Eastern Michigan Athletics
E-Club Hall of Fame Member Webster Kirksey Passes Away
9/21/2022 11:23:00 AM | Men's Basketball, E-Club
Kirksey was an EMU as a student-athlete and later played for the Harlem Globetrotters
More Information.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Eastern Michigan University E-Club Hall of Famer Daniel Webster Kirksey passed away Sunday, Sept. 18, at the age of 88. Kirksey, who was inducted into the E-Club Hall of Fame in 1978, served as co-captain of the basketball team in 1953-54 and 1954-55 and later played for the Harlem Globetrotters.
Kirksey enjoyed an outstanding basketball career at Michigan Normal College, now Eastern Michigan. He scored a then-school-record 46 points on Dec. 20, 1952 at Southern Illinois and that mark stood for 22 years before being broken. He made a school-record 22 field goals in the SIU game. He was voted to the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) fist team in 1952-53 and 1954-55 and second-team in 1951-52.
After Michigan Normal, Kirksey played one year for the Harlem Globetrotters and three years for the Harlem Satellites traveling professional team.
Kirksey was also the head boys' basketball coach at Ypsilanti Roosevelt High School for four years and led the team to one district championship. He also served in the U.S. Army from 1955-57.
Kirksey worked for 26 years at the W.J. Maxey Boys Training School in Whitmore Lake, working with troubled youth.
A native of Saginaw, Mich., he was a member of the inaugural class of the Saginaw County Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.muehligannarbor.com for the Kirksey family.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Eastern Michigan University E-Club Hall of Famer Daniel Webster Kirksey passed away Sunday, Sept. 18, at the age of 88. Kirksey, who was inducted into the E-Club Hall of Fame in 1978, served as co-captain of the basketball team in 1953-54 and 1954-55 and later played for the Harlem Globetrotters.
Kirksey enjoyed an outstanding basketball career at Michigan Normal College, now Eastern Michigan. He scored a then-school-record 46 points on Dec. 20, 1952 at Southern Illinois and that mark stood for 22 years before being broken. He made a school-record 22 field goals in the SIU game. He was voted to the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) fist team in 1952-53 and 1954-55 and second-team in 1951-52.
After Michigan Normal, Kirksey played one year for the Harlem Globetrotters and three years for the Harlem Satellites traveling professional team.
Kirksey was also the head boys' basketball coach at Ypsilanti Roosevelt High School for four years and led the team to one district championship. He also served in the U.S. Army from 1955-57.
Kirksey worked for 26 years at the W.J. Maxey Boys Training School in Whitmore Lake, working with troubled youth.
A native of Saginaw, Mich., he was a member of the inaugural class of the Saginaw County Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.muehligannarbor.com for the Kirksey family.
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