Connie Dierking facts for kids
Dierking in 1969
|
|
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 2, 1936 Brooklyn, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Died | December 29, 2013 (aged 77) Cincinnati, Ohio |
| High school | Valley Stream Central (Valley Stream, New York) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 222 lb (101 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Cincinnati (1955–1958) |
| NBA Draft | 1958 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5th overall |
| Selected by the Syracuse Nationals | |
| Pro career | 1958–1971 |
| Career history | |
| 1958–1960 | Syracuse Nationals |
| 1961 | Philadelphia Tapers |
| 1961–1962 | Cleveland Pipers |
| 1963–1965 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1965 | San Francisco Warriors |
| 1965–1970 | Cincinnati Royals |
| 1970–1971 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 7,094 (10.0 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 4,757 (6.7 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,053 (1.5 apg) |
Conrad "Connie" William Dierking (born October 2, 1936 – died December 29, 2013) was a tall American basketball player. He played professionally from 1958 to 1971. Connie was known for his strong rebounding skills and played as a center for several teams in the NBA.
Contents
Early Life and High School Basketball
Connie Dierking was born in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up on Long Island, where he became a star basketball player. He played for Central High School in Valley Stream, New York.
College Career at Cincinnati
Connie was a very tall player, standing 6 feet 9 inches! He played as a center for the University of Cincinnati basketball team. He was amazing at getting rebounds (when a player grabs the ball after a missed shot). In fact, he still holds the team record for most rebounds in a single season (18.8 per game). He also set the record for most rebounds in one game with 33!
Connie led his team in scoring in 1956–57, averaging 18.5 points per game. In 1957–58, he averaged 15.8 points and 14.9 rebounds per game. This helped his team win the Missouri Valley Conference championship. Connie even played alongside Oscar Robertson, who is a famous basketball player in the Hall of Fame. Because he was so good, Connie was named an All-American player. He was later added to the University of Cincinnati's James P. Kelly Athletics Hall of Fame in 1986.
Connie Dierking's NBA Journey
After college, Connie was chosen in the first round of the 1958 NBA draft. He was the fifth player picked overall by the Syracuse Nationals. This meant he was one of the top players chosen to play in the NBA! He played two seasons for the Nationals.
Playing in Other Leagues
Connie left the NBA for a short time to play in the American Basketball League. He played for the Philadelphia Tapers and the Cleveland Pipers. He then returned to the NBA for the 1963–64 season.
Return to the NBA with the 76ers
Connie came back to the NBA to play for the Philadelphia 76ers. During the 1964–65 season, he was part of a very big trade. On January 15, 1965, he was traded with two other players to the San Francisco Warriors. In return, the 76ers received the legendary basketball Hall of Famer, Wilt Chamberlain.
Time with the Cincinnati Royals
On October 20, 1965, Connie was traded again, this time to the Cincinnati Royals. Here, he was reunited with his college teammate, Oscar Robertson! Connie had his best seasons during his five years with the Royals. He became their starting center.
His most successful years were from 1967–68 to 1969–70.
- In 1967–68, he played in 81 games. He averaged 16.4 points and 9.5 rebounds. He also had his best free throw and field goal shooting percentages.
- In 1968–69, he played in all 82 games. He averaged 16.3 points and 9.0 rebounds.
- In 1969–70, he averaged a career-high 16.7 points along with 8.2 rebounds.
Final NBA Season
During the 1970–71 season, Connie played one game for the Royals. He was then traded back to the Philadelphia 76ers. He played 53 games for the 76ers, which was his final season in the NBA. In his entire NBA career, Connie Dierking averaged 10.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
Personal Life
Connie Dierking passed away on December 29, 2013, at 77 years old. He was survived by his wife, Robyn, and five daughters: Jane, Joey, Suzy, Wendy, and Cammy. Cammy became a well-known news anchor for WKRC-TV. He also had six grandchildren and two brothers and two sisters.
Career Statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
NBA Regular Season Stats
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958–59 | Syracuse | 64 | 11.3 | .362 | .593 | 3.6 | .5 | 4.6 | |
| 1959–60 | Syracuse | 71 | 15.8 | .365 | .574 | 6.4 | .8 | 6.9 | |
| 1963–64 | Philadelphia | 76 | 16.9 | .372 | .675 | 5.6 | .7 | 6.5 | |
| 1964–65 | Philadelphia | 38 | 19.2 | .389 | .651 | 6.3 | 1.1 | 7.8 | |
| 1964–65 | San Francisco | 30 | 18.8 | .427 | .541 | 6.5 | 1.0 | 8.0 | |
| 1965–66 | Cincinnati | 57 | 13.7 | .416 | .610 | 4.3 | .8 | 5.6 | |
| 1966–67 | Cincinnati | 77 | 24.7 | .399 | .744 | 7.8 | 2.1 | 9.3 | |
| 1967–68 | Cincinnati | 81 | 32.6 | .467 | .765 | 9.5 | 2.4 | 16.4 | |
| 1968–69 | Cincinnati | 82 | 31.0 | .443 | .762 | 9.0 | 2.7 | 16.3 | |
| 1969–70 | Cincinnati | 76 | 32.2 | .419 | .752 | 8.2 | 2.2 | 16.7 | |
| 1970–71 | Cincinnati | 1 | 23.0 | .188 | – | 7.0 | 1.0 | 6.0 | |
| 1970–71 | Philadelphia | 53 | 5 | 13.5 | .399 | .685 | 4.3 | 1.1 | 5.8 |
| Career | 706 | 5 | 21.9 | .417 | .697 | 6.7 | 1.5 | 10.0 | |
NBA Playoff Stats
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Syracuse | 4 | 8.5 | .167 | .778 | 4.3 | .5 | 2.8 |
| 1960 | Syracuse | 3 | 10.7 | .300 | .000 | 5.0 | .3 | 4.0 |
| 1964 | Philadelphia | 5 | 14.2 | .424 | .556 | 6.0 | 1.0 | 6.6 |
| 1966 | Cincinnati | 4 | 16.0 | .500 | .900 | 3.8 | .3 | 6.8 |
| 1967 | Cincinnati | 4 | 37.8 | .427 | 1.000 | 13.0 | 3.5 | 17.5 |
| Career | 20 | 17.6 | .399 | .771 | 6.5 | 1.2 | 7.7 | |
