David George Robisch (born December 22, 1949) is a retired American professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player in the
ABA and
NBA
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 ...
.
Robisch played at the
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...
, where he was initiated into the
Sigma Nu
Sigma Nu () is an undergraduate Fraternities and sororities in North America, college fraternity founded at the Virginia Military Institute on January 1, 1869. The fraternity was founded by James Frank Hopkins, Greenfield Quarles and James McIlva ...
fraternity. He was positioned at center and forward for the
Denver Rockets / Nuggets (1971–75, 1980–83),
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...
(1975–77),
San Diego Sails
The San Diego Conquistadors (known as the San Diego Sails in their final, partial season), were an American Basketball Association (ABA) team based in San Diego. The "Q's", as they were popularly known, played from 1972 to 1975. As the Sails, the ...
(1975),
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
(1977–79),
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
(1979–80),
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...
(1983) and
Kansas City Kings
The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...
(1984).
He helped the Nuggets win the 1974–75 ABA Western Division.
On October 8, 1975 Robisch was part of one of the more infamous trades in ABA history. The Baltimore Claws, despite financial problems, had obtained the rights to star
Dan Issel
Daniel Paul Issel (born October 25, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. An outstanding collegian at the University of Kentucky, Issel was twice named an All-American en route to a school-record 25.7 points per ...
from the
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 ...
. The Claws were unable to come through with the $500,000 they owed the Colonels for Issel. Under pressure from the league, the Claws traded Issel to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Robisch and $500,000 (which was used to pay the Kentucky Colonels the money owed for Issel).
Achievements
*Ranks 1st on ABA Career Turnover Ratio List (7.9).
*Ranks 9th on ABA Career Blocks Per Game List (.7).
*Ranks 15th on ABA Career Rebound Rate List (14.2).
In 13 seasons he played in 930 games and played 22,780 minutes, having a 46.4% field goal percentage (3,997 for 8,620), a 79.8% free throw percentage (2,587 for 3,241), 6,173 total rebounds (1,992 offensive, 4,181 defensive), 1,656 assists, 986 turnovers, 2,069 personal fouls and 10,581 points.
Robisch is currently a
elected officialin
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...
, serving as a Trustee of
Capital Township. His wife, Lou, is an administrator for
Sangamon County, and their son
Scottan
both played
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
.
Robisch is a 1967 graduate of
Springfield High School.
In 2006, Robisch was voted as one of the
100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament
The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) celebrated 100 years of the IHSA State Tournament in the 2006-07 season. A list of "100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament" was assembled on December 14, 2005. Throughout the state, 281 ind ...
, a group of former players and coaches in honor of the 100 anniversary of the
IHSA boys basketball tournament.
References
External links
Career statisticsat basketball-reference.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robisch, Dave
1949 births
Living people
All-American college men's basketball players
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Cincinnati
Boston Celtics draft picks
Centers (basketball)
Cleveland Cavaliers players
Denver Nuggets players
Denver Rockets players
Illinois Republicans
Indiana Pacers players
Kansas City Kings players
Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players
Los Angeles Lakers players
Power forwards (basketball)
San Antonio Spurs players
San Diego Sails players
Sportspeople from Springfield, Illinois