Gene Melchiorre
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 10, 1927 Highland Park, Illinois |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Highland Park (Highland Park, Illinois) |
| College | Bradley (1947–1951) |
| NBA draft | 1951 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall |
| Selected by the Baltimore Bullets | |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 23 |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Eugene "Gene" "Squeaky" Melchiorre (born August 10, 1927) is a retired American basketball player. He was drafted by the Baltimore Bullets and was the first overall pick in the 1951 NBA Draft, although he never played a game due to his ban from professional basketball for point shaving.
He was the fifth of six children born in Highland Park, Illinois, to a gardener who moved his family there from Joliet in 1936. Though short in stature and having pigeon toes, Melchiorre excelled in nearly ever sport he tried. He was a starting wingback on the Highland Park football team, a basketball player, a baseball player, a tennis player and, in his later years, a golfer. After joining the Army, Melchiorre joined the basketball team at Fort Sheridan, known as the Ramblers, that won 58 out of 63 games during his two-year tour (1945–47).
Melchiorre played guard for Bradley University in the 1947-48 to 1950-51 seasons. Standing only 5'8" and weighing 175 lbs, he was famous for his passing abilities and his ability to score. During his tenure, Bradley won 119 games while losing only 22. He participated in both the NIT and NCAA Tournament in 1950, in which Bradley lost to CCNY in the championship game of each tournament.
He was named to the Missouri Valley Conference first team three times, and in his junior year made the all-NIT team. For the 1951 season, he was an Associated Press, United Press International and Colliers Magazine first team All-American and selected by the magazine, Sports Album, as one of the two best offensive players in the country. He was also a letter-winner on the Bradley baseball team, and he received a degree in business administration.
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