Rudy LaRusso

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Rudy LaRusso
No. 35
Power forward / Center
Personal information
Born (1937-11-11)November 11, 1937
Brooklyn, New York
Died July 9, 2004(2004-07-09) (aged 66)
Los Angeles, California
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 7 in (201 cm)
Listed weight 220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school James Madison
(Brooklyn, New York)
College Dartmouth (1956–1959)
NBA draft 1959 / Round: 2 / Pick: 10th overall
Selected by the Minneapolis Lakers
Pro playing career 1959–1969
Career history
1959–1967 Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers
1967–1969 San Francisco Warriors
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points 11,507 (16.9 ppg)
Rebounds 6,936 (10.2 rpg)
Assists 1,556 (2.3 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Rudolph "Rudy" A. LaRusso (November 11, 1937 – July 9, 2004)[1] was an American 6 ft 7 in five-time National Basketball Association All-Star as a power forward.[2] He was nicknamed "Roughhouse Rudy."[3]

Early life

LaRusso was Jewish, and was born in Brooklyn, New York.[4][5][6] He attended James Madison High School in Brooklyn. LaRusso, whose mother was Jewish and father was Italian, won All-City honors. He attended and graduated Dartmouth College.[7][8] In 1958, playing for Dartmouth he grabbed 32 rebounds in a game against Columbia, tying an Ivy League record.[9]

Career

He was taken by the Minneapolis Lakers in the second round of the 1959 NBA Draft out of Dartmouth College, and played eight years with them and two for the San Francisco Warriors. He was a five time All-Star. He was known for his rebounding, tight defense, toughness, and presence.[10][11]

In 1962 he scored 50 points, at that point the most ever by a Jewish NBA basketball player, in a game for the Lakers against the St. Louis Hawks.[12]

In 1967–68, he finished seventh in the league with a career-best average of 21.8 ppg.

Rudy had a small cameo role in the Gilligan's Island third season episode "Bang! Bang! Bang!" as 'Agent Michaels'.

He died of Parkinson's disease in 2004.

See also

  • List of select Jewish basketball players

References

  1. ↑ Crowe, Jerry (2004-07-10). "Rudy LaRusso, 66; Played on 1st L.A. Laker Team". Los Angeles Times (Tribune Company). Retrieved 2012-08-25. 
  2. ↑
  3. ↑
  4. ↑
  5. ↑ Crowe, Jerry (2004-07-10). "Rudy LaRusso, 66; Played on 1st L.A. Laker Team". Los Angeles Times (Tribune Company). Retrieved 2012-08-25. 
  6. ↑
  7. ↑
  8. ↑
  9. ↑
  10. ↑
  11. ↑
  12. ↑

External links

1959 NBA Draft
Territorial pick
First round
Second round
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