Photo courtesy of Wayne State University
Charlie Primas
Wayne State Basketball
Wayne State Basketball Player (1952 – 1954)
Wayne State Athletic Hall of Fame (1976)
Wayne State Athletic Hall of Fame (1976)
Harlem Globetrotters (1954 - 1956)
Charlie Primas
Wayne State University Basketball Player (1952 – 1954)
Harlem Globetrotters Basketball Player (1954 – 1956)
Charlie Primas was born in Shuqualak, Mississippi, moved to Detroit where he graduated from Miller High School. Primas attended Wayne State University (WSU) where he excelled at basketball, he was a three-time letter winner serving as team captain in 1953 and 1954. Primas held the WSU season (466 points) and career (1,270 points) scoring records until the early 1970s. Primas was the school's first 1,000-point scorer and one of only two players in over 100 years of basketball to get at least 1,000 rebounds. Overall, he won 13 college or amateur championships. Primas played with the Harlem Globetrotters from 1954 – 1956, during a time when African-American players had limited opportunities in the NBA. Charlie Primas was inducted into the Wayne State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1976 and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. He passed away on January 12, 2020 at 87 years of age.