 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1932-03-12)March 12, 1932 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Died | May 28, 2014(2014-05-28) (aged 82) Olympia, Washington, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Queen Anne (Seattle, Washington) |
| College | Washington (1950–1953) |
| NBA draft | 1953: 1st round, 2nd overall pick |
| Drafted by | Milwaukee Hawks |
| Playing career | 1953–1958 |
| Position | Power forward /centre |
| Number | 10, 14, 20, 8, 17 |
| Career history | |
| 1953 | Milwaukee Hawks |
| 1953–1954 | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1954 | Boston Celtics |
| 1954–1958 | Fort Wayne / Detroit Pistons |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 2,611 (9.3 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,552 (5.5 rpg) |
| Assists | 500 (1.8 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame | |
| Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame | |
Robert J. Houbregs (March 12, 1932 – May 28, 2014) was a Canadian professionalbasketball player. Houbregs was inducted into theNaismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987.
A 6-foot 8-inch, 225-poundforward-centre, fromQueen Anne High School inSeattle, Washington, Houbregs played for theUniversity of Washington Huskies from 1949 to 1953 (his family moved to Seattle fromVancouver, British Columbia when he was a child[1]). In 1952, Houbregs was a Second Team Consensus All-America selection. In 1953, as a senior, he was named NCAA Player of the Year, was a Consensus All-America selection, helped lead the1952–53 Huskies to theFinal Four in theNCAA tournament, and was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 34.8 points per game in the post-season. He became the first player to score 40 or more points in anNCAA tournament Final Four game when he scored 42 againstLSU in the national third-place game on March 18, 1953.[2]
Houbregs wasdrafted by theNBA'sMilwaukee Hawks with the second overall pick in1953 and played five seasons (1953–1958) in the NBA with four teams: the Hawks, theBaltimore Bullets, theBoston Celtics, and theFort Wayne (later Detroit) Pistons. Houbregs' career scoring average was 9.3 points per game.
Houbregs served as general manager of theSeattle SuperSonics from 1970 to 1973.[3]
Houbregs' father John was a minor leagueice hockey player who moved to Seattle in 1934/35 with his family in order to play for the Seattle Sea Hawks of theNorth West Hockey League.[4] Houbregs was a member ofAlpha Sigma Phi fraternity.[5]
Houbregs was elected to theNaismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987.
In 2000, Houbregs was inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame for his significant contributions to the sport as a player.[6]
Houbregs died on May 28, 2014 in Olympia, Washington. He was 82 years old.[7][8]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| * | Led the league |
Source[9]
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953–54 | Milwaukee | 11 | 15.1 | .306 | .765 | 4.2 | .8 | 5.8 |
| 1953–54 | Baltimore | 59 | 30.6 | .380 | .707 | 5.6 | 1.9 | 9.2 |
| 1954–55 | Baltimore | 10 | 30.0 | .359 | .706 | 5.5 | 2.8 | 9.0 |
| 1954–55 | Boston | 2 | 7.5 | – | 1.000 | .5 | 1.0 | .5 |
| 1954–55 | Fort Wayne | 52 | 19.4 | .391 | .707 | 4.6 | 1.1 | 6.4 |
| 1955–56 | Fort Wayne | 70 | 21.9 | .430 | .739 | 5.9 | 2.3 | 11.1 |
| 1956–57 | Fort Wayne | 60 | 26.5 | .432 | .714 | 6.7 | 1.9 | 11.2 |
| 1957–58 | Detroit | 17 | 17.8 | .358 | .698 | 3.8 | 1.1 | 7.5 |
| Career | 281 | 23.9 | .404 | .721 | 5.5 | 1.8 | 9.3 | |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Fort Wayne | 11* | 19.4 | .381 | .784 | 5.6 | 1.7 | 7.0 |
| 1956 | Fort Wayne | 10* | 21.7 | .462 | .705 | 6.7 | 1.4 | 10.3 |
| 1957 | Fort Wayne | 2 | 19.0 | .412 | .727 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 11.0 |
| Career | 23 | 20.3 | .424 | .739 | 5.9 | 1.6 | 8.8 | |