Robert Orville Dille (July 2, 1917 – December 10, 1998) was an American professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player and championship high school coach. Dille was an
All-American forward at
Valparaiso, where he was a member of "The World's Tallest Team" and later coached
Fort Wayne's Northrop High School
Northrop High School is a Fort Wayne Community Schools high school located in the northern suburbs of Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana. Northrop is classified as 5A by the IHSAA. Northrop High School has had a sister school, the Goethe Gymnasium ...
to an Indiana state championship in 1974. He was inducted into the
Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1989.
Dille starred at
Chesterton High School
Chesterton High School is a public high school serving grades 9-12 located in Chesterton, Indiana. It is the only high school in the Duneland School Corporation.
History
In 1833, Jesse Morgan, the area's first postmaster, opened the first educ ...
in
Chesterton, Indiana
Chesterton is a town in Westchester Township, Porter County, Indiana, Westchester, Jackson Township, Porter County, Indiana, Jackson and Liberty Township, Porter County, Indiana, Liberty townships in Porter County, Indiana, Porter County, in the U. ...
and matriculated at
Valparaiso University
Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana. It is a Lutheran university with about 3,000 students from over 50 countries on a campus of . Originally named Valparaiso Male and Female College, Valparaiso Universit ...
as a 26-year-old with a wife and son. He played varsity basketball while working 48 hours a week at a local company in addition to his full courseload. In 1944, Dille was named Valparaiso's first nationally recognized All-American.
Following his collegiate career, Dille played for the
Detroit Falcons of the
Basketball Association of America, averaging 5.2 points per game in his lone season with the club.
Dille was an assistant coach for
Valparaiso University
Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana. It is a Lutheran university with about 3,000 students from over 50 countries on a campus of . Originally named Valparaiso Male and Female College, Valparaiso Universit ...
during the 1947–48 season, and he later coached high school basketball in his home state of
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
. He coached at
Valparaiso High School
Valparaiso High School is a public high school in Valparaiso, Indiana.
History
Valparaiso High School opened in 1871 as Valparaiso City Public Graded School in a facility that had been built in 1861 by the local Presbyterian members as the Val ...
, Berne-French Township High School and Fort Wayne North before taking the reins at Fort Wayne Northrop in 1971. Dille coached at Northrop for seven years, winning a state championship in 1974.
BAA career statistics
Regular season
References
1917 births
1998 deaths
All-American college men's basketball players
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Fort Wayne, Indiana
Detroit Falcons (basketball) players
Forwards (basketball)
Hammond Ciesar All-Americans players
High school basketball coaches in the United States
People from Chesterton, Indiana
People from Valparaiso, Indiana
Philadelphia Warriors draft picks
Toronto Huskies draft picks
Valparaiso Beacons men's basketball players
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