Louis Dampier (born November 20, 1944) is an American retired 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.
A 6-foot-tall
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 ...
, Dampier is one of only a handful of men to play all nine seasons in the
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...
(ABA) (1967–1976), all with 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 ...
. He also was one of just two players to play all nine ABA seasons with the same team; the other was
Byron Beck
Byron Beck (born January 25, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player.
A 6 foot 9 inch forward/center from the University of Denver, Beck was one of six players (along with Louie Dampier, Gerald Govan, Bob Netolicky, Stew John ...
of the
Denver Rockets
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 United ...
, later renamed the Nuggets.
After the
ABA–NBA merger
The ABA-NBA merger was a major pro sports business maneuver in 1976 when the American Basketball Association (ABA) combined with the National Basketball Association (NBA), after multiple attempts over several years. The NBA and ABA had entered ...
in 1976 Dampier also played three seasons (
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
–
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
) in 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 S ...
(NBA) with the
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 ( ...
. Dampier was inducted as a member of the
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...
in 2015.
High school
Dampier was born in
Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
and played at
Southport High School
Southport High School is a public high school located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Located in Perry Township, on the south side of the city, Southport is a part of the Perry Township Schools.
Demographics
The demographic breakdown ...
. He also played in an annual all-star game featuring top high-school players from Indiana and Kentucky.
University of Kentucky
![Louie-Dampier-jersey](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Louie-Dampier-jersey.jpg)
Dampier was a two-sport athlete at the
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...
, playing
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
as well as basketball. Playing under coach
Adolph Rupp
Adolph Frederick Rupp (September 2, 1901 – December 10, 1977) was an American college basketball coach. He is ranked seventh in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching at the Univ ...
, Dampier,
Tommy Kron
Thomas M. Kron (February 28, 1943 – November 29, 2007) was an American former professional basketball player. A 6ft 5in guard, Kron, played his rookie season (1966–1967) with the St. Louis Hawks. He was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics in ...
and
Pat Riley
Patrick James Riley (born March 20, 1945) is an American professional basketball executive, former coach, and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been the team president of the Miami Heat since 1995, and he also se ...
led
Rupp's Runts to the 1966
NCAA championship
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...
game, where they lost to
Texas Western College
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stude ...
(now the
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stud ...
) in a watershed game for college basketball. This game spearheaded the end of racial segregation in college basketball.
During his three years at
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
(at the time,
freshmen
A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions.
Ara ...
were ineligible to play varsity sports), Dampier was a two-time All-American and three-time All-
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...
selection. He was also named Academic All-SEC twice and Academic All-American once. Upon graduation from Kentucky in 1967, Dampier scored 1,575 points, at the time third-most in school history behind only
Cotton Nash
Charles Francis "Cotton" Nash (born July 24, 1942) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and National Basketball Association (NBA) forward.
Basketball career
Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Nash played collegiately for ...
(1,770) and
Alex Groza
Alex John Groza (October 7, 1926 – January 21, 1995) was an American professional basketball player from Martins Ferry, Ohio. Resulting from the CCNY point shaving scandal, Groza was banned from the National Basketball Association (NBA) for l ...
(1,744).
Pro basketball
In 1967, the
Cincinnati Royals
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 ...
(now the
Sacramento 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 ...
) selected Dampier in the fourth round of the
NBA Draft and 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 ...
selected him in the ABA draft. Dampier eventually signed with the Kentucky Colonels of the fledgling ABA and teamed with
Darel Carrier
James Darel Carrier (born October 26, 1940) is a former professional basketball player. Born in Warren County, Kentucky, Carrier played his high school basketball at the now defunct Bristow High School. A 6'3" guard, Carrier played college baske ...
to form the most explosive backcourt duo in the league. In each of the ABA's first three seasons, both Dampier and Carrier averaged at least 20 points per game. Both were
three-point field goal
A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or trey) is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two poi ...
specialists (the ABA had used the three-point field goal from its inception), but especially Dampier who made 500 during a three-year stretch: a record 199 during the 1968–69 season, 198 in 1969–70 and 103 in 1970–71. At the conclusion of the ABA's history, Dampier made a career-record 794 3-point field goals.
He also finished first all-time in the ABA in games played (728), minutes played (27,770), points scored (13,726), and
assists (4,044).
[ During the 1970–71 season, he hit 57 consecutive ]free throw
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the Key (basketball), restricted ...
s for what was then a pro record (ABA or NBA). Seven times, he was named an ABA All-Star. He was a unanimous choice for the ABA Top 30 team. He played on the Colonels' 1975 ABA championship team, which featured a later Kentucky standout, 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 ...
, as well as 7'2" center Artis Gilmore
Artis Gilmore (born September 21, 1949) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA). Gilmore was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Bask ...
.
After the 1976 season, the ABA ceased operations with Kentucky and two other teams folding. Dampier was selected by the 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 ( ...
(one of the four teams to join the NBA in the ABA–NBA merger
The ABA-NBA merger was a major pro sports business maneuver in 1976 when the American Basketball Association (ABA) combined with the National Basketball Association (NBA), after multiple attempts over several years. The NBA and ABA had entered ...
) in the 1976 ABA Dispersal Draft. Playing mostly as a role player behind George Gervin
George Gervin ( ; born April 27, 1952), nicknamed "the Iceman", is an American former professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Virginia Squires, ...
, Dampier averaged 6.7 points in 232 NBA games.
Dampier later served as an assistant coach with the Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...
.
Several divisions in the 21st century semi-pro ABA were initially named after stars of the old ABA, including Dampier.
Dampier was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...
in September 2015.
ABA and NBA career statistics
Regular season
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Kentucky (ABA)
, 72 , , - , , 41.1 , , .421 , , .268 , , .823 , , 4.6 , , 3.6 , , - , , - , , 20.7
, -
, style="text-align:left",
, style="text-align:left;", Kentucky (ABA)
, 78 , , - , , style="background:#cfecec;", 42.6* , , .420 , , .361 , , .811 , , 3.8 , , 5.8 , , - , , - , , 24.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Kentucky (ABA)
, 82 , , - , , 40.9 , , .399 , , .361 , , .831 , , 3.8 , , 5.5 , , - , , - , , 26.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Kentucky (ABA)
, 84 , , - , , 38.3 , , .418 , , .368 , , .851 , , 3.5 , , 5.5 , , - , , - , , 18.5
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Kentucky (ABA)
, 83 , , - , , 38.7 , , .442 , , .361 , , .836 , , 3.1 , , 6.2 , , - , , - , , 15.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Kentucky (ABA)
, 80 , , - , , 38.0 , , .451 , , .348 , , .784 , , 2.7 , , 6.5 , , 1.2 , , 0.1 , , 16.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Kentucky (ABA)
, 84 , , - , , 35.0 , , .465 , , style="background-color:#cfecec", .387* , , .832 , , 2.4 , , 5.6 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 17.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;background:#afe6fa", †
, style="text-align:left;", Kentucky (ABA)
, 83 , , - , , 34.7 , , .500 , , .396 , , .809 , , 2.5 , , 5.4 , , 1.1 , , 0.6 , , 16.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Kentucky (ABA)
, 82 , , - , , 34.6 , , .479 , , .368 , , .863 , , 1.9 , , 5.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.6 , , 13.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
, 80 , , - , , 20.4 , , .460 , , - , , .744 , , 1.0 , , 2.9 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 6.6
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
, 82 , , - , , 24.8 , , .509 , , - , , .752 , , 1.5 , , 3.5 , , 1.1 , , 0.2 , , 9.1
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
, 70 , , - , , 10.9 , , .490 , , - , , .744 , , 0.9 , , 1.8 , , 0.5 , , 0.1 , , 3.9
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career
, 960 , , - , , 33.5 , , .444 , , .358 , , .820 , , 2.6 , , 4.9 , , 0.9 , , 0.2 , , 15.9
Playoffs
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 1968
The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
* Januar ...
, style="text-align:left;", Kentucky (ABA)
, 5 , , - , , 44.8 , , .442 , , .405 , , .839 , , 4.8 , , 4.6 , , - , , - , , 26.6
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 1969
This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon.
Events January
* January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco.
* January 5
**Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
, style="text-align:left;", Kentucky (ABA)
, 7 , , - , , 46.6 , , .357 , , .291 , , .870 , , 4.3 , , 4.0 , , - , , - , , 22.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 1970
Events
January
* January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC.
* January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...
, style="text-align:left;", Kentucky (ABA)
, 12 , , - , , 43.8 , , .369 , , .329 , , .774 , , 3.8 , , 6.8 , , - , , - , , 17.7
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6).
The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history.
Events
Ja ...
, style="text-align:left;", Kentucky (ABA)
, 19 , , - , , 43.6 , , .385 , , .319 , , .742 , , 4.1 , , 9.4 , , - , , - , , 16.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;, 1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
, style="text-align:left;", Kentucky (ABA)
, 6 , , - , , 42.3 , , .420 , , .478 , , .625 , , 3.2 , , 7.5 , , - , , - , , 13.2
, -
, style="text-align:left;, 1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...
, style="text-align:left;", Kentucky (ABA)
, 12 , , - , , 34.8 , , .516 , , .455 , , .700 , , 2.1 , , 3.3 , , - , , - , , 13.4
, -
, style="text-align:left;, 1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
, style="text-align:left;", Kentucky (ABA)
, 8 , , - , , 28.6 , , .483 , , .500 , , .778 , , 2.0 , , 4.0 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 13.4
, -
, style="text-align:left;background:#afe6fa;", 1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
†
, style="text-align:left;", Kentucky (ABA)
, 15 , , - , , 40.3 , , .509 , , .385 , , .868 , , 2.4 , , 7.5 , , 1.3 , , 0.5 , , 16.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
, style="text-align:left;", Kentucky (ABA)
, 10 , , - , , 39.3 , , .519 , , .500 , , .900 , , 1.3 , , 7.7 , , 1.1 , , 0.5 , , 16.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
, style="text-align:left;", San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
, 2 , , - , , 31.0 , , .250 , , - , , 1.000 , , 1.5 , , 4.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 6.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
, style="text-align:left;", San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
, 6 , , - , , 21.5 , , .459 , , - , , .250 , , 1.2 , , 2.5 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 5.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
, style="text-align:left;", San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
, 7 , , - , , 7.9 , , .571 , , - , , .571 , , 0.7 , , 1.1 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 2.9
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career
, 109 , , - , , 37.1 , , .436 , , .366 , , .781 , , 2.8 , , 6.0 , , 0.9 , , 0.3 , , 15.1
See also
* Basketball in Indiana
Hoosier Hysteria is the state of excitement surrounding basketball in Indiana or, more specifically, the Indiana high school basketball tournament. In part, the enthusiasm stemmed from the one-class tournament, in which a small town's David migh ...
References
External links
Basketball-Reference.com
statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dampier, Louie
1944 births
Living people
All-American college men's basketball players
American men's basketball coaches
American men's basketball players
Basketball coaches from Indiana
Basketball players from Indianapolis
Cincinnati Royals draft picks
Denver Nuggets assistant coaches
Kentucky Colonels draft picks
Kentucky Colonels players
Kentucky Wildcats baseball players
Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
Point guards
San Antonio Spurs players
Shooting guards