PLAYER PROFILE

JIMMY WILLIAMSON

STATISTICS & HISTORY

Jimmy Williamson was one of greatest guards in the early history of professional basketball. He paired with Lew Wachter to create the the most formidable and innovative backcourt combination in  the first dozen years of the pro game. Williamson and Wachter revolutionized the game by developing the switch play in defense. Until that time the right guard always covered the left forward and the left guard covered the the right forward. They decided to take whichever forward the one guard was in position to handle. The other guard adapted by covering the other forward. Williamson first joined Lew and his brother Ed Wachter in 1902 while playing for Ware in the Western Massachusetts Basketball League. Over the next ten years, with the Wachters and Williamson as the chief strategists, they operated the best  professional team in the country. First under the sponsorship of Schenectady Co E and later Gloversville Co G, and finally as the representatives of the Troy franchise in the Hudson River League, they dominated all opponents.  They made trips south to New York City, New Jersey, Pennsylvania . They ventured north to Vermont, Maine and into Canada. They toured the Midwest,  once going as far as Butte, Montana. After a decade of success, the partnership broke up midway through the 1911-12 season when Williamson took the opportunity to take over the management of the Cohoes franchise in the New York State League.  Three years later, Williamson retired from basketball and went into the trucking business where he was very successful.

 

JIMMY WILLIAMSON Height: 5:10 Weight: 165 College: None
James Edward Williamson Born:  Jan3, 1883     Died:   Jan, 1943 Hometown: Cohoes, NY
REGULAR SEASON RECORD
Year Team League     GA  FGM  FTM   FTA  PCT.  AST  PTS AVG
1902-03 Maynard NEBL 1 0 0 0 0.0
1902-03 Ware MCBL 15 14 16 44 2.9
1903-04 WareSpringfield WMBL 38 42 5 89 2.3
1903-04 Norwich CSL 26 41 0 82 3.2
1904-05 Haverhill NEBL 49 115 0 230 4.7
1904-05 Schenectady Co. E Indep
1905-06 Brattleboro (Vt) Independents Indep
1905-06 Troy All-Americans Indep
1906-07 Gloversville Co G Indep 23 34 0 68 3.0
1907-08 Gloversville Co G Indep
1907-08 Troy Indep
1908-09 Gloversville Co G Indep
1908-09 Troy Indep
1909-10 Gloversville Co G Indep
1909-10 Troy HRL 23 25 0 50 2.2
1910-11 Troy HRL 36 55 33 143 4.0
1911-12 TroyCohoes NYSL 32 66 30 162 5.1
1912-13 Cohoes NYSL 10 5 4 14 1.4
Major League Totals 204 322 88 732 3.6
PLAYOFF RECORD
Year Team League     GA  FGM  FTM   FTA  PCT.  AST  PTS AVG
1903-04 Norwich CSL 3 12 0 24 8.0
1904-05 Haverhill NEBL 7 6 0 12 1.7
Major League Totals 7 6 0 12 1.7

 

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