Ed Ratleff facts for kids
Ratleff as a sophomore at Long Beach State
|
||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | March 29, 1950 Bellefontaine, Ohio, U.S. |
|||||||||||||
| High school | East (Columbus, Ohio) | |||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | Long Beach State (1970–1973) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1973 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6th overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the Houston Rockets | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1973–1978 | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| 1973–1978 | Houston Rockets | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
| Career NBA statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Points | 2,813 (8.3 ppg) | |||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 1,363 (4.0 rpg) | |||||||||||||
| Assists | 896 (2.7 apg) | |||||||||||||
|
Medals
|
||||||||||||||
William Edward "Easy Ed" Ratleff (born March 29, 1950) is a former American professional basketball player. He played for the Houston Rockets in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Ed Ratleff was known for his skills in high school, college, and during his time in the Olympics. He was a two-time All-American in college and won a silver medal at the 1972 Olympic Games.
Contents
Early Life and High School Basketball
Ed Ratleff grew up in Columbus, Ohio. He went to Columbus East High School. There, he became a star basketball player.
A High School Champion
Ed led his high school team, the Columbus East Tigers, to amazing success. In the 1967–1968 season, they won the AAA (big school) state championship. They had a perfect record of 25 wins and no losses. The next year, 1968–1969, the Tigers were also undefeated state champions. Overall, Ed helped his team reach three state championship games. They won two state championships and had an incredible record of 70 wins and only 1 loss.
College Career and Olympic Games
After high school, Ed Ratleff continued his basketball journey in college. He also had the honor of representing his country in the Olympic Games.
Playing for Long Beach State
Ed played college basketball at California State University, Long Beach. His coach there was Jerry Tarkanian. Ed was a 6-foot-6-inch guard and forward. He was an amazing scorer and still holds the school record for the highest career scoring average, with 21.4 points per game. He was named a first-team All-American twice, in the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons. This means he was recognized as one of the best college players in the country.
The 1972 Olympics
In 1972, Ed Ratleff was chosen to play for the United States national basketball team. They competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. The U.S. team played in the gold medal game against the Soviet Union. It was a very close and memorable game. After the game, Ed and his teammates decided not to accept their silver medals. This was to show their disagreement with some of the referee calls during the game. Throughout the Olympic tournament, Ed averaged 6.4 points per game.
Professional Basketball Career
After his successful college and Olympic career, Ed Ratleff became a professional basketball player.
In the 1973 NBA draft, the Houston Rockets chose Ed as the sixth overall pick. He played five seasons for the Rockets. During his NBA career, he averaged 8.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
Life After Playing
Ed Ratleff's contributions to basketball have been recognized many times. In 1991, Long Beach State honored him by retiring his jersey number, 42. This means no other player at the school will wear that number. In 2009, he was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2015, he was part of the group inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame. Most recently, in 2017, he was inducted into the Ohio High School Athletic Association Ring of Champions. These honors show how important Ed Ratleff was to the sport of basketball.
See also
In Spanish: Ed Ratleff para niños
