Sand Springs Native And Legendary Globetrotter Marques Haynes Dies At 89

Marques Haynes, Sand Springs native and legendary Harlem Globetrotters member, has died.

Haynes, who was referred to as one of the greatest dribblers in history, died Friday, May 22, 2015.

The Globetrotters organization stated that he died of natural causes and passed away peacefully with family and friends in his presence. “The game of basketball has lost one of its most iconic figures,” said Globetrotters CEO Kurt Schneider.

Haynes played in more than 12,000 games in the span of four decades. He traveled more than four million miles and entertained fans in nearly 100 countries while with the Globetrotters (1947-53, 1972-79).

His dribbling style led him to be one of the Globetrotters' most powerful offensive threats. “His unique and groundbreaking style of play set the tone for modern basketball as we know it; anyone involved with basketball worldwide is indebted to Marques,” said Schneider.

Haynes became the first player to ever be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a Globetrotter (1998).

He has other Hall of Fame honors, including NAIA (1985), Jim Thorpe (1993) and Langston University (1995).

In 2007, Langston honored Haynes by naming its basketball court the “Marques Haynes Court.”

FYI: Haynes' basketball career started at Booker T. Washington High School. While there, he led the school to a championship in 1941 and was named a Second Team Scholastic All-America during that season.