Robert Louis Kessler (November 25, 1914 – September 5, 2001) was standout

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 at

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mone ...

in the

NCAA 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 an ...

and then with the

Indianapolis Kautskys Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of U.S. state and territorial capitals, state capital and List of U.S. states' largest cities by population, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat, seat of ...

in the National Basketball League (NBL). Kessler was from

Anderson, Indiana Anderson, named after Chief William Anderson, is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Indiana, United States. It is the principal city of the Anderson, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses Madison County. Anderson ...

and attended Anderson High School where he graduated in 1932. He then enrolled at Purdue and played on the men's varsity

basketball team 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 ...

for his final three years under future Hall of Fame coach

Ward Lambert Ward Louis "Piggy" Lambert (May 28, 1888 – January 20, 1958) was an American basketball and baseball coach. He served as the head basketball coach at Purdue University during the 1916–17 season and from 1918 to 1946. Lambert was also the head ...

. Kessler was a two-time All-American (1935–36), and as a senior he became Purdue's first ever consensus All-American. After college, Kessler played professionally for three seasons in the NBL for the Indianapolis Kautskys. He was named the league's Rookie of the Year in 1937–38, although Kessler's teams never once qualified for the postseason. In his later life, Kessler worked at General Motors and eventually became its vice president.

References

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External links

NBL career stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kessler, Robert 1914 births 2001 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Indiana Forwards (basketball) General Motors former executives Hammond Ciesar All-Americans players Indianapolis Kautskys players Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball players Sportspeople from Anderson, Indiana