The Onondaga Historical Association is heading to Pittsburgh this weekend in hopes of collecting an Emmy award for a short film about a long-standing NBA record achieved here in Syracuse. Mayor Ben Walsh credits OHA Director Gregg Tripoli for using film to tell the story of Jim Tucker and the 1955 Syracuse Nationals.
"Gregg and his team at the OHA have not been content just letting history sit in the museum. They're tireless in finding new and creative ways to bring Syracuse's history to the rest of the community and even the rest of the world," Walsh said.
OHA director Gregg Tripoli says it took years of research and interviews to make the 25 minute documentary called “Let ‘em Know You’re There: The Story of Big Jim and the Triple Double.”
"It's important that people learn and recognize that Syracuse changed the game of basketball forever with the 24 second shot clock. That we helped integrate the National Basketball Association with the first two black men on an NBA championship team. That one of those players, Earl Lloyd, was the very first black man to set foot on an NBA court. And that the other, the protagonist in this film, Jim Tucker, set an NBA record for a triple double ... that's double digits in points, rebounds, and assists in that championship season that lasted an incredible 63 years until it was finally broken last year."
The film was produced by Readily Apparent Media, and is up against two other nominees at the Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards this Saturday. It’s available on DVD and will be broadcast nationwide on public television next month.