| Laddie Gale | |
| Position: | Forward |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 4 |
| Birth Date: | 22 April 1917 |
| Birth Place: | Grants Pass, Oregon, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Gold Beach, Oregon, U.S. |
| Highschool: | Oakridge (Oakridge, Oregon) |
| College: | Oregon (1936–1939) |
| Years1: | 1939–1940 |
| Team1: | Detroit Eagles |
| Highlights: |
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| Hof Player: | laddie-gale |
Lauren "Laddie" Gale (April 22, 1917 – July 29, 1996) was an American collegiate and professional basketball player.
A native of Oakridge, Oregon,[1] the 6'4" Gale played forward for the University of Oregon under head coach Howard Hobson. He was the second-tallest player (behind 6'8" Urgel "Slim" Wintermute) on the team, which was dubbed "The Tall Firs."[1]
Gale led the Ducks in scoring in 1938 and 1939, earning All-Pacific Coast Conference honors in each season. In 1939, Gale led the Ducks to a national championship in the first-ever Division I men's basketball tournament.[2]
After graduation, Gale played professionally in 1939 and 1940 for the Detroit Eagles of the National Basketball League.[3] He left the Eagles in to serve in World War II,[3] reportedly after being the first Oregon draftee selected by lottery.[1] After the war, he played on several semi-pro teams and retired from basketball in 1949.[3]
He died in Gold Beach, Oregon, on July 29, 1996.[1]
For his stellar collegiate play, for being the first college player regularly to employ a one-handed shot, and for helping to popularize the sport of basketball in the American West, Gale was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1977[2] and was an inaugural inductee of the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1980.[4] He is also a member of the University of Oregon Hall of Fame.