Ron Dunlap

Ron Dunlap (born December 2, 1946) is a retired professional basketball player from Illinois. Dunlap, a high school center from Farragut Academy, went on to play for the University of Illinois for one year (1965–66). He was a member of the freshman squad during the 1964-65 season and played a key role on the 1965–66 varsity squad, additionally, he started the 1966–67 season with the team and was subsequently dismissed as part of the "slush fund" investigation. Dunlap scored 161 career points with 169 rebounds while only playing 28 games for the Fighting Illini.^[1]

Career

Dunlap attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, playing two seasons for the Fighting Illini. He was forced to skip his last two seasons of basketball (1967-1968) due to a scandal involving illicit "slush funds" and funding paid to University of Illinois players on its basketball and football teams. During this era, the NCAA allowed $15 a month in stipends, however, the Big Ten Conference did not. Dunlap, married and the father of a daughter at the time, had received a total of $410 in monthly increments. Three Illini coaches resigned under pressure, and the athletes receiving the payments lost their remaining eligibility to play in the Big Ten. Based on the incident, the NCAA suspended the Fighting Illini to two seasons.^[2]

Despite the enforced break from the game, Dunlap was selected in the second round of 1968 NBA Draft by Chicago Bulls. He continued his career in the Continental Basketball Association^[3]) with the Rockford Royals, and later in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv.^[4]

References