsay has adopted an active role in World basketball as a member of a number of FIBA Commissions and of the Central Board where he has always made significant contributions to our discussions. Ramsay has in addition been at every Olympic Games and Men’s World Championships since 1956. On a number of occasions, I have asked him to represent FIBA at world events and meetings.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>When he retired from basketball after forty years of hard work in a voluntary capacity for basketball in Australia, Oceania and worldwide Al Ramsay had left an enormous legacy for basketball.”</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>In 2004 Al Ramsay published a book titled “Dunked” which covered the history of basketball in Australia up to that time.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Al Ramsay has dedicated his life to basketball. Through his leadership and diplomacy he stabilised NSW and Australian Basketball, established the Oceania Basketball Region and was highly influential on the world stage of FIBA. Al has a great ability to work within organizations and to walk the corridors of politics, ambition and at times subterfuge and keep far enough removed to ensure that in the end what is good for basketball is done. There is no doubt that he is the eminent administrator/politician in the history of Australian basketball and perhaps Australian sport.</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Alistair Ramsay is a Life Member of Basketball NSW and Basketball Australia (BA) and was inducted into the BA Hall of fame as a Legend in 2006. He received an MBE in 1980 and an OAM in 1988 for outstanding services to sport and basketball.</p>

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Sort Order HTML <p>Al Ramsay and the Ramsay Shield for basketball competition between Australia and New Zealand (Basketball Australia)</p>

Sort Order HTML <p>Al Ramsay (left) at a FIBA Conference (A. Ramsay)</p>