Professional Basketball Player. For thirteen seasons (1962 to 1975), he played at the power-forward position in the National Basketball Association with the St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. Born William C. Bridges, he attended Hobbs High School in New Mexico and received a scholarship to play collegiate basketball at the University of Kansas. While a JayHawk, Bridges achieved All-American honors and concluded his collegiate career as the school's second all time rebound average leader behind Wilt Chamberlain. Selected by the Chicago Packers during the 3rd round of the 1961 NBA Draft, he played one year professionally with the Kansas City Steers of the short-lived American Basketball League (1962). After the league folded, he joined the St. Louis Hawks and established himself as a dominant defensive force. He topped the 1,000 total rebound mark six-times (1966 to 1972) and earned NBA All Star honors three-times (1967, 1968 and 1970). In addition, he surpassed 1,000 points four-times (1966 to 1968 and 1970), which included his career-high 1,373 points during the 1966-1967 season. He experienced a NBA Title with Golden State in 1975. In 926 regular season games, he compiled 11,012 points and 11,054 total rebounds, thus putting him in a rare category of players who topped the 1,000 total mark in both career points and rebounds. After retiring from basketball, he worked as a business consultant. He was honored by the University of Kansas, when his uniform number 32 was retired by the school in 2004. He died following a lengthy battle with cancer.
Professional Basketball Player. For thirteen seasons (1962 to 1975), he played at the power-forward position in the National Basketball Association with the St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. Born William C. Bridges, he attended Hobbs High School in New Mexico and received a scholarship to play collegiate basketball at the University of Kansas. While a JayHawk, Bridges achieved All-American honors and concluded his collegiate career as the school's second all time rebound average leader behind Wilt Chamberlain. Selected by the Chicago Packers during the 3rd round of the 1961 NBA Draft, he played one year professionally with the Kansas City Steers of the short-lived American Basketball League (1962). After the league folded, he joined the St. Louis Hawks and established himself as a dominant defensive force. He topped the 1,000 total rebound mark six-times (1966 to 1972) and earned NBA All Star honors three-times (1967, 1968 and 1970). In addition, he surpassed 1,000 points four-times (1966 to 1968 and 1970), which included his career-high 1,373 points during the 1966-1967 season. He experienced a NBA Title with Golden State in 1975. In 926 regular season games, he compiled 11,012 points and 11,054 total rebounds, thus putting him in a rare category of players who topped the 1,000 total mark in both career points and rebounds. After retiring from basketball, he worked as a business consultant. He was honored by the University of Kansas, when his uniform number 32 was retired by the school in 2004. He died following a lengthy battle with cancer.
Bio by: C.S.
Advertisement
See more Bridges memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
