[FONT="]Harlem Globetrotters legend Fred “Curly” Neal died at 77 years old on Thursday.[/FONT][FONT="]“Globetrotter legend Fred "Curly" Neal passed away last night, former Globetrotters owner Mannie Jackson told @TheUndefeated,” reporter Marc J. Spears tweeted Thursday afternoon. “Jackson said Neal has been fighting a stroke in recent years.”[/FONT][FONT="]Neal was one of just five Globetrotters to have his number retired, an honor he received in 2008. Neal spent 22 years with the Globetrotters from 1963 to 1985, and he appeared in more than 6,000 games in 97 countries with the group.When the Globetrotters retired Neal’s No. 22, he joined Wilt Chamberlain (13), Meadowlark Lemon (36), Marques Haynes (20) and Goose Tatum (50).[/FONT]
[FONT="]Neal was born in Greensboro, N.C., and he graduated from Dudley High School before attending Johnson C. Smith, where he averaged 23 points per game.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Neal’s fame went beyond the basketball court, and he appeared on several television shows and specials, including “ABC’s Wide World of Sports,” “The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island” and “The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine,” while an animated version of Neal also appeared on “The Harlem Globetrotters” cartoon series and on episodes of “Scooby Doo,”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Neal was born in Greensboro, N.C., and he graduated from Dudley High School before attending Johnson C. Smith, where he averaged 23 points per game.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Neal’s fame went beyond the basketball court, and he appeared on several television shows and specials, including “ABC’s Wide World of Sports,” “The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island” and “The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine,” while an animated version of Neal also appeared on “The Harlem Globetrotters” cartoon series and on episodes of “Scooby Doo,”[/FONT]
