| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1932-10-22)October 22, 1932 Long Beach, California, U.S. |
| Died | January 30, 2015(2015-01-30) (aged 82) Panorama City, California, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Verdugo Hills (Tujunga, California) |
| College | Glendale CC (1951–1953) San Francisco (1955–1957) |
| NBA draft | 1957: 7th round, 50th overall pick |
| Selected by theDetroit Pistons | |
| Position | Forward |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats atBasketball Reference  | |
Carl Robert Boldt (October 22, 1932 – January 30, 2015) was an American college basketball player who was an integral member to theUniversity of San Francisco'snational championship team in 1955–56. A 6'5" forward, Boldt started alongside futureHall of FamersBill Russell andK. C. Jones as the Dons won their second-consecutive national championship with an unblemished 29–0 record.[1] He scored 16 points in the 1956 national championship match againstIowa.[1]
Boldt graduated fromVerdugo Hills High School inTujunga, California before enrolling atGlendale Community College in the fall of 1951.[2] At Verdugo, Boldt scored 1,024 points in 63 career games.[2] He wonMost Valuable Player (MVP) or was named to the all-tournament team in "most" of the tournaments he played in.[2] For a time, Boldt was the nation's leading scorer at the junior college level.[2] He earned All-America honors following his 1950–51sophomore season.[2]
After graduating from Glendale, Boldt enrolled in theUnited States Army and was stationed atFort Ord.[2] He spent one year serving in the military from 1954 to 1955 and played on the Army's basketball squad.[2] Boldt made the all-star team, and upon being honorably discharged he went home to California.[2]
In the fall of 1955–56, Boldt enrolled at USF to play basketball.[2] In his first season, the Dons, led by Russell and Jones, recorded an undefeated season en route to winning theNCAA Tournament.[1] He was a starting forward.[3] Years later, Boldt mentioned how it's been pointed out that he andMichael Jordan both scored 16 points in their respective NCAA national championship games.[3] He said, "I had to laugh. I may have got 16 but I wouldn't be talking to anyone if we didn't have Bill Russell playing center and K. C. Jones playing guard for us."[3]
The following season, Boldt'ssenior year in 1956–57, the USF squad had lost Russell, Jones and other key players due to graduation, so a third straight national championship seemed implausible.[4] The Dons performed surprisingly well, won a third consecutive conference championship, and made it to the Final Four of the1957 NCAA Tournament.[5] The Dons beatMichigan State in the Third Place consolation game. Early into Boldt's final season, San Francisco's then-NCAA record 60-game winning streak was snapped on December 17, 1956.[4] Coincidentally, the streak had begun exactly two years earlier on December 17, 1954.[4] San Francisco compiled a 60–7 record in Boldt's two seasons on the team.[5]
Boldt was selected in the 7th round (50th overall) in the1957 NBA draft by theDetroit Pistons following the conclusion of his collegiate career.[6] He never played in theNational Basketball Association, however. Boldt then spent some time playing for the Buchan Bakers in theNational Industrial Basketball League (NIBL), where in 1958–59 he was a Western Conference All-Star.[7] He was also named the All-Star Game MVP after holdingDick Boushka, the NIBL's leading scorer, to only six points (all coming off free throws).[7] After Boldt quit playing basketball, he spent time in the 1970s working as a scout and assistant coach for theAmerican Basketball Association'sLos Angeles Stars.[3] He then began his career in business, and in 1984 he entered thecoffee industry.[3] Boldt lived inArcadia, California with his wife when he died after a period of declining health, on January 30, 2015.[8]