KDSN RADIO News
Four Iowa stops on Harlem Globetrotters’ 100 Year Tour
The centennial celebration of the Harlem Globetrotters includes four stops in Iowa next year.
The Harlem Globetrotters, founded in 1926, played their first games in the Savoy Ballroom in Chicago. The team now plays over 400 games a year in countries around the globe and is embarking on a “100 Year Tour.” They’ll be at the Casey’s Center in Des Moines on February 12th, at Alliant Energy Powerhouse in Cedar Rapids on February 13th and at Dubuque’s Five Flags Center on Valentine’s Day. The Globetrotters’ tour will swing back to Iowa on March 4th for a game at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City.
Over 750 players have been on the Globetrotters roster over the past century. That includes Robert Karstens, a Davenport native who was the third white man to play on the team. The founder of the Globetrotters saw Karstens play at a gym in Davenport and Karstens replaced a black player who served in the Army Air Force during World War II. Karstens was the team’s “designated showman” in 1942 and part of ’43, then he stayed on as team manager for the next 11 years. He’s credited with creating some of the Globetrotters’ iconic routines, including the yo-yo basketball and a behind-the-back trick shot.
