Carl Leslie Shy was a member of the 1936 U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball Team at the Berlin Summer Olympics. It was the very first U.S. Men’s Olympic basketball team in history. A 27-year-old six-footer who previously played for the UCLA Bruins, Shy actually earned a spot on the 14-man roster following the final tryouts for the team which were held at Madison Square Garden in New York City on March 4 and 5 by the American Olympic Committee. Playing its games in Berlin outdoors, the U.S. team went on to win the gold medal by defeating a total of five different countries including Spain, Estonia, Philippines and Mexico. In the championship game, the U.S. men outlasted Canada 19-8 in a contest that was literally played in the rain.
This lot includes a few unique pieces from Shy’s participation in the Olympic Games including the very suitcase he used when he crossed the Atlantic Ocean aboard the S.S. Manhattan steam ship. The brown leather Oshkosh Luggage suitcase, which boasts his initials (“C.L.S.”) imprinted in gold across the top, measures 21” wide x 16” tall x 7” deep. It’s in perfect working condition and the original handles remain intact. What’s more, this lot includes two black-and-white photographs, one that measures 2.75” wide x 4” high that shows Shy carrying the suitcase during his trip, while the other is a 5” x 7” team shot showing the entire U.S. Men’s Basketball squad in full uniform, flanked by their coaches, aboard the S.S. Manhattan. The final piece to this particular lot is an actual menu from the S.S. Manhattan that reflects what the American Olympic Team ate on Thursday, July 16, 1936, aboard the ship. The menu measures 6.5” wide x 10.5” high and shows what the team had for breakfast, lunch and dinner that day. Dinner consisted of brown kidneys and porterhouse soup, roast beef, escalloped potatoes, spinach with egg, chocolate pudding and fresh milk.
Includes Letter of Authenticity from the Shy Family.