Bob Kurland
Joseph DePietro (left) and Bob Kurland on the way to the 1948 Olympics
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| Personal information | |
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| Born |
December 23, 1924 St. Louis, Missouri |
| Died | September 29, 2013 (aged 88) Sanibel Island, Florida |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Jennings (Jennings, Missouri) |
| College | Oklahoma State (1942–1946) |
| Playing career | 1946–1952 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 90 |
| Career history | |
| 1946–1952 | Phillips 66ers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Basketball Hall of Fame as player | |
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College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 |
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Medals
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Robert Albert "Bob" Kurland (December 23, 1924 – September 29, 2013) was a 7 feet (2.1 m) American basketball center, who played for the two-time NCAA champion Oklahoma A&M Aggies (now Oklahoma State Cowboys) basketball team. He led the U.S. basketball team to gold medals in two Summer Olympics, and led his AAU team to three national titles. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Kurland was born in St. Louis, Missouri to Albert and Adele Kurland. He graduated from Jennings High School in Jennings, Missouri, where he participated in basketball and track.
Kurland, a Missouri native, considered attending the University of Missouri. But when Oklahoma A&M played a game at Saint Louis University, A&M coach Henry Iba invited Kurland to dinner and offered him a scholarship. Missouri could only offer Kurland a job. Many of Kurland's family members had not finished high school, and Kurland was the first in his family to attend college at any level.
Kurland was an integral part of the team's consecutive NCAA titles in 1945 and 1946, and was named the NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player both times. In the 1945–46 season, he scored a then-season record 643 points, including 58 in a game against Saint Louis University, which featured 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) freshman Ed Macauley. Kurland was voted Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year.
Kurland was known to leap above the rim to grab opponents' shots. This led to the NCAA banning defensive goaltending in 1945. Kurland was also the first person to regularly dunk during games. The rivalry between him and De Paul's George Mikan would foreshadow similar matchups, especially those of basketball's "big men."
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