Rowland School of Business Faculty Invited to NBA Hall of Fame Ceremony Tuesday, September 10, 2019

The family of Pittsburgh native Chuck Cooper — the first African American to be drafted by the National Basketball Association — invited Steve Tanzilli, J.D., dean of the Rowland School of Business, and Robert Derda, M.S., chair and assistant professor of the sports, arts and entertainment department, to attend the 2019 NBA Hall of Fame ceremony Sept. 6 in Springfield, Mass.

According to Tanzilli, Point Park was one of only two universities from the Pittsburgh area represented at the ceremony.

In addition to Chuck Cooper and Carl Braun, who were inducted posthumously, the 2019 Hall of Fame inductees included two-time NBA Coach of the Year Bill Fitch, eight-time NBA All-Defensive First Team member Bobby Jones, five-time NBA All-Star Sidney Moncrief, seven-time NBA All-Star Jack Sikma, five-time WNBA All-Star Teresa Weatherspoon, five-time NBA All-Star Paul Westphal and the Tennessee A&I Teams of 1957-1959, the first men’s collegiate team to win back-to-back-to-back championships.

“It was an honor to be among basketball’s all-time greats representing Point Park University at the 2019 enshrinement of Chuck Cooper into the NBA Basketball Hall of Fame,” said Derda, who serves as a board member for The Chuck Cooper Foundation. 

Derda added: “Chuck Cooper believed in education, community service and leadership, all trademarks of our University. We are excited to continue working with The Chuck Cooper Foundation and Chuck Cooper III, to fulfill his father’s legacy."

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