Larry Killick
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born |
May 31, 1922 Burlington, Vermont |
Died |
January 31, 2013 90) Rockledge, Florida | (aged
Nationality | American |
Career information | |
College |
Dartmouth (1943–1944) Vermont (1942–1943, 1946–1947) |
NBA draft | 1947 / Round: 1 / Pick: 10th overall |
Selected by the Baltimore Bullets | |
Career history | |
1947?–1949? | Glen Falls Commodores (NYSPL) |
Lawrence Findley "Larry" Killick (May 31, 1922 – January 31, 2013) was an American basketball player and attire innovator. Killick was drafted in the first round of the 1947 BAA Draft (10th overall) by the Baltimore Bullets, although he never ended up playing in the Basketball Association of America, the forerunner to the modern NBA.
A native of Burlington, Vermont, Killick attended the University of Vermont but had to split up his collegiate career due to his service in World War II. He was known as a good shooter, and in his staggered career at Vermont he scored 733 points, which for the era was a very high amount. Between stints at Vermont he played one season at Dartmouth while in the United States Marine Corps. Killick was selected to the East–West All-Star Game in his senior season at Vermont before being selected by the Bullets in the BAA Draft.
Killick played semi-professional basketball for the Glen Falls Commodores in the New York State Professional League for a couple years before moving on from the sport as a player. In the summer of 1956, Killick toured Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East with the recent NBA champion Syracuse Nationals as part of the first goodwill team sent abroad. He is also "noted for inventing 'Little Kid Basketball' in 1952. Equipment he designed made it possible for boys as young as six years old to become proficient in the game" according to his University of Vermont Hall of Fame entry.
In 1999, Sports Illustrated named him to their list of the Top 50 Vermont athletes of the 20th century. He was placed #25 on the list. In his post-basketball life, Killick worked in marketing and management of local and statewide companies in Rockledge, Florida.
References
- "Obituaries". Burlington Free Press. 2013. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
- "Hall of Fame: Lawrence F. Killick – Class of 1947". VermontCatamounts.com. University of Vermont. 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
- O'Hern, Matt (October 19, 2006). "Rockledge resident makes hall of fame". My Hometown News. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
- "Top 50 Athletes of the 20th Century by State: Vermont". Sports Illustrated. CNN/SI. December 17, 1999. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
- Kirk, Al (2005). "History of the New York State Professional Basketball League". Association for Professional Basketball Research. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
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