Cliff Crispin

Cliff Crispin is here referred to as ‘The Original’ because it is with him that the love for the game of basketball began in the Crispin family.  ‘Pop’, as Jon and I call him, was a standout at Woodstown High School during the early 1950’s.  If I remember correctly, he was just a few points shy of the 1000 point mark, something that was not even thought of in his day.

After his High School days, and a brief stint at a prep school where in one game he scored 79 points, Pop headed to Temple, where he played behind two All-American guards, Bill “Pickles” Kennedy and Guy Rodgers.  He was the sixth man on Temple’s 1958 Final Four team.  They lost to Adolph Rupp’s Kentucky 61-60 in the semifinals.

After college, Pop began a coaching career that spanned almost four decades, beginning at Clayton High School and ending at Camden County Community College (where he also served as Athletic Director for a number of years).  I can’t recall all the sports he coached during those years, but I think it is safe to say that basketball was his favorite.  I can recall Jon and I serving as ball boys for his teams and taking numerous trips over to Camden County College as kids to play in the gym and swim in the pool (always ending with a soda I might add, as Jon’s Coke Commercial alludes to).

Pop still enjoys watching and talking hoops, and making a yearly appearance at the Crispin Basketball Camp.  His love for the game of basketball is now evident in four generations of Crispin’s (as my son, Elijah, loves it already).