Richard Floyd Triptow Jr. (November 3, 1922 – February 20, 2015) 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 coach.
At 6'0" and 170 pounds, he played as a
guard
Guard or guards may refer to:
Professional occupations
* Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault
* Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street
* Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning
* Prison ...
and a
forward.
Triptow attended
Lane Tech High School and
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul. In 1998, it became the largest Ca ...
, both in
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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. From 1944 to 1949, he played professional basketball in the
National Basketball League and
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 ...
as a member of the
Chicago American Gears
The Chicago American Gears were a National Basketball League (NBL) team who played from 1944 to 1947. The team also played in the Professional Basketball League of America (PBLA) in 1947–48 after leaving the NBL.
About
They are notable in prof ...
, the
Tri-Cities Blackhawks Tri-Cities most often refers to:
*Tri-Cities, Tennessee, United States
*Tri-Cities, Washington, United States
Tri-City, Tricity or Tri-Cities may also refer to:
Populated places
Americas
Canada
*Tri-Cities (British Columbia), consisting of Co ...
, the
Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Central Division (NBA), ...
, and the
Baltimore Bullets. Playing alongside
George Mikan
George Lawrence Mikan Jr. (; June 18, 1924 – June 1, 2005), nicknamed "Mr. Basketball", was an American professional basketball player for the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League (NBL) and the Minneapolis Lakers of ...
, Triptow won an NBL championship with the Gears in 1947. Triptow coached the
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest College is a private liberal arts college in Lake Forest, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Lind University by a group of Presbyterian ministers, the college has been coeducational since 1876 and an undergraduate-focused liberal arts i ...
men's basketball team from 1959 to 1973.
In 1997, Triptow wrote a book about his experiences with the Chicago American Gears, called ''The Dynasty That Never Was'' ().
BAA/NBA career statistics
Regular season
External links
Association for Professional Basketball Research's NBL statistics - downloadable database
References
1922 births
2015 deaths
All-American college men's basketball players
American men's basketball coaches
American men's basketball players
Baltimore Bullets (1944–1954) players
Basketball coaches from Illinois
Basketball players from Chicago
Chicago American Gears players
College men's basketball head coaches in the United States
DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball players
Fort Wayne Pistons players
Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons players
Lake Forest Foresters men's basketball coaches
Professional Basketball League of America players
Shooting guards
Small forwards
Tri-Cities Blackhawks players
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