Robert W. Doll (August 10, 1919 – September 7, 1959) 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 who played in the early days of professional basketball for the
St. Louis Bombers and
Boston Celtics during the early years of the
NBA.
College and amateur career
Doll starred at
Chaffey High School
Chaffey High School is a public high school in Ontario, California, United States. It is part of the Chaffey Joint Union High School District and rests on approximately , making it one of the largest high schools by area in California. The schoo ...
in
Ontario, California
Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County in the U.S. state of California, east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan area, ...
and played collegiately at the
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University o ...
from 1939 to 1942, leading the
Buffaloes to a period of great team success. A post player, "Ichabod" Doll was known as a voracious rebounder and defender with a soft shooting touch. In his first season of eligibility as a sophomore in 1940, Doll led the Buffaloes to bids in both the
NCAA Tournament and
NIT. While the NCAA tournament appearance lasted only one game, Doll led the Buffs to the NIT title and was named the tournament Most Valuable Player after averaging 15.5 points per game. Two years later, Doll was named a
consensus second team All-American and led Colorado to its first Final Four.
Following the close of his collegiate career, Doll played for several years in the
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...
and was named an AAU All-American in 1943 while playing for the
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
American Legion team.
Professional career
In 1946, Doll joined the St. Louis Bombers of the
Basketball Association of America (BAA). After two years with the Bombers, Doll joined the Boston Celtics as a free agent. During his two-year stint with the Celtics, the BAA merged with the
National Basketball League to form the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
. Doll played for one more year with the Celtics in the inaugural NBA campaign. Bob Doll averaged 8.4 points and 1.4 assists per game for his four-year BAA/NBA career.
basketball-reference.com
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Death
Doll was found shot to death on September 18, 1959, on Rabbit Ears Pass in the Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico ...
of Colorado. A .45 caliber pistol he owned was discovered near his body and his death was determined to be a suicide. Doll had vanished on Labor Day but had not been reported missing until five days before the discovery of his body. The coroner determined that he likely died sometime around the Labor Day weekend.
BAA/NBA career statistics
Regular season
Playoffs
See also
*List of solved missing person cases
Lists of solved missing person cases include:
* List of solved missing person cases: pre-2000
* List of solved missing person cases: post-2000
See also
* List of kidnappings
* List of murder convictions without a body
* List of people who di ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doll, Bob
1919 births
1950s missing person cases
1959 suicides
1959 deaths
All-American college men's basketball players
Amateur Athletic Union men's basketball players
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Colorado
Boston Celtics players
Centers (basketball)
Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball players
Denver Nuggets (1948–1950) players
Formerly missing people
Missing person cases in Colorado
Sportspeople from Ontario, California
Basketball players from San Bernardino County, California
People from Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Power forwards (basketball)
St. Louis Bombers (NBA) players
Suicides by firearm in Colorado
Chaffey High School alumni