Born
in Centralia, Illinois on April 23, 1936, Bobby
Joe Mason grew up to become an outstanding
and gifted athlete, excelling in basketball
during his years at Centralia High School and
Bradley University.
While at Centralia High School Bobby Joe was
Prep All-State Basketball in 1954 (2nd team
Champaign News Gazette) and 1955 (1st team
Champaign News Gazette), All-State football in
1954, and State pole-vault champ in 1954 (
12’4”). He was the only player to be
named to the first team all- tournament team for
four years at the prestigious Centralia Holiday
Tournament, and his #14 jersey is retired at
CHS.
Mason went on to play basketball at Bradley
University in Peoria, Illinois. He was
All-American and helped the Braves to NIT
Championships in 1957 and 1960. In 2002, he
was one of eight players named to the All-Decade
Team for the 1950’s at Bradley, and he was
named to the 15-member Team of the Century. (See
Bradley's
Best)
He went on to play professional basketball with
the internationally known Harlem Globetrotters
ffrom 1962 through 1974, serving as captain of
the comical team, and playing along side such
greats as Meadowlark Lemon and Wilt Chamberlain.
After his retirement from the Harlem
Globetrotters in 1974, Bobby Joe became an avid
golfer, putting his time and energy into this
sport just as he had into basketball. He
lived in Ohio for awhile, but eventually
returned to Springfield, Illinois where he
served as director of sports activities for the
city park department. According to his
daughter, he also spent a great deal of time
singing karaoke.
Mason has been inducted into the Illinois
Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame
as a charter member (player category), the Centralia
Sports Hall of Fame, and the Greater
Peoria Sports Hall of Fame. He has
also earned the Globetrotters'
Legend Award and the Centralia
High School Distinguished Alumni Award.
He was also a part of the "Harlem
Globetrotter Popcorn Machine" TV series.
He was a great motivator of young people and was
always interested in what they were doing, where
they were going, and how they planned to get
there. He was an ambassador for young
people, mentoring to many in his native
Centralia as well as the Springfield area.
In life, Bobby Joe Mason was loved by the
citizens of Centralia, Bradley University, The
Harlem Globetrotters and their fans, the youth
of Springfield, and Saturday morning cartoon
fans throughout the country. He
died on July 4, 2006 as a result of
complications from a stroke. (also
see LA Times article)
The Bobby Joe Mason Memorial
Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, was created in 2009 as a means of assisting
young people in Centralia, Illinois, Bobby
Joe's hometown. An annual memorial
golf tournament was established as a major
activity of the committee.
In 2010,
the Foundation established the website
www.bobbyjoemason.com as a permanent online
memorial to the great Bobby Joe.
In the summer
of 2011, the City of Centralia honored Bobby
Joe by designating several blocks of Howard
Street as Bobby Joe Mason Way.
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