Rudy LaRusso

Rudy LaRusso
Personal information
Born (1937-11-11)November 11, 1937
Brooklyn, New York
Died July 9, 2004(2004-07-09) (aged 66)
Los Angeles, California
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight 220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school James Madison
(Brooklyn, New York)
College Dartmouth (1956–1959)
NBA draft 1959 / Round: 2 / Pick: 10th overall
Selected by the Minneapolis Lakers
Playing career 1959–1969
Position Power forward / Center
Number 35
Career history
1959–1967 Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers
1967–1969 San Francisco Warriors
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points 11,507 (16.9 ppg)
Rebounds 6,936 (10.2 rpg)
Assists 1,556 (2.3 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

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

Early life

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]

Career

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

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.

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.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Crowe, Jerry (2004-07-10). "Rudy LaRusso, 66; Played on 1st L.A. Laker Team". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-08-25.
  2. 1 2 Springer, S.; Sharman, B. (2012). 100 Things Lakers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. Triumph Books. p. 38. ISBN 9781617495847. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  3. 1 2 3 Lazenby, R. (2010). Jerry West: The Life and Legend of a Basketball Icon. Random House Publishing Group. p. 229. ISBN 9780345519269. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  4. ↑ "LaRusso, Rudy : Jews In Sports @ Virtual Museum". jewsinsports.org. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  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 2017-01-08.
  6. 1 2 3 The Los Angeles Lakers Encyclopedia - Richard J. Shmelter - Google Books
  7. 1 2 3 Wechsler, B. (2008). Day by Day in Jewish Sports History. KTAV Publishing House. p. 74. ISBN 9781602800137. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
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