 Dischinger as a junior atPurdue, 1960-61 | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1940-11-21)November 21, 1940 Terre Haute, Indiana, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died | October 9, 2023(2023-10-09) (aged 82) Oswego, Oregon, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 189 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | James A. Garfield (Terre Haute, Indiana) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Purdue (1959–1962) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 1962: 2nd round, 8th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | Chicago Zephyrs | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1962–1973 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Small forward /shooting guard | ||||||||||||||
| Number | 43, 18, 42 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||
| 1962–1964 | Chicago Zephyrs / Baltimore Bullets | ||||||||||||||
| 1964–1972 | Detroit Pistons | ||||||||||||||
| 1972–1973 | Portland Trail Blazers | ||||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||||
| 1971 | Detroit Pistons | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Career NBA statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Points | 9,012 (13.8 ppg) | ||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 3,646 (5.6 rpg) | ||||||||||||||
| Assists | 1,151 (1.8 apg) | ||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com  | |||||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
| Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame | |||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||
Terry Gilbert Dischinger (/ˈdɪʃɪŋər/DISH-ing-ər;[1] November 21, 1940 – October 9, 2023) was an American professionalbasketball player in theNational Basketball Association (NBA). Dischinger was a three-timeNBA All-Star and the 1963NBA Rookie of the Year, after averaging 28 points per game in his three seasons atPurdue University.
In 2019, Dischinger was inducted to theCollege Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2010, the1960 United States men's Olympic basketball team of which Dischinger was a member, was collectively inducted into theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Dischinger practicedorthodontics after his NBA career.
Dischinger attended James A. Garfield High School inTerre Haute, Indiana. The son of the football coach, Dischinger was a 3-year letter winner in basketball and was twice being named the Purple Eagles' MVP. During his senior season (1957–58), he was selected as captain and was the MVP of the 1958 Indiana All-Star team. Dischinger was also a 1958Parade All-American.[2]
During his high school career, Dischinger earned all-state honors in basketball, while being coached by Willard Kehrt, and infootball and track, being coached by his father, Donas Dischinger.[3][4]As a high school freshman, he was a member of Terre Haute's 1955Babe Ruth League world championshipbaseball team.[5]He was also a member of Garfield High's 1955IHSAA Sectional Championship team; this was the deepest run Garfield would make during his high school career. City rival, Terre Haute Gerstmeyer Tech, was the main opposition to Garfield during Dischinger's career.
Dischinger attendedPurdue University inWest Lafayette, Indiana, where he played under CoachRay Eddy in theBig Ten Conference.
In his first varsity season as a sophomore (freshmen were not allowed to play varsity by the NCAA in his era), the 6'7", 190 lbguard/forward was named a Second Team All-American,[6] leading the 11–12Boilermakers, averaging 26.3 points and 14.3 rebounds. On January 9, 1960, Dischinger pulled down 26 rebounds againstWisconsin, the second most in a game behindCarl McNulty's school record of 27 in 1951. Dishinger made the 1960 Olympic Team after his sophomore season.
During his junior season (1960–1961), Purdue finished 16–7. Dischinger was named a First Team All-American[6] and led the conference in scoring with 28.2 points and 13.4 rebounds a game. On February 25, 1961—a number of online stories say "Christmas Day in 1961" but that is a mistake—Dischinger scored a career high 52 points againstMichigan State on 19 field goals and 14 free throws. The 52 points brokeJerry Lucas's priorBig Ten Conference record of 48. In his next game, he made a single-game school record 21 free throws againstIowa on February 27, 1961.[citation needed][7][8]
Purdue finished 17–7 in Dischinger's senior season.[9]
In his last college game againstMichigan on March 12, 1962, Dischinger played with asprained ankle and scored 30 points.
His 459 total points in his senior season led the conference in scoring for a third consecutive season. He was named a second straight First Team All-American while leading the Big Ten Conference in both scoring (30.3 points) and rebounding (13.4). He attempted a single-season Purdue record 350 free throws in his senior season.[citation needed][9][8]
When he left Purdue, Dischinger held almost every Purdue scoring record. Many would be broken byDave Schellhase andRick Mount within the next decade. Dischinger was namedAll-Big Ten three consecutive seasons and selected as the Purdue MVP for each season. He currently holds school records for nine 40-plus-point games, 713 made free throws with 871 attempted, 14.3 rebounds a game and the second most in a career with 958 behindJoe Barry Carroll's 1,148 mark.[10]
Dischinger averaged 28.3 points a game in his three varsity seasons, in which he led the conference in scoring each season. He's currently the sixth-highest scorer in Boilermaker history with a total of 1,979 points.[citation needed]
Overall, Dischinger averaged adouble-double of 28.3 points and 13.7 rebounds, shooting 55.3% from the floor and 81.9% from the line in 70 career games at Purdue.[8]
Dischinger was selected to theUSA men's basketball team that won the gold medal at the1960 Rome Olympics under head coachPete Newell; at age 19, and just finishing his sophomore year of college, he was the youngest member of the team. As a starting guard/forward, he was teamed with futureBasketball Hall of FamersOscar Robertson,Jerry West, andJerry Lucas.[11] The team was named to theNaismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.He started all 8 games, scoring 90 total points, with an 11.3 points-per-game average as the fourth-leading scorer on the team.[12]
"It was a fairy tale because I played with my idol, Oscar Robertson. The experience made me a much better player." said Dischinger.[13]
Dischinger was the first pick of the second round (#8 overall) by theChicago Zephyrs in the1962 NBA draft.[6]
Dischinger had an immediate impact in the NBA, as won theNBA Rookie of the Year Award in the1962–63 season, averaging25.5 points, 8.0rebounds and 3.1 assists in 57 games. The Zephyrs finished 25–55 under coachesJack McMahon (12–26) andSlick Leonard (13–29).[6][14]
"During my rookie year I wanted to obtain my Chemical Engineering degree from Purdue, so Chicago let me attend school and play on weekends and holidays." Dischinger recalled. "One time after class I left Purdue at 4 PM, taped my ankles in a cab and played that night in San Francisco. It wasn't that tough of a year because I received my degree, the rookie of the year award, and was paid to play the game I loved."[13]
Dischinger was named rookie of the year over four future Hall of Famers, whom he joined on the 1962–63NBA All-Rookie Team:Zelmo Beaty,Dave DeBusschere,John Havlicek andChet Walker.[15]
After his rookie season the Zephyrs moved toBaltimore,Maryland and became the Baltimore Bullets (today'sWashington Wizards). In his second season, Dischinger averaged 20.8 points and 8.3 rebounds as Baltimore finished 31–49 underHall of Fame Coach Leonard. Dischinger played alongside future Hall of FamersWalt Bellamy andRod Thorn, as well asKevin Loughery,Gene Shue andSihugo Green.[6][16][17]
In his third season in the NBA, Dischinger was traded to theDetroit Pistons. On June 18, 1964, Dischinger was traded by the Bullets withDon Kojis and Rod Thorn to the Pistons forBob Ferry,Bailey Howell,Les Hunter,Wali Jones andDon Ohl. With Detroit, he averaged 18.2 points a game, and was chosen as anNBA All-Star for the third consecutive season.[6][17]
Following his third NBA season, Dischinger left the NBA for military service.
"I was in the ROTC in college and was told I could fulfill my commission with the National Guard," said Dischinger. "But I ended up serving for two years in Hawaii. It was really bad for my basketball career but it was there that I decided to practice dentistry when my playing days ended."[13]
Dischinger spent the next two years serving in theUnited States Army. There, he continued to play basketball, was named to the all-Rainbow Classic team (1965), led the Rainbow Classic in scoring (91-pts, 30.3 ppg),[18] was named MVP for the Army all-Pacific team, served as a coach of the all-Army basketball team, and coached aState Department team on a tour ofCentral America in 1966.[4]
After returning to the NBA in 1967, he returned to the Pistons, where he played for the next five seasons. During the1971–72 season, he coached in two games as aplayer-coach at the age of 31. In six total seasons in Detroit, Dischinger averaged 12.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 452 games, playing alongside Hall of FamersBob Lanier,Dave Bing and Walt Bellamy.[17][19][20]
"When you were winning it was great, and when you weren't it wasn't so great, but that's true anywhere, said Dischinger of his Pistons tenure. "I played with a bunch of great players like Dave DeBusschere, Dave Bing, Bob Lanier, Tom Van Arsdale and Jimmy Walker. We had a special relationship and I loved my basketball life."[13]
July 31, 1972, Dischinger was traded by the Pistons to thePortland Trail Blazers forFred Foster.[17] He averaged 6.1 points and 3.0 rebounds in 15 minutes per game for the 21–61 Blazers under CoachJack McCloskey during the1972–73 season.[21]
Dischinger was involved in an altercation in 1973, withMike Price of thePhiladelphia 76ers. "Dale Schlueter andLaRue Martin got into a fight, and I went over to help out and Price reacted," Dischinger recalled. "It was a one-punch thing, and you know how those things are in sports. I had teeth loosened, but I didn't lose any. I thought I had a tooth in my mouth, but I felt in there, and it was chewing gum. I threw it away. I decided it was time to retire after that year," Dischinger said, jokingly, "if that is the only thing you're remembered for, something is wrong."[22]
After his one season in Portland, he retired after nine seasons in the NBA.
Overall, in his NBA career, Dischinger averaged 13.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and had a .506 field goal percentage in 652 games.[6]
Following his retirement as a player in 1973, Dischinger completed dental school inMemphis, Tennessee. With his wife Mary, he returned to Portland, where he had ended his NBA career, to begin an orthodontic practice in the Portland suburb ofLake Oswego. He also served as an analyst for Trail Blazers telecasts.[3][23][24]
Dischinger and his wife Mary were married for more than fifty years and have three children and nine grandchildren. His grandson Michael Loomis played basketball atNorthwest Christian University inEugene, Oregon.[25]
Dischinger graduated from Purdue University with a BS in chemical engineering. He graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry inNashville where he earned his DDS and was valedictorian of his class.[26]
Dischinger died at age 82 from complications ofAlzheimer's disease in Lake Oswego, Oregon on October 9, 2023.[1]
| 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 |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962–63 | Chicago | 57 | 40.2 | .512 | .770 | 8.0 | 3.1 | 25.5 |
| 1963–64 | Baltimore | 80 | 35.2 | .496 | .776 | 8.3 | 2.0 | 20.8 |
| 1964–65 | Detroit | 80 | 33.7 | .493 | .755 | 6.0 | 2.5 | 18.2 |
| 1967–68 | Detroit | 78 | 24.8 | .494 | .762 | 6.2 | 1.5 | 13.1 |
| 1968–69 | Detroit | 75 | 19.4 | .515 | .730 | 4.3 | 1.2 | 8.8 |
| 1969–70 | Detroit | 75 | 23.4 | .526 | .722 | 4.9 | 1.4 | 11.4 |
| 1970–71 | Detroit | 65 | 28.5 | .535 | .763 | 5.2 | 1.7 | 11.8 |
| 1971–72 | Detroit | 79 | 26.1 | .514 | .780 | 4.3 | 1.2 | 9.4 |
| 1972–73 | Portland | 63 | 15.4 | .476 | .667 | 3.0 | 1.6 | 6.1 |
| Career | 652 | 27.4 | .506 | .758 | 5.6 | 1.8 | 13.8 | |
| All-Star | 3 | 14.7 | .467 | .833 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 6.3 | |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Detroit | 6 | 25.7 | .375 | .737 | 4.8 | 1.5 | 9.3 |
| Career | 6 | 25.7 | .375 | .737 | 4.8 | 1.5 | 9.3 | |
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit | 1971–72 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | (interim) | – | – | – | – | — |
| Career | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | – | – | – | – |
Media related toTerry Dischinger at Wikimedia Commons
