Bob Kauffman
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Robert Kauffman (July 13, 1946 – July 25, 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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player and coach. Kaufmann was a three time NBA All-Star.


Early life

Robert Alan Kauffman was born July 13, 1946 in Brooklyn, N.Y., to LeRoy and Anne Kauffman. He played at Scarsdale High School in
Scarsdale, New York Scarsdale is a town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several village ...
. The Kauffman family was in the saddle and bridle business. Kauffman’s Boots and Saddles was their business on East 24th Street in Manhattan.


College career

Kauffman played collegiately at NAIA
Guilford College Guilford College is a private liberal arts college in Greensboro, North Carolina. Guilford has both traditional students and students who attend its Center for Continuing Education (CCE). Founded in 1837 by members of the Religious Society of ...
in
Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...
, from 1964–1968, playing under Coach Jerry Steele. The 6-foot-8, 240-pound center is credited with turning the Quakers into an NAIA basketball powerhouse. During his four seasons, the Quakers won 86 games with three straight trips to the NAIA Tournament. Kauffman scored 2,570 points on 64% shooting with 1,801 rebounds in his 113-game career. He averaged 22.7 points and 15.9 rebounds in his career. He holds Guilford school records for single-game rebounds (32), single-season rebounds (698, 1967–68), career field goals (943), single-season field goal percentage (.712, 1967–68), single-season free throws (273, 1966–67), career free throws (684), and single-season free-throw attempts (344, 1966–67). Kauffman graduated with a history degree in 1968.


Professional career


Seattle SuperSonics (1968–1969)

Kauffman was selected with the third overall pick of the 1968 NBA draft by the
Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...
behind future Hall of Fame inductees
Elvin Hayes Elvin Ernest Hayes (born November 17, 1945), nicknamed "the Big E", is an American former professional basketball player and radio analyst for his alma-mater Houston Cougars. He is a member of the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams, and a ...
and
Wes Unseld Westley Sissel Unseld Sr. (March 14, 1946June 2, 2020) was an American professional basketball player, coach and executive. He spent his entire National Basketball Association (NBA) career with the Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets. Unseld ...
. Kauffman was also selected in the 1968
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, ...
Draft by the Oakland Oaks, but chose to play in the NBA. As a rookie for Seattle in 1968–69, Kauffman averaged 7.8 points and 5.9 rebounds, playing behind
Bob Rule Bobby Frank Rule (June 29, 1944 – September 5, 2019) was an American professional basketball player. He played at center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Seattle SuperSonics, Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and th ...
.


Chicago Bulls (1969–1970)

On September 5, 1969, Kauffman was traded by the Seattle SuperSonics with a 1971 third round draft pick (
Clifford Ray Clifford Ray (born January 21, 1949) is an American former professional basketball coach and player who is a consultant for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played three of his ten seasons in the NBA with the Chi ...
was later selected) to the
Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...
for
Bob Boozer Robert Louis Boozer (April 26, 1937 – May 19, 2012) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Boozer won a gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics and won an NBA Championship as a member of the ...
and
Barry Clemens John Barry Clemens (born May 1, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player. The 6' 6" Clemens attended Xenia High School and Ohio Wesleyan University before being drafted by the NBA's New York Knicks in the 1965 NBA draft, and he ...
. Kauffman played a reserve role for the Bulls in 1969–70, averaging 4.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 12 minutes per game.


Buffalo Braves (1970–1974)

On May 11, 1970, Kauffman was traded by the Chicago Bulls with
Jim Washington James H. "Jumpin' Jimmy" Washington (born July 1, 1943) is a former professional basketball player. A 6'6" forward born in Philadelphia and from Villanova University, he was selected by the St. Louis Hawks with the 6th pick of the 1965 NBA Draf ...
to the
Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...
for Shaler Halimon and
Chet Walker Chester Walker (born February 22, 1940) is an American former professional basketball player. Born in Bethlehem, Mississippi, Walker played high school basketball for the Benton Harbor High School boys basketball team. He graduated from Bradley ...
. Kauffman was sent as the player to be named later on May 11, 1970. Later, the expanded
Buffalo Braves The Buffalo Braves were an American professional basketball franchise based in Buffalo, New York. The Braves competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division from 1970 ...
acquired him and a 1971 second round draft pick (
Spencer Haywood Spencer Haywood (born April 22, 1949) is an American former professional basketball player and Olympic gold medalist. Haywood is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, being inducted in 2015. High school career In 1964, Haywo ...
was later selected) from the Philadelphia 76ers the day of the NBA Expansion Draft in exchange for veteran forward
Bailey Howell Bailey E. Howell (born January 20, 1937) is an American former professional basketball player. After playing college basketball at Mississippi State, Howell played 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Howell was a six-time NBA ...
. Kauffman never played for Philadelphia. In 1970–1971, playing for the Buffalo Braves, Kauffman became an All-Star, averaging 20.4 points and 10.7 rebounds for the 22-60 Braves under Coach
Dolph Schayes Adolph Schayes (May 19, 1928 – December 10, 2015) was an American professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A top scorer and rebounder, he was a 12-time NBA All-Star and a 12-time All-NBA selection ...
. He was a reserve for the first six games of the season, scoring 26 points total, before being inserted into the starting lineup. The Braves struggled in 1971–1972, again finishing 22-60, but Kauffman was an All-Star for the second time, averaging 18.9 points and 10.2 rebounds. Kauffman had 44 points against
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran. Given name Karim * Karim A ...
and the
Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...
on November 13, 1971. Under new Coach
Jack Ramsay John Travilla Ramsay (February 21, 1925 – April 28, 2014) was an American basketball coach, commonly known as "Dr. Jack" (as he held an earned doctorate). He was best known for leading the Portland Trail Blazers to the 1977 NBA championship, a ...
, Kauffman was an All-Star again in 1972–1973, averaging 17.5 points and 11.1 rebounds for the 21-61 Braves. In 1973–1974, the Braves improved to 42-40, making the playoffs. Kauffman became a reserve, averaging 6.1 points and 4.4 rebounds in 17 minutes, on a roster that included Hall of Famer
Bob McAdoo Robert Allen McAdoo Jr. ( ; born September 25, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he was a five-time NBA All-Star and named the NBA Most ...
, Randy Smith, and
Gar Heard Garfield Heard (born May 3, 1948) is an American retired professional basketball player and coach. He played collegiately at the University of Oklahoma and was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in the third round of the 1970 NBA draft. He had a ...
.


Atlanta Hawks (1974–1975)

On May 20, 1974, Kauffman was drafted by the New Orleans Jazz from the Buffalo Braves in the NBA expansion draft. He was immediately traded by the Jazz in a landmark trade. He was traded with
Dean Meminger Dean Peter "The Dream" Meminger (May 13, 1948 – August 23, 2013) was an American basketball player and coach. Early life Meminger was born in Walterboro, South Carolina, and came to Harlem, New York, with his family as a seventh-grader. He starr ...
, a 1974 first round draft pick (
Mike Sojourner Michael Sojourner (born October 16, 1953) is a retired American professional basketball player born in Germantown, Pennsylvania. A 6'9" (2.05 m) power forward / center from the University of Utah, Sojourner played three seasons (1974–1977) in ...
was later selected), a 1975 first round draft pick ( David Thompson was later selected), a 1975 second round draft pick (
Bill Willoughby William Wesley Willoughby (born May 20, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player born in Englewood, New Jersey. After graduating from Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, he was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1975 NBA d ...
was later selected), a 1976 second round draft pick (
Alex English Alexander English (born January 5, 1954) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and businessman. A South Carolina native, English played college basketball at the University of South Carolina. He was drafted in the second ...
was later selected), and a 1980 third round draft pick ( Jonathan Moore was later selected) to the
Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...
for
Pete Maravich Peter Press Maravich ( ; June 22, 1947 – January 5, 1988), known by his nickname Pistol Pete, was an American professional basketball player. Maravich was born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, and raised in ...
. With chronic groin and hip problems limiting his play, Kauffman played the final season of his career with the 1974–1975 Hawks. He averaged 3.9 points and 2.5 points in 73 games for the 31-51 Hawks, under Coach
Cotton Fitzsimmons Lowell Gibbs "Cotton" Fitzsimmons (October 7, 1931 – July 24, 2004) was an American college and NBA basketball coach. A native of Bowling Green, Missouri, he attended and played basketball at Hannibal-LaGrange Junior College in Hannibal, Mi ...
.


Career totals

Kauffman played seven seasons in the
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 ...
as a member of the Sonics,
Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...
,
Buffalo Braves The Buffalo Braves were an American professional basketball franchise based in Buffalo, New York. The Braves competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division from 1970 ...
, and
Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...
. A three-time All-Star (
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 ...
,
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 ...
, and
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. ...
), Kauffman averaged 11.5 points and 7.0 rebounds for his career. He had his statistically strongest season in 1970–71, when he averaged 20.4 points and 10.7 rebounds for the Braves.


NBA career statistics


Regular season

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Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
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, 64 , , – , , 12.1 , , .425 , , – , , .715 , , 3.3 , , 1.2 , , – , , – , , 4.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Buffalo , 78 , , – , , 35.6 , , .471 , , – , , .740 , , 10.7 , , 4.5 , , – , , – , , 20.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Buffalo , 77 , , – , , 41.6 , , .497 , , – , , .795 , , 10.2 , , 3.9 , , – , , – , , 18.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Buffalo , 77 , , – , , 39.6 , , .505 , , – , , .780 , , 11.1 , , 5.1 , , – , , – , , 17.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Buffalo , 74 , , – , , 17.6 , , .467 , , – , , .713 , , 4.4 , , 1.9 , , .5 , , .2 , , 6.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, 73 , , – , , 10.9 , , .433 , , – , , .702 , , 2.5 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .1 , , 3.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 525 , , – , , 25.8 , , .477 , , – , , .749 , , 7.0 , , 2.7 , , .4 , , .1 , , 11.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 3 , , 0 , , 6.7 , , .400 , , – , , .500 , , .7 , , .7 , , – , , – , , 1.7


Playoffs

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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 ...
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, 3, , –, , 4.7, , .333, , –, , .667, , 2.0, , 1.3, , –, , –, , 1.3 , - , 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;", Buffalo , 2, , –, , 5.0, , .333, , –, , .000, , .5, , 1.0, , .0, , .0, , 1.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 5 , , – , , 4.8 , , .333 , , – , , .400 , , 1.4 , , 1.2 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.2


NBA executive/coaching career

He had a short career as an NBA team executive with the Atlanta Hawks and
Detroit 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 Central Division and play their home games at Li ...
. He spent two seasons as assistant general manager for the Hawks before Detroit hired him as the Pistons' general manager in 1977. He was with the Pistons from May 25, 1977 to July 14, 1978. He served as coach of the Detroit Pistons in 1977–1978 after
Herb Brown Herbert Brown (born March 14, 1936) is an American basketball coach and the brother of Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown. He is the former head coach of the Detroit Pistons (1976–78). Career Brown succeeded Ray Scott when he was promoted from a ...
was fired, going 29-29 in 58 games. Kauffman eventually left the Pistons after a disagreement with team owner Bill Davidson. Kauffman wanted to hire
Cotton Fitzsimmons Lowell Gibbs "Cotton" Fitzsimmons (October 7, 1931 – July 24, 2004) was an American college and NBA basketball coach. A native of Bowling Green, Missouri, he attended and played basketball at Hannibal-LaGrange Junior College in Hannibal, Mi ...
or
Al Bianchi Alfred A. Bianchi (March 26, 1932 – October 28, 2019) was an American professional basketball player, coach, general manager, consultant, and scout. Early years Nicknamed "Blinky", he attended P.S. 4 elementary school and graduated from Long I ...
for the coaching vacancy. Davidson wanted
Dick Vitale Richard John Vitale (; born June 9, 1939), also known as "Dickie V", is an American basketball sportscaster. A former head coach in the college and professional ranks, he is well known for his 41-year tenure as a college basketball broadcaster fo ...
from the
University of Detroit The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Roman Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Catholic universi ...
. Vitale went 34-60 in his tenure as Pistons coach.


Remembering Kauffman

Kauffman died at the age of 69. Although his career was not long he was able to accomplish many things. Kauffman came from a relatively small college and was one of the prominent and promising players in all of college basketball at his time. When he was drafted he played for several different teams and was successful for all of them. Bob was able to make the NBA All-Star Team in three of his seven seasons, from 1971–1973. While at Guilford he was an all-American and one of the best to ever play in the NAIA, coming as a top three pick in the 1968 NBA draft. Many believe Bob Kauffman should have played longer but due to injury had to call it quits sooner than expected. Most people remember him as the pioneer of tough basketball. He is the original blue collar worker, always worked hard for shots and rebounds, and competed especially hard defensively against some of the best to ever play the game. He was a physical player. Some of Bob's more outstanding accolades from college include, 32 rebounds in a single game and 698 rebounds in a single season. He made 943 career field goals, shot an impressive 71.2 percent in single-season from the field, 273 free-throws attempted in a single-season while shooting a total of 344 in a single-season, made nearly one third of his career free-throws (684), and had 344 single-season free-throw attempts (1966–67). These were all of his great stats released by his alma mater Guilford. Many believe the jersey worn by Kauffman when he played for the Buffalo Braves should be retired since he was the original star of the program. As reported by NBA.com, Bob Kauffman's death went extremely unnoticed in the sports world. He was the first real star for the Buffalo Braves, now the Los Angeles Clippers, making three consecutive appearances in the all-star game. Kauffman is survived by his wife, Judy and four daughters; Lara, Joannah, Carey, and Kate. All of his daughters have had prolific basketball careers at the collegiate level for Georgia Tech, Duke, and Clayton University.


Honors

* Kauffman was inducted into Guilford's Athletics Hall of Fame in 1973. * Guilford College retired his jersey (#44) in 2009.


Head coaching record

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Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kauffman, Bob 1946 births 2015 deaths American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks players Basketball coaches from New York (state) Basketball players from New York City Buffalo Braves players Centers (basketball) Chicago Bulls players Detroit Pistons head coaches Guilford Quakers men's basketball players National Basketball Association All-Stars New Orleans Jazz expansion draft picks Oakland Oaks draft picks Power forwards (basketball) Scarsdale High School alumni Seattle SuperSonics draft picks Seattle SuperSonics players Sportspeople from Brooklyn