Temple University Athletics
FORMER OWL BASKETBALL STAR JOHN BAUM JOINS TEMPLE SPORTS AS ASSISTANT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR FOR MAJOR GIFTS
2.12.04 | Men's Basketball
In 2003, Baum raised close to one million dollars for the University through endowments and scholarships. He was also instrumental in establishing the John Chaney Endowed Scholarship Fund.
Baum, a Big 5 Hall of Famer, is a familiar face and voice to Cherry & White fans. The Philadelphia native is in his seventh season as color analyst on the Owls' men's basketball broadcasts on WPHT (1210 AM).
Baum arrived in Owl Country as a freshman in 1965 after playing just one season of competitive basketball at Pierce Business School. As a prep at West Philadelphia High School, he was not a member of the basketball team, instead earning varsity letters in baseball and soccer. Baum exited Temple with an undergraduate degree in accounting. He was also credited with 1,544 career points and 1,042 rebounds. The totals currently rank 10th and first, respectively, in the school record books. A three-time all-city selection, Baum was enshrined in the Temple University Hall of Fame in 1979.
After capping his Temple career with the NIT title, Baum was drafted by both the NBA and ABA, by the Chicago Bulls (second round) and Los Angeles Stars (first round), respectively. He played in the NBA for three seasons with Chicago (1969-72) before competing in the ABA for three years with the New Jersey Nets (1972-74) and Indiana Pacers (1974-75). Baum and teammate Rick Barry were instrumental with the Nets winning the 1973 ABA title.
Following his professional basketball career, Baum worked for Girard Bank, now Mellon Bank, from 1975 to 1980 as a Bank Officer handling Fortune 500 companies in the California region. From 1980 to 1985, he was an investment broker with the Mass Mutual Financial Group.
Baum, who has been a member of various civic organizations for over 25 years, has also made a name for himself on the show dog circuit. His hobby of breeding and showing championship great danes proved especially fruitful in the 1980's. In 1982, his dog Ch. Raheims Hasani Azzizi was named Best Male Great Dane at the Westminster Kennel Club Show at Madison Square Garden, the same arena where the Owls captured their 1969 NIT title.
