Sport: Basketball
Born: April 8, 1912
Died: September 23, 1975
Town: Hoboken, New Jersey
Hagan Andersen was Born April 8, 1912 in Hoboken. His parents, Lars and Inge, were married in Norway and moved to Hoboken in 1910. A solidly built athlete, Hagan excelled in basketball and baseball. He starred in those sports at Cliffside Park High School after the family moved to southern Bergen County. In all, Hagan won 11 letters for the Red Raiders. In 1930, he enrolled at New York University and made the varsity basketball and baseball teams as a sophomore.
As a member of the Violets hardwood squad, the handsome Hagan dazzled crowds with his ability to sink hook shots with either hand, often from 15 feet or more away from the basket. Thus he forever became known as “Hook” Andersen. In 1933–34, he earned first-team All-America recognition and, in the season’s final contest, led NYU to a stirring win over Nat Holman’s undefeated City College five. Hagan could play guard and forward and was known for doing all the little things that help teams win. In this case, he had outdone himself. NYU coach Howard Cann proclaimed that Hook had played a “perfect game” against powerhouse CCNY. The victory capped off a 16–0 season for the Violets.
Hagan loved everything about basketball and believed he could make a living at the game. Pro hoops had taken a step back during the Depression but people still came to watch games, so Hagan figured that he could support himself as a player and as a referee. He officiated his first game in 1932 and became certified as a ref in 1936. By then, he was playing professionally for Muggsy Miller’s Jersey Reds, who were based near his home in North Bergen. He helped the club reach the American Basketball League finals each spring from in 1937 to 1939, and was a member of 1937–38 club, which won the league championship against the New York Celtics.
In 1938, Hagan was hired to coach the Teaneck High School basketball and soccer teams, and held that position through the war years and into the late-1940s. In the 1950s, he took on responsibilities as Teaneck track coach and built their cross-country team from scratch. He also played professionally right through the 1940s, suiting up for several ABL and independent teams, including the Baltimore Bullets in 1945–46, where he teamed with Mike Bloom to lead the club to the league title. Hagan played one more year of pro ball before retiring at 35.
All the while, Hagan continued to build his résumé as an official, working more than 2,000 college games—including NCAA Tournament and NIT contests—as well as seven seasons of NBA games. He refereed the infamous 1949 playoff contest between the Knicks and Bullets that degenerated into a street brawl, resulting in 100 foul calls and 11 ejections. He was rated among the top officials in college ball during the 1950s and 1960s.
In the 1960s, Hagan’s son, Hagan Jr.—starred for the Teaneck High baseball team and then in college for Amherst. He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 1966 and played in their minor-league system as an infielder for six seasons, rising to Triple-A before calling it a career at 26.
Hagan Sr. remained heavily involved in local sports prior to retiring to Florida in 1971. He served as Phys Ed. Director at Jefferson Junior High in Teaneck and ran the Haworth Swim Club for 14 summers. He passed away in 1975 at the age of 63.