Jump to content

Rudy LaRusso

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rudy LaRusso
LaRusso (35) getting fouled by Johnny Green (11) of the New York Knickerbockers in 1963
Personal information
Born(1937-11-11)November 11, 1937
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedJuly 9, 2004(2004-07-09) (aged 66)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight218 lb (99 kg)
Career information
High schoolJames Madison
(Brooklyn, New York)
CollegeDartmouth (1956–1959)
NBA draft1959: 2nd round, 10th overall pick
Drafted byMinneapolis Lakers
Playing career1959–1969
PositionPower forward / center
Number35
Career history
1959–1967Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers
1967–1969San Francisco Warriors
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points11,507 (15.6 ppg)
Rebounds6,936 (9.4 rpg)
Assists1,556 (2.1 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference

Rudolph A. LaRusso (November 11, 1937 – July 9, 2004)[1] was an American professional basketball player who was a five-time All-Star in the National Basketball Association (NBA).[2] He was nicknamed "Roughhouse Rudy."[3]

Early life

[edit]

LaRusso was Jewish, and was born in Brooklyn, New York.[1][4][5] He attended James Madison High School in Brooklyn.[6] LaRusso, whose mother was Jewish and father was Italian, won All-City honors and was later inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame.[6] He attended and graduated from Dartmouth College.[3][7] In 1959, playing for Dartmouth, he grabbed 32 rebounds in a game against Columbia, tying an Ivy League record.[7] He also set Dartmouth records for rebounds in a season (503) and career (1,239), and was twice named All-Ivy League.[6]

Professional career

[edit]

Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers (1960–1967)

[edit]

He was taken by the Minneapolis Lakers in the second round of the 1959 NBA draft out of Dartmouth College, and played eight years with them and two for the San Francisco Warriors. On November 26, 1959, he scored 15 points and 20 rebounds in a 95–114 loss to the Cincinnati Royals.[8] He became the second Lakers rookie to have grabbed at least 20 rebounds in a single game, joining teammate Elgin Baylor. On February 24, 1960, he scored a season-high 27 points in a 110–131 loss to the Boston Celtics.[9]

In his second year, LaRusso slightly improved his statistics from his rookie season. In his second game of the season, LaRusso recorded a career-high 28 points in a 96–112 loss to the St. Louis Hawks.[10]

In 1962, he scored 50 points, at that point the most ever by a Jewish NBA basketball player, in a game for the Lakers against the St. Louis Hawks.[7] In 1967–68, he finished seventh in the league with a career-best average of 21.8 ppg.

San Francisco Warriors (1967–1969)

[edit]

Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke made a push to get rid of LaRusso from the team in the midst of a miserable 1966-67 season, reportedly calling him a "brute" around the basket. On January 16, 1967, he was sent to the [Detroit Pistons]] alongside a first-round draft pick while Mel Counts would go to the Lakers and the Pistons would give Ray Scott to the Baltimore Bullets. However, LaRusso refused to play for the Pistons, stating that he did not want to uproot his wife (seven months pregnant) and was already on the verge of retiring to focus more on stockbroking. The Bullets did not want to budge on the trade despite the Pistons and Lakers having second thoughts about the matter, and when the trade was ruled to be valid, the Pistons suspended LaRusso, who promptly retired. A few months later in August, his rights were sold to the San Francisco Warriors.[11][12]

He played two seasons with the team, playing over 75 games and averaging over 20 points in each season while being named an All-Star twice. He retired after the 1968-69 season to become an investment banker and sports agent.[13]

Player profile

[edit]

He was a five-time All-Star and was known for his rebounding, tight defense, toughness, and presence.[2][3]

Personal life

[edit]

LaRusso had a small cameo role in the Gilligan's Island third-season episode "Bang! Bang! Bang!" as 'Agent Michaels'.

He died of Parkinson's disease in 2004. He has a son, Corey LaRusso, and a daughter from another marriage, Christine Larusso, a Los Angeles-based poet.

Career statistics

[edit]
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
 *  Led the league

NBA

[edit]

Source[14]

Regular season

[edit]
Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1959–60 Minneapolis 71 29.5 .389 .742 9.6 1.2 13.7
1960–61 L.A. Lakers 79* 32.8 .419 .790 9.9 1.7 14.6
1961–62 L.A. Lakers 80* 34.4 .466 .763 10.4 2.2 17.2
1962–63 L.A. Lakers 75 33.4 .422 .718 10.0 2.5 12.3
1963–64 L.A. Lakers 79 34.8 .434 .751 10.1 2.4 12.3
1964–65 L.A. Lakers 77 33.6 .461 .773 9.4 2.6 14.1
1965–66 L.A. Lakers 76 30.5 .457 .787 8.7 2.2 15.4
1966–67 L.A. Lakers 45 28.7 .415 .696 7.8 1.7 12.8
1967–68 San Francisco 79 35.7 .433 .790 9.4 2.3 21.8
1968–69 San Francisco 75 37.1 .410 .794 8.3 2.1 20.7
Career 736 33.3 .431 .767 9.4 2.1 15.6
All-Star 4 17.5 .481 .333 4.3 1.5 7.3

Playoffs

[edit]
Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1960 Minneapolis 9 35.7 .424 .771 7.8 2.4 15.4
1961 L.A. Lakers 12* 30.0 .396 .667 8.0 2.0 12.2
1962 L.A. Lakers 13 35.5 .365 .758 9.1 1.7 14.1
1963 L.A. Lakers 13* 35.8 .422 .760 9.8 2.2 14.4
1964 L.A. Lakers 5 37.8 .394 .864 6.0 2.2 9.0
1965 L.A. Lakers 11 35.9 .409 .716 8.1 2.6 15.0
1966 L.A. Lakers 14 28.4 .460 .791 7.1 1.9 11.9
1968 San Francisco 10 38.5 .396 .728 9.9 1.7 20.3
1969 San Francisco 6 35.8 .378 .774 8.5 2.5 18.2
Career 93 34.3 .405 .751 8.4 2.1 14.5

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Crowe, Jerry (July 10, 2004). "Rudy LaRusso, 66; Played on 1st L.A. Laker Team". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  2. ^ a b Springer, S.; Sharman, B. (2012). 100 Things Lakers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. Triumph Books. p. 38. ISBN 9781617495847. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c Lazenby, R. (2010). Jerry West: The Life and Legend of a Basketball Icon. Random House Publishing Group. p. 229. ISBN 9780345519269. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  4. ^ "LaRusso, Rudy : Jews In Sports @ Virtual Museum". jewsinsports.org. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  5. ^ Horvitz, P.S. (2007). The Big Book of Jewish Sports Heroes: An Illustrated Compendium of Sports History and the 150 Greatest Jewish Sports Stars. SPI Books. p. 146. ISBN 9781561719075. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c The Los Angeles Lakers Encyclopedia – Richard J. Shmelter – Google Books
  7. ^ a b c Wechsler, B. (2008). Day by Day in Jewish Sports History. KTAV Publishing House. p. 74. ISBN 9781602800137. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  8. ^ "Minneapolis Lakers at Cincinnati Royals Box Score, November 26, 1959". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  9. ^ "Minneapolis Lakers vs Boston Celtics Box Score, February 24, 1960". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  10. ^ "Los Angeles Lakers at St. Louis Hawks Box Score, October 22, 1960". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  11. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/1967/01/17/archives/pistons-get-larusso-from-lakers-and-send-scott-to-bullets-in-3club.html
  12. ^ Kuska, Bob (2024). Balls of Confusion: Pro Basketball Goes to War (1965-1970). From Way Downtown Publishing. p. 62-66. ISBN 9798990585102.
  13. ^ https://1959.dartmouth.org/s/1353/images/gid179/editor_documents/obits/larusso.pdf?gid=179&pgid=61&sessionid=f9376b98-ed02-4a26-96b7-2552d017ad78&cc=1
  14. ^ "Rudy LaRusso NBA statistics". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rudy_LaRusso&oldid=1285011081"