Gale, "Laddie" (Lauren E.)
Basketball
b. April 19, 1916, Gold Beach, OR
As a senior at the University of Oregon, Gale starred on the team that won the first NCAA basketball tournament in 1939. The 6-foot-4 forward was named to the Helms Athletic Foundation All-American team. After missing much of his sophomore year with an injury, Gale averaged 12.5 points a game in 1937-38 and 11.6 in 1938-39, leading the Northern Division of the Pacific Coast Conference both season.
After playing part of the 1939-40 season with the professional Detroit Eagles, Gale served in World War II. He was player-coach of the Deseret Times team of Salt Lake City and of the Oakland Bittners after the war. In 1948, the Bittners went to the semi-finals of the Olympic team trials, losing to the Phillips 66ers by one point. Gale left basketball in 1949 to go into real estate.