American basketball player and coach (1921?2016)
Bobby Wanzer
|
Born
| (
1921-06-04
)
June 4, 1921
Brooklyn, New York
, U.S.
|
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Died
| January 23, 2016
(2016-01-23)
(aged 94)
Pittsford, New York
, U.S.
|
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Nationality
| American
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Listed height
| 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
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Listed weight
| 170 lb (77 kg)
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High school
| Benjamin Franklin
(New York City, New York)
|
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College
| Seton Hall
(1942?1943, 1946?1947)
|
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BAA draft
| 1948
: 1st round, 10th overall pick
|
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Selected by the
Rochester Royals
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Playing career
| 1948?1957
|
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Position
| Point guard
/
shooting guard
|
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Number
| 9
|
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Coaching career
| 1955?1987
|
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|
|
1948
?
1957
| Rochester Royals
|
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|
1955
?
1959
| Rochester / Cincinnati Royals
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1963?1987
| St. John Fisher
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As player:
As coach:
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Points
| 6,924 (12.2 ppg)
|
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Rebounds
| 1,979 (4.5 rpg)
|
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Assists
| 1,830 (3.2 apg)
|
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|
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Stats
at NBA.com
|
Stats
at Basketball-Reference.com
|
|
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
|
College Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2006
|
|
Robert Francis Wanzer
(June 4, 1921 ? January 23, 2016) was an American professional
basketball
player and coach. A five time
NBA All-Star
and three time
All-NBA Second Team
selection, Wanzer played his entire professional career for the
Rochester Royals
of the
Basketball Association of America
(BAA) and
National Basketball Association
(NBA). He won an
NBA championship
with the Royals in
1951
. During his final two years as a player, he served as the team's
player-coach
. After he retired from playing in 1957, he remained as a coach with the Royals for one season, before he became the head coach of the
St. John Fisher Cardinals
college basketball team in 1963. He stayed in the role with the college for 24 years until his retirement in 1987. Wanzer was inducted into the
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
in 1987 and into the newly formed
New York City Basketball Hall of Fame
in 1991.
College career and military service
[
edit
]
A 6'0" guard, Wanzer played collegiately at
Seton Hall University
. After leading Seton Hall to a 16?2 record as a sophomore, Wanzer enlisted in the
United States Marine Corps
. He made the All-Pacific Armed Forces All-Star basketball team, and participated in the occupation of
Guam
.
[1]
Professional career
[
edit
]
Wanzer was selected by the
Rochester Royals
in 1948.
[2]
Royals star
Bob Davies
was a Seton Hall coach and steered the star guard to the NBL contender. Initially a reserve behind
Al Cervi
and
Red Holzman
, Wanzer later teamed with Davies to form a potent backcourt for the day. The Royals were very successful from 1947?1954, and their smaller stars, like Wanzer, were considered their biggest assets. With Wanzer, Rochester won the 1950?51
National Basketball Association
(NBA) title.
Wanzer played his entire career with the Royals, retiring from play after the end of the 1957 season. He was a five-time All-Star with the Royals, made the
All-NBA Second Team
three consecutive times and, in the 1951?52 season, Wanzer became the first player to ever shoot over 90% from the
free throw
line in a season.
[3]
Coaching career
[
edit
]
Wanzer served as the
player-coach
of the Royals for two years, and then, after the franchise moved to
Cincinnati
, coached for another season. His
1957?58 Cincinnati Royals team
were an NBA championship contender, but injuries stopped the team short. When star
Maurice Stokes
was permanently injured, Wanzer moved on early the following NBA season.
In 1962, Wanzer became the first coach at
St. John Fisher College
in
Pittsford, New York
. He coached there for 24 seasons and also served as the school's athletic director.
[4]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Wanzer died on January 23, 2016, at his home in Pittsford, New York.
[1]
[5]
Pre-deceased by his wife, Nina Penrose Wanzer and son-in-law Darrel Dupra he was survived by daughters, Mary and Beth Wanzer and son, Bobby (Nancy) Wanzer; grandchildren Jeff, Zach and Whitney Dupra, Marti and Madison Wanzer; great-granddaughter Seneca Hernandez Dupra; and sister, Marilyn (Robert) Ulrich.
Legacy
[
edit
]
He was inducted into the
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
in 1987. He is also a member of the Seton Hall College Hall of Fame and the
New York City Basketball Hall of Fame
(1991
[6]
), among others.
On August 17, 2007, Wanzer was inducted into the United States Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame.
[1]
BAA/NBA career statistics
[
edit
]
Regular season
[
edit
]
Playoffs
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
DiVeronica, Jeff (January 23, 2016),
"Rochester basketball legend Bobby Wanzer dies at 94"
,
Democrat and Chronicle
- ^
"Bobby Wanzer Stats"
.
- ^
The Official NBA Basketball Encyclopedia
. Villard Books. 1994. p. 378.
ISBN
0-679-43293-0
.
- ^
Goldstein, Richard (January 24, 2016),
"Bobby Wanzer, 94, Hall of Fame Player From N.B.A.'s Early, Patient Days, Dies"
,
The New York Times
- ^
"Former Rochester Royals player, Bobby Wanzer dies"
. January 24, 2016.
- ^
"Inductees Listed by Year of Induction ? the NYC Basketball Hall of Fame"
.
External links
[
edit
]
Links to related articles
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# denotes interim head coach
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