Albert Lewis Barthelme Sr. (October 10, 1919 – March 4, 2004[1]) was an American basketball coach at the high school, college and professional levels.[2]
Barthelme was head basketball coach at the University of Baltimore from 1950 to 1954. Using an offense-dominated approach dubbed "firehouse" basketball, he was the subject of numerous newspaper stories about the high-scoring games.[2] Seven games into the 1953–1954 season, the team was averaging well over 100 points per game.[3]
An assistant coach and publicist for the Baltimore Bullets 1954–1955 season,[4] Barthelme was named head coach on November 20, 1954[5] but would only coach three games before the club went out of business on November 27.[4]
Following his brief NBA stint, Barthelme worked in public relations at Carling Brewing Co., later becoming a beer distributor in 1962.[2] From 1966 to 1985 he served as supervisor of the St. Mary's County, Maryland Youth Commission which later became the Department of Parks and Recreation.[2] Barthelme was survived by his second wife, five sons, a daughter, and 11 grandchildren, and predeceased by his first wife and one son.[2]
^Sandler, Gilbert (March 29, 1994). "UB Bees' bombastic basketball". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on June 20, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2014.