Eugene Rock (November 4, 1921 – October 31, 2002) 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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player who played in the
Professional Basketball League of America
The Professional Basketball League of America (1947–1948) was a basketball league in the United States that was started in 1947 in response to the tremendous upsurge in interest in basketball in the era immediately following World War II. T ...
(PBLA) and the
Basketball Association of America
The Basketball Association of America (BAA) was a professional basketball league in North America, founded in 1946. Following its third season, 1948–49, the BAA absorbed most of National Basketball League (NBL) and rebranded as the National Ba ...
(BAA) during the 1947–48 season.
A native of
Huntington Park, California
Huntington Park is a city in the Gateway Cities district of southeastern Los Angeles County, California.
As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 58,114, of whom 97% are Hispanic/Latino and about half were born outside the ...
, Rock attended
Huntington Park High School
Huntington Park High School is a public high school in Huntington Park, California, part of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
History
The First Grammar School was initially built in 1904. The election was held with 21 registered voters ca ...
before enrolling at the
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
to play basketball.
[ While at USC, Rock earned varsity letters in 1942, 1943 and 1947.] Like many male college athletes during his day, Rock served in the military for two years before finishing college; he attained the rank of Captain in the Marine Corps
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
.[ Rock led the ]Trojans
Trojan or Trojans may refer to:
* Of or from the ancient city of Troy
* Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans
Arts and entertainment Music
* ''Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 1890 ...
in scoring during 1942–43 (12.6 points per game) and again in 1946–47 (11.1 ppg).[ During the former season, USC finished with a then-school record 23–5 mark en route to winning the Pacific Coast League Southern Division title.][ Rock was also a teammate of future ]College Basketball Hall of Fame
The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is a hall of fame and museum dedicated to men's college basketball. The museum is an integral portion of the College Basketball Experience created by the National ...
coaches Alex Hannum
Alexander Murray Hannum (July 19, 1923 – January 18, 2002) was a professional basketball player and coach. Hannum coached two National Basketball Association (NBA) teams and one American Basketball Association (ABA) team to league championships. ...
and Tex Winter
Morice Fredrick "Tex" Winter (February 25, 1922 – October 10, 2018) was an American basketball coach and innovator of the triangle offense. He was a head coach in college basketball for 30 years before becoming an assistant coach in the National ...
.
After his college career ended, Rock played for the Birmingham Skyhawks in the PBLA, which was a professional basketball league that lasted for less than one full season due to underfunding. He averaged 6.9 points per game in seven games before the league folded.[ Rock then signed with the ]Chicago Stags
The Chicago Stags were a National Basketball Association team based in Chicago from 1946 to 1950.
History
1946–47 season
In the BAA's inaugural year, the Chicago Stags were placed in the Western Division, and after 60 games were tied with the ...
of the BAA. In 11 games played, he averaged 0.9 points.[ His basketball career ended after the season, and Rock worked for the ]Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...
where he became a captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
.[ Rock retired in 1979 and lived the rest of his life in the ]San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
area. On October 31, 2002, he succumbed to cancer.[
]
BAA career statistics
Regular season
Playoffs
See also
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rock, Gene
1921 births
2002 deaths
All-American college men's basketball players
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from San Diego
Chicago Stags players
Deaths from cancer in California
Guards (basketball)
Los Angeles Police Department officers
Professional Basketball League of America players
Sportspeople from Huntington Beach, California
United States Marines
Undrafted National Basketball Association players
United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II
USC Trojans men's basketball players