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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1926-10-07)October 7, 1926 Martins Ferry, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died | January 21, 1995(1995-01-21) (aged 68) San Diego, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 218 lb (99 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Martins Ferry (Martins Ferry, Ohio) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Kentucky (1945–1949) | ||||||||||||||
| BAA draft | 1949: 1st round, 2nd overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | Indianapolis Jets | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1949–1951 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Center | ||||||||||||||
| Number | 15 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||
| 1949–1951 | Indianapolis Olympians | ||||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||||
| 1959–1966 | Bellarmine | ||||||||||||||
| 1970 | Kentucky Colonels | ||||||||||||||
| 1974–1975 | San Diego Conquistadors | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NBA statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Points | 2,925 (22.5 ppg) | ||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 709 (10.7 rpg) | ||||||||||||||
| Assists | 318 (2.4 apg) | ||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com  | |||||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Alex John Groza[1] (October 7, 1926 – January 21, 1995) was an American professionalbasketball player fromMartins Ferry, Ohio. Resulting from theCCNY point shaving scandal, Groza was banned from theNational Basketball Association (NBA) for life in 1951. In college, he won two NCAA championships as captain of theUniversity of Kentucky Wildcats, and was a two-time All-NBA player for theIndianapolis Olympians before his career abruptly ended.
Groza grew up in Martins Ferry, Ohio and attendedMartins Ferry High School. He was the brother of future Pro Football Hall-of-FamerLou Groza.
Alex Groza led the Purple Riders to two undefeated regular seasons and to the Ohio state tournament both years, as Martins Ferry finished 24–1 in 1943 and 26–1 in 1944. In 1944, he scored 628 points, including 41 in one game, and was named first-team All-Ohio.[2]
Groza was the captain and center of the "Fabulous Five" that won the 1948 and 1949NCAA Men's Basketball Championships, as well as the leading scorer on the gold medal-winning1948 US Olympic basketball team.[3][4] Groza was three-time All-American and All-SEC, and two-timeNCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player.
Groza was drafted in the 1st round of the1949 BAA draft by theIndianapolis Jets.[5] While he signed a contract to play for the Jets, he later changed his mind and signed withIndianapolis Olympians of theNational Basketball League as a player and co-owner.[6][7] With the merger of the BAA and the NBL to form theNational Basketball Association in August the same year,[8] Groza started his professional career in the new league where he averaged 23.4 points per game in his rookie season and was namedNBA Rookie of the Year. Because the award was selected by newspaper writers at the time, the NBA currently does not recognize Groza having won the award. He averaged 22.5 points per game over two seasons before being implicated along with college teammatesRalph Beard andDale Barnstable in apoint shaving scandal during the 1948–49 season at Kentucky. NBA presidentMaurice Podoloff banned all of the implicated players from the league for life.
As a result of this ban, Groza became the first player in NBA history to end his career with a season in which he averaged at least 20 points per game (Groza averaged 21.7 PPG during the1950–51). In NBA history, only three players have had higher scoring averages in their final NBA seasons:Bob Pettit (22.5 PPG in'64–65),Paul Arizin (21.9 PPG in'61–62), andDražen Petrović (22.3 PPG in'92–93).
Groza, along with Beard, attempted a comeback in late 1952 with theJersey City Titans, formerly of theAmerican Basketball League, but were barred by JudgeSaul S. Streit from participating in any professional athletics while under probation.[9]
| 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 |
| Year | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949–50 | Indianapolis | 64 | .478* | .729 | – | 2.5 | 23.4 |
| 1950–51 | Indianapolis | 66 | .470* | .786 | 10.7 | 2.4 | 21.7 |
| Career | 130 | .474 | .765 | 10.7 | 2.4 | 22.5 | |
| All-Star | 1 | .500 | 1.000 | 13.0 | 1.0 | 17.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Indianapolis | 6 | .595 | .831 | – | 2.0 | 22.8 |
| 1951 | Indianapolis | 3 | .493 | .758 | 14.0 | 0.7 | 32.3 |
| Career | 9 | .544 | .804 | 14.0 | 1.6 | 26.0 | |
After his playing career ended, Groza became the coach ofBellarmine College (now University) inLouisville, Kentucky. In 1963, Groza led the Knights to a Kentucky Intercolliegiate Athletic Conference title and was named KIAC coach of the year. Groza left Bellarmine in 1966 for a brief coaching and managerial career in theAmerican Basketball Association. Between 1971 and 1975, Groza coached 40 games with theKentucky Colonels andSan Diego Conquistadors and held a number of front office positions, including becoming the Kentucky Colonels' business manager in 1969 and general manager of the San Diego Conquistadors in 1972 (and, later, San Diego's head coach). Groza was 2–0 as coach of the Colonels but 15–23 as coach of the Conquistadors after replacingWilt Chamberlain in 1974, putting his career coaching record at 17–23.[10] He was named general manager of the expansion Conquistadors on August 8, 1972.[11] In 1975 Groza became director of player development for theSan Diego Sails of the ABA.[12] After the Sails folded, he was named vice president and general manager of the San Diego Breakers of theInternational Volleyball Association on April 5, 1976.[13]
After the team moved to Houston, Groza remained in San Diego, working as a sales manager for Reynolds International until his death.[14]
Alex Groza died of cancer in 1995 at age 68. He was survived by his wife of 42 years, Jean (Watson) Groza,[2] two sons, two daughters, and two grandchildren.[14]
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