The Original “Bucky” Lew

Harry “Bucky” Lew was basketball’s first Black professional. In a career that spanned a quarter century, Lew integrated every conceivable role in the game, including player, coach, manager, referee, and franchise owner. Lew brought his barnstorming team through Vermont numerous times from the mid-1900s to the mid-1920s and he even played a season for the town's Company D team, so-called because they played in the armory.

It was here that he earned the nickname, “The Original Bucky Lew.” He was christened such by a Caledonian reporter in 1907 due to his “original stunts in dribbling and passing that have seldom been surpassed on the local floor.” A marquee name, newspaper postings for Saint Johnsbury’s team advertised his expected presence.

The town seemed to hold a special place in his heart as well. He told a reporter in 1959 that it was the site of his last game in 1926, concluding his 25 seasons in the pro game.

Saint Johnsbury fans were part of a majority of New Englanders who supported the right of all to play. It may have taken a generation after Lew's retirement for all of pro sports to integrate, but when the Dodgers sought to field an integrated farm team in the US while Jackie Robinson started in Montreal, they struggled until they reached a newspaperman in New Hampshire who assured them their Black players would be welcome because he remembered how beloved Lew was. The move was a success and the rest is history!

Harry Bucky Lew: A Biography of Basketball’s First Black Professional is Chris Boucher’s fourth book. A lifelong basketball fan and resident of Lowell, Massachusetts, Chris hadn’t heard of Lew until he started researching early basketball in his backyard. He was shocked to learn all his hometown hero accomplished and now hopes to get Lew his proper due. The book is available on McFarland Web site here: mcfarlandbooks.com/product/harry-bucky-lew/ mcfarlandbooks.com/product/harry-bucky-lew/

This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.