Charlie Slack

Charlie Slack
College Marshall
Conference MAC
Sport Basketball
Position Forward
Jersey # 17
Height 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Nationality American
High school Pomeroy HS
Pomeroy, Ohio
Awards
  • 2× First Team All-MAC
Honors
  • Led NCAA in rebounding (1954)
  • Highest single season rebound average in NCAA history (25.6)
  • MAC all-time leading rebounder (1,524)
Championships
  • 1956 MAC champions
Tournaments

Charles E. "Charlie" Slack is an American former college basketball standout from the Marshall University. He holds the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I record for the highest single-season rebound average when he grabbed 25.6 rpg in 1954–55.[1][2]

Considered the greatest rebounder in college basketball history,[3] he had his Marshall uniform number (#17) retired in January 2000.[3] In his four year career with the Thundering Herd, from 1952–53 to 1955–56, Slack compiled 1,916 career rebounds, which is third all-time behind Tom Gola's 2,201 and Joe Holup's 2,030.[4] Additionally, Slack's effort of 43 rebounds against Charleston (West Virginia) on January 12, 1954 is the second highest single game rebound total in NCAA history behind Bill Chambers' 51.[4] Slack owns the top four spots on Marshall's season rebounding average list with 25.6, 23.6, 22.2 and 16.3 rebounds per game.[5] A prodigious rebounder, he also scored 1,551 points during his career.[5]

Although he was drafted by the Fort Wayne Pistons in the 1956 NBA Draft, he never played professionally.[6] He was, however, an alternate for the 1960 United States men's basketball team at the Olympics.[5] Slack was also a member of the varsity football team and was inducted into the Marshall University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1985 for being a dual-sport star.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ "NCAA Men's Basketball: Single Season Records". Hickok Sports. August 10, 2010. http://www.hickoksports.com/history/ncbaskmsleaders.shtml. Retrieved August 20, 2010. 
  2. ^ "Mid-American Conference All-time Statistics". midampub.com. http://www.midampub.com/Records.aspx. Retrieved August 20, 2010. 
  3. ^ a b Morlachetta, Jay M. (January 27, 2000). "Marshall rebounding legend's jersey retired". Marshall University. http://www.marshall.edu/parthenon/archives/20000127/sports/jersey.html. Retrieved August 20, 2010. 
  4. ^ a b "2009–10 NCAA Men's Basketball Records" (PDF). 2009–10 NCAA Men's Basketball Media Guide. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2009. http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/m_basketball_RB/2010/D1.pdf. Retrieved August 20, 2010. 
  5. ^ a b c "Records" (PDF). Marshall men's basketball media guide 2009-10. Marshall University. http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/mars/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/0910-mg-section7.pdf. Retrieved August 20, 2010. 
  6. ^ "1956 NBA Draft". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1956.html. Retrieved August 20, 2010. 
  7. ^ "The Marshall University Athletics Hall of Fame". herdzone.cstv.com. Marshall University. http://herdzone.cstv.com/hallfame/mars-hallfame.html. Retrieved August 20, 2010.