Walt Kirk

Walt Kirk
The Illio, 1945
Personal information
Born (1924-09-03)September 3, 1924
Mount Vernon, Illinois
Died December 12, 2012(2012-12-12) (aged 88)
Dubuque, Iowa
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight 173 lb (78 kg)
Career information
High school Mount Vernon
(Mount Vernon, Illinois)
College Illinois (1943–1947)
BAA draft 1947 / Undrafted
Playing career 1947–1952
Position Guard / Forward
Number 35, 60, 9, 4, 16
Career history
1947–1948 Fort Wayne Pistons
1948–1949 Indianapolis Jets
1949 Anderson Packers
1949–1950 Tri-Cities Blackhawks
1950–1951 Kansas City Hi-Spots
1952 Milwaukee Hawks
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points 907
Rebounds 44
Assists 249
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Walton Denny Kirk Jr. (September 3, 1924 – December 12, 2012) was an American professional basketball player.

Kirk grew up in Mount Vernon, Illinois and attended Mount Vernon High School, where he was a second team all-state selection in 1942.[1][2] He then attended the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign where he played basketball.[3] He earned varsity letters in from 1943–44 through 1946–47. In 1944–45, Kirk led the team in scoring at 10.6 points per game while also serving as team captain.[4] He garnered consensus First Team All-American status at the end of the season as well.

Kirk would go on to play professionally after his senior year of 1947–48. In four NBL/BAA/NBA seasons, Kirk played for five different teams: the Fort Wayne Pistons, Indianapolis Jets, Anderson Packers, Tri-Cities Blackhawks and Milwaukee Hawks.[1] In April 1949, while a member of the Jets, Kirk joined former teammates George Glamack and Leo Mogus to sue the organization for $4,662.51 each.[5] The three of them had been released from the team and they cited poor management and administration on the part of the Jets as the reasons why they were unable to be retained.[5]

He later coached high school basketball in Illinois and Iowa.

Kirk died on December 12, 2012.[6]

BAA/NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game
 PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1948–49 Fort Wayne 14–.361.758–.94.9
1948–49 Indianapolis 35–.342.717–3.010.8
1949–50 Anderson 26–.248.687–1.74.6
1949–50 Tri-Cities 32–.280.737–1.97.2
1951–52 Milwaukee 1136.0.277.7054.02.510.1
Career 11836.0.305.7184.02.17.7

Playoffs

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1950 Tri-Cities 3–.286.167–.31.7
Career 3–.286.167–.31.7

References

  1. 1 2 "Walt Kirk". basketball-reference.com. 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Boys Basketball All-State Players". Illinois High School Athletic Association. 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  3. ↑ All-Time Illini Rosters Archived 2010-03-22 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ↑ "2009–10 Illinois Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). Records. University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. 2009. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  5. 1 2 Nelson, Murry R. (2009). The National Basketball League: A History, 1935–1949. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. Publishers. p. 221. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Illini Great Walt Kirk Passes Away". Obituary. University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. 2012. Archived from the original on January 10, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
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