Alex Groza
Encyclopedia
Alex John Groza was an American
professional
basketball
player from Martins Ferry, Ohio
who was banned from the NBA
for life in 1951 for point shaving
. He had an outstanding college career at the University of Kentucky
and was a two-time All-Star for the Indianapolis Olympians
before his career came to an abrupt end.
" that won the 1948 and 1949 NCAA Men's Basketball Championships
, as well as the leading scorer on the gold medal-winning 1948 US Olympic basketball team
. Groza was three-time All-American and All-SEC
, and two-time NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player
.
by the Indianapolis Olympians. Groza averaged 23.4 points per game in his rookie season and was named NBA Rookie of the Year — a designation not currently sanctioned by the NBA for the 1949-50 season. He averaged 22.5 points per game over two seasons before being implicated along with college teammates Ralph Beard
and Dale Barnstable
in a point shaving scandal during the 1948-49 season at Kentucky. NBA president Maurice Podoloff
banned all of the implicated players from the league for life.
As a result of this ban, Groza became the first player in NBA history to end his career with a season in which he averaged at least 20 points per game (Groza averaged 21.7 PPG during the 1950-51
). In NBA history, only three players have had higher scoring averages in their final NBA seasons: Bob Pettit
(22.5 PPG in '64-65), Paul Arizin (21.9 PPG in '61-62), and Dražen Petrović
(22.3 PPG in '92-93
).
in Louisville, Kentucky
. In 1963, Groza led the Knights to a Kentucky Intercolliegiate Athletic Conference title and was named KIAC coach of the year. Groza left Bellarmine in 1966 for a brief coaching and managerial career in the American Basketball Association
. Between 1971 and 1975, Groza coached 40 games with the Kentucky Colonels
and San Diego Conquistadors
and held a number of front office positions including becoming the Kentucky Colonels' business manager in 1969 and general manager of the San Diego Conquistadors in 1972 (and, later, San Diego's head coach). Groza was 2-0 as coach of the Colonels but 15-23 as coach of the Conquistadors, putting his career coaching record at 17-23 http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/grozaal01c.html. Groza served as general manager of the San Diego Conquistadors beginning in 1972 until taking over as the team's coach in 1974, replacing Wilt Chamberlain
. In 1975 Groza became director of player development for the San Diego Sails
of the ABA.
An interesting statistic is that, according to ESPN's NBA Fastbreak (show on May 28, 2009 after Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James scored 37 in Game 5 versus Orlando Magic), Groza holds the all-time highest point average among players during a playoff elimination game (4 games span.)
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional
Professional sports
Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player from Martins Ferry, Ohio
Martins Ferry, Ohio
During the census of 2000, there were 7,226 people, 3,202 households, and 1,959 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,345.1 people per square mile . There were 3,680 housing units at an average density of 1,703.6 per square mile...
who was banned from the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
for life in 1951 for point shaving
Point shaving
In organized sports, point shaving is a type of match fixing where the perpetrators try to prevent a team from covering a published point spread. Unlike other forms of match fixing, sports betting invariably motivates point shaving. A point shaving scheme generally involves a sports gambler and one...
. He had an outstanding college career at the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
and was a two-time All-Star for the Indianapolis Olympians
Indianapolis Olympians
The Indianapolis Olympians were a National Basketball Association team based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. They were founded in 1949 and folded in 1953. Their home arena was the Hinkle Fieldhouse.-Franchise history:...
before his career came to an abrupt end.
College career
Groza was the captain and center of the "Fabulous FiveFab Five
Fab Five may refer to:* Fab Five , the 1991 University of Michigan men's basketball freshman recruiting class* The Fab Five, a 2011 documentary on the above group.* Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal, a 2008 movie...
" that won the 1948 and 1949 NCAA Men's Basketball Championships
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
, as well as the leading scorer on the gold medal-winning 1948 US Olympic basketball team
Basketball at the 1948 Summer Olympics
Basketball at the 1948 Summer Olympics was the second appearance of the sport as an official medal event. A total number of 23 nations entered the competition....
. Groza was three-time All-American and All-SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
, and two-time NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player
NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player
At the conclusion of the NCAA men's and women's Division I basketball championships , the Associated Press selects a Most Outstanding Player. The MOP need not be, but almost always is a member of the Championship team, especially since the third place game was eliminated after 1981...
.
Professional career
Groza was drafted in the 1st round of the 1949 NBA DraftNBA Draft
The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the thirty teams from the National Basketball Association can draft players who are eligible and wish to join the league. These players are usually amateur U.S. college basketball players, but international players are also eligible to be drafted...
by the Indianapolis Olympians. Groza averaged 23.4 points per game in his rookie season and was named NBA Rookie of the Year — a designation not currently sanctioned by the NBA for the 1949-50 season. He averaged 22.5 points per game over two seasons before being implicated along with college teammates Ralph Beard
Ralph Beard
Ralph Milton Beard Jr. was an American collegiate and professional basketball player. He was born in Hardinsburg, Kentucky. Beard was a member of Adolph Rupp's "Fabulous Five" University of Kentucky basketball team...
and Dale Barnstable
Dale Barnstable
Dale Barnstable is an American retired basketball player from Antioch, Illinois who was banned from the NBA for life in 1951 for point shaving. He had an outstanding college career at the University of Kentucky before his career came to an abrupt end.- Biography :Barnstable was born in Antioch,...
in a point shaving scandal during the 1948-49 season at Kentucky. NBA president Maurice Podoloff
Maurice Podoloff
Maurice Podoloff was a U.S. lawyer and basketball and ice hockey administrator. He was the first president of the National Basketball Association...
banned all of the implicated players from the league for life.
As a result of this ban, Groza became the first player in NBA history to end his career with a season in which he averaged at least 20 points per game (Groza averaged 21.7 PPG during the 1950-51
1950-51 NBA season
The 1950–51 NBA season was the 5th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Rochester Royals winning the NBA Championship, beating the New York Knicks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.- Notable occurrences :...
). In NBA history, only three players have had higher scoring averages in their final NBA seasons: Bob Pettit
Bob Pettit
Robert Lee "Bob" Pettit Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player. He played 11 seasons in the NBA, all with the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks . He was the first recipient of the NBA's Most Valuable Player Award. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970...
(22.5 PPG in '64-65), Paul Arizin (21.9 PPG in '61-62), and Dražen Petrović
Dražen Petrovic
Dražen Petrović was a Yugoslav and Croatian professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he initially achieved success playing professional basketball in Europe in the 1980s before joining the American NBA in 1989...
(22.3 PPG in '92-93
1992-93 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Charles Barkley, Phoenix Suns*Rookie of the Year: Shaquille O'Neal, Orlando Magic*Defensive Player of the Year: Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets...
).
Coaching career
After his playing career ended, Groza became the coach of Bellarmine UniversityBellarmine University
Bellarmine University is an independent, private, Catholic university in Louisville, Kentucky. The liberal arts institution opened on October 3, 1950, as Bellarmine College, established by Archbishop John A. Floersh of the Archdiocese of Louisville and named after the Cardinal Saint Robert...
in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. In 1963, Groza led the Knights to a Kentucky Intercolliegiate Athletic Conference title and was named KIAC coach of the year. Groza left Bellarmine in 1966 for a brief coaching and managerial career in the American Basketball Association
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
. Between 1971 and 1975, Groza coached 40 games with the Kentucky Colonels
Kentucky Colonels
The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the league's history, but the team did...
and San Diego Conquistadors
San Diego Conquistadors
The San Diego Conquistadors, nicknamed the "Q's", were an American Basketball Association team based in San Diego, California. They were the only expansion team in the history of the ABA. The team played from 1972 to 1975. They were replaced in the ABA by the San Diego Sails.-San Diego...
and held a number of front office positions including becoming the Kentucky Colonels' business manager in 1969 and general manager of the San Diego Conquistadors in 1972 (and, later, San Diego's head coach). Groza was 2-0 as coach of the Colonels but 15-23 as coach of the Conquistadors, putting his career coaching record at 17-23 http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/grozaal01c.html. Groza served as general manager of the San Diego Conquistadors beginning in 1972 until taking over as the team's coach in 1974, replacing Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain was an American professional NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; he also played for the Harlem Globetrotters prior to playing in the NBA...
. In 1975 Groza became director of player development for the San Diego Sails
San Diego Sails
The San Diego Sails were an American Basketball Association team based in San Diego, California; the team played an incomplete season only, beginning the 1975-1976 ABA season but folding before its completion.-San Diego Conquistadors:...
of the ABA.
An interesting statistic is that, according to ESPN's NBA Fastbreak (show on May 28, 2009 after Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James scored 37 in Game 5 versus Orlando Magic), Groza holds the all-time highest point average among players during a playoff elimination game (4 games span.)
Miscellaneous
- Groza led the league in field goal percentage in 1950.
- Alex Groza was the brother of football Hall of Famer Lou GrozaLou GrozaLouis Roy Groza was an American football placekicker and offensive tackle who played his entire career for the Cleveland Browns....
. - Groza's nickname was "The Beak".
External links
- Alex Groza Info Page at NBA.com
- Alex Groza Player Statistics at Basketball-Reference.com
- Alex Groza Coach Statistics at Basketball-Reference.com
- Alex Groza - UK Career Statistics and Biography