Dave DeBusschere
David Albert DeBusschere (October 16, 1940 – May 14, 2003) was an American professional basketball player and coach in the NBA. He was drafted by the Detroit Pistons out of the University of Detroit in 1962 and won two championships with the New York Knicks. He was the youngest coach in league history.
DeBusschere was born in Detroit, Michigan, and was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame after a 12-year career (1962–1974) in which he averaged 16.1 points and eleven rebounds while being named to eight NBA All-Star teams. However, he was best known for his tenacious defense, as he was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team six times. His #22 jersey was retired by the Knicks, but not until many years after his retirement; it is thought the delay was due to DeBusschere's taking a front-office job with the rival New Jersey Nets of the then-American Basketball Association upon his retirement. He later became commissioner of the ABA. At the age of 24, he was given the position of player-coach for the Detroit Pistons and thus became the youngest-ever coach in league history. DeBusschere was also the author of a book entitled The Open Man, which was a chronicle of the New York Knicks' 1969-1970 championship season.
DeBusschere was also a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox in 1962-63. He is also one of only a dozen athletes to have accomplished the rare feat of playing in both Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association (Mark Hendrickson, Danny Ainge, Gene Conley, Ron Reed, Dick Groat, Steve Hamilton, Cotton Nash, Frank Baumholtz, Dick Ricketts and Chuck Connors are among the others).
In his later years, he appeared in Lee Muffler television commercials. DeBusschere died of a heart attack in New York in 2003, aged 62.
DeBusschere made his first video game depiction in NBA Ballers Phenom.
External links
- Dave DeBusschere career summary @ NBA.com
| Preceded by Charles Wolf |
Detroit Pistons Head
Coach 1964–1967 |
Succeeded by Donnie Butcher |
| New York Knicks 1969-70 NBA Champions |
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| New York Knicks 1972-73 NBA Champions |
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| Fort Wayne/Detroit Pistons Head Coaches |
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| Mendenhall • Birch • Eckman • Rocha • McGuire • Wolf • DeBusschere • Butcher • Seymour • van Breda Kolff • Dischinger • Lloyd • Scott • H. Brown • Kauffman • Vitale • Adubato • Robertson • Daly • Rothstein • Chaney • Collins • Gentry • Irvine • Carlisle • L. Brown • Saunders |
| National Basketball Association's 50 Greatest Players in NBA History |
|---|
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar • Nate Archibald •
Paul Arizin • Charles Barkley •
Rick Barry • Elgin Baylor • Dave Bing • Larry Bird • Wilt Chamberlain • Bob Cousy • Dave Cowens • Billy Cunningham • Dave DeBusschere • Clyde Drexler • Julius Erving • Patrick Ewing • Walt Frazier • George Gervin • Hal Greer • John Havlicek • Elvin Hayes • Magic Johnson • Sam Jones • |
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