Bob Kurland

Robert Albert " Bob" Kurland ( born December 23, 1924 in St. Louis, Missouri, † September 29, 2013 in Sanibel, Florida ) was an American professional basketball player.

Career

Kurland is best known for his time at Oklahoma State University, the most important player he was when winning the NCAA championship in 1945 and 1946. Kurland and George Mikan are considered the first real and dominant Bigman basketball history and were the reason why the NCAA 1944, the goaltending rule introduced. Kurland was 2.08 m tall and played on the position of the center.

Kurland waived after graduating from college to a professional career to have the opportunity to play for the U.S. Olympic team (since then only amateurs were allowed ). Both in London in 1948 and 1952 in Helsinki Kurland took part in the Olympics and won gold with the U.S. respectively. Kurland never played in the U.S. professional league NBA, but was still included in 1961 in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Kurland died 88 years old in his home on Sanibel Iceland, Florida.