Fred B. Hetzel (born July 21, 1942) is an American former 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. He was an All-American college player for

Davidson College Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after Revolutionary War general William Lee Davidson, who was killed at the nearby Battle of Cowan� ...

. Hetzel was the No. 1 overall pick in the

1965 NBA draft The 1965 NBA draft was the 19th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 6, 1965, before the 1965–66 season. In this draft, nine NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players ...

by the

San Francisco Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

and played six seasons 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).

High school career

Hetzel initially attended Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington, D.C. and played for the Tigers in the 1958 season. He then transferred to

Landon School Landon School is a private, college preparatory school for boys in grades 3–12, with an enrollment of approximately 680 students, in Bethesda, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C. Background Paul Landon Banfield and his wife, Mary Lee, fou ...

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

and was a 3 time All Met. As a sophomore, he averaged 20.5 ppg and 20.4 rebounds per game as a junior. As a 3 time All Met in the ''

Washington Daily News The ''Washington Daily News'' is an American, English language daily newspaper headquartered in and serving Washington, North Carolina and Beaufort County, North Carolina. It was established in 1909. The paper also uses Facebook for sharing new ...

'', ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', and '' Evening Star'', he followed in the footsteps of

Lew Luce Llewellyn Attsett Luce, Jr. (April 3, 1938 – March 22, 2020) was an American football running back in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in ...

and George Leftwich as the only 3-peats. He averaged 24.1 ppg in his senior season and finished with 1,210 points during his Bears career. On March 2, 1961, Undefeated Landon and

DeMatha Catholic High School DeMatha Catholic High School is a four-year Catholic high school for boys located in Hyattsville, Maryland, United States. Named after John of Matha, DeMatha is under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and is a member of the Washington Ca ...

(ranked 1–2 in the city) faced off in

Cole Field House The Jones-Hill House is an indoor collegiate sports training complex located on of land on the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park, a suburb north of Washington, D.C. Jones-Hill House is situated in the center of the campus, ...

before a crowd of 6400. Fred Hetzel led Landon that night with 18 points but it was the tandem of

John Austin John Austin may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John P. Austin (1906–1997), American set decorator *Johnny Austin (1910–1983), American musician * John Austin (author) (fl. 1940s), British novelist Military *John Austin (soldier) (1801� ...

and Gary Ward that led the Stags to victory 57–52.

College career

Hetzel played collegiately at

of the

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly ...

, recruited by Hall of Fame Coach

Lefty Driesell Charles Grice "Lefty" Driesell (born December 25, 1931) is a retired American college basketball coach. He was the first coach to win more than 100 games at four different NCAA Division I schools, Driesell led the programs of Davidson College, t ...

. He was the Southern Conference Player of the Year in all three seasons for the Wildcats. Freshmen did not play varsity level, by NCAA rule in Hetzel's era. Davidson lost in the Southern Conference tournament in all three seasons of Hetzel's career, negating NCAA Tournament trips. In 1962–1963, Hetzel averaged 23.7 points and 13.5 rebounds as Davidson finished 20–7. Davidson finished 18th in the AP/UPI polls Davidson was 22–4 in 1963–1964, led by Hetzel's 27.3 points and 13.5 rebounds, winning the Southern Conference. Davidson finished 10th in the AP/UPI polls As a senior, Davidson was 24–2, a perfect 12–0 in the Southern Conference in 1964–1965. behind Hetzel's 26.5 points and 14.8 rebound averages. Hetzel was a consensus All-American in 1965, along with

Bill Bradley William Warren Bradley (born July 28, 1943) is an American politician and former professional basketball player. He served three terms as a Democratic U.S. senator from New Jersey (1979–1997). He ran for the Democratic Party's nomination f ...

of Princeton,

Cazzie Russell Cazzie Lee Russell (born June 7, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. An NBA All-Star, he was selected by the New York Knicks with the first overall pick of the 1966 NBA draft. He won an NBA championship with ...

of Michigan,

Gail Goodrich Gail Charles Goodrich Jr. (born April 23, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is best known for scoring a then record 42 points for UCLA in the 1965 NCAA championship game vs ...

of UCLA and

Rick Barry Richard Francis Dennis Barry III (born March 28, 1944) is an American retired professional basketball player who starred at the NCAA, American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) levels. Barry ranks among the ...

of Miami (FL). Sports Illustrated projected Davidson as the number one preseason basketball team in the US followed by Michigan.. Davidson ended the year at 6th in the AP/UPI polls. Overall, Hetzel averaged 25.7 032points and 13.8 rebounds in 79 games at Davidson, leading them to a 66–13 record over three seasons. Before Hetzel embarked on his NBA career, he played for Team USA along with Bill Bradley in the 1965 Fifth

World University Games The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The name is a portmanteau of the words "University" and "Olympiad". The Universiade is referred t ...

Budapest, Hungary Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population of ...

. He helped the United States to a gold medal that he displayed in his living room. He averaged 12.9 points in the eight games.

Professional career

forward-center Forward–center or bigman is a basketball position for players who play or have played both forward and center on a consistent basis. Typically, this means power forward and center, since these are usually the two biggest player positions on an ...

from

Davidson Davidson may refer to: * Davidson (name) * Clan Davidson, a Highland Scottish clan * Davidson Media Group * Davidson Seamount, undersea mountain southwest of Monterey, California, USA * Tyler Davidson Fountain, monument in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA * ...

, Hetzel was selected by the

with the first overall pick of the

on May 6, 1965. As a rookie, Hetzel was named to the 1966

NBA All-Rookie Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for playe ...

, along with Rick Barry,

Billy Cunningham William John Cunningham (born June 3, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the ''Kangaroo Kid'' for his leaping and record-setting rebounding abilities. He spent a total of 17 seasons with the ...

Dick Van Arsdale Richard Albert Van Arsdale (born February 22, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player and coach, and a current National Basketball Association (NBA) executive. A graduate of Emmerich Manual High School in Indianapolis, Van A ...

and

Tom Van Arsdale Thomas Arthur Van Arsdale (born February 22, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player. A graduate of Emmerich Manual High School in Indianapolis, the guard played collegiately at Indiana University under longtime head coach ...

. Hetzel averaged 6. 8 points and 5.2 rebounds for Coach

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 the Warriors, with Hall of Famers Rick Barry,

Guy Rodgers Guy William Rodgers (September 1, 1935 – February 19, 2001) was an American professional basketball player born in Philadelphia. He spent twelve years (1958–1970) in the NBA, and was one of the league's best playmakers in the early to mid-19 ...

and

Nate Thurmond Nathaniel Thurmond (July 25, 1941 – July 16, 2016) was an American basketball player who spent the majority of his 14-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Golden State Warriors franchise. He played the center and po ...

. In 1966–1967, the Warriors improved to 44-37 under Coach

Bill Sharman William Walton Sharman (May 25, 1926 – October 25, 2013) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He is mostly known for his time with the Boston Celtics in the 1950s, partnering with Bob Cousy in what was then considered ...

and advanced to the

1967 NBA Finals The 1967 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series of the 1966–67 National Basketball Association (NBA) season, and was the conclusion of the 1967 NBA Playoffs. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Conferen ...

, where they lost to

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a Center (basketball), center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 yea ...

and 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 ...

4–2. Hetzel averaged 9.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in the series as the Warriors'

6th man The sixth man in basketball is a player who is not a starter but comes off the bench much more often than other reserves, often being the first player to be substituted in. The sixth man often plays minutes equal to or exceeding some of the sta ...

. During the regular season, Hetzel was the team's 4th leading scorer with 12.2 points per game, along with 8.3 rebounds. In 1967–1968, Hetzel had his finest professional season, averaging 19.0 points and 7.1 rebounds for the Warriors. The team finished 49–39, and defeated the

St. Louis 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 Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

in the playoffs, before being swept by the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

in the Western Division Finals. On May 6, 1968, Hetzel's Warrior career ended. He was chosen by the new

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 ...

from the San Francisco Warriors in the NBA expansion draft. During the 1968–1969 season, after 53 games with the Bucks, with Hetzel averaging 15.9 points and 8.9 rebounds, he was traded. On January 31, 1969 he was traded by the Bucks to 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 ...

for Donald Smith and cash. He finished the year with averages of 14.4 points and 7.3 rebounds. Just before the start of the 1969–1970 season, on October 4, 1969, Hetzel was traded by the Cincinnati Royals to the

for Craig Raymond and a future draft pick. Playing for Coach

Jack Ramsey 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 ...

, Hetzel averaged 6.1 points and 3.3 rebounds in a reserve role for the 76ers. On May 11, 1970 Hetzel was again claimed by a new team, when he was drafted by the new

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

from the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA expansion draft. Later, on August 28, 1970 he was claimed on waivers by the Los Angeles Lakers from the Trail Blazers. Hetzel played 1970–1971 with the Lakers in his final season. He averaged 4.8 points and 2.9 rebounds in 59 games, playing a reserve role on a team with Hall of Famers

Elgin Baylor Elgin Gay Baylor ( ; September 16, 1934 – March 22, 2021) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and executive. He played 14 seasons as a forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lake ...

Jerry West Jerome Alan West (born May 28, 1938) is an American basketball executive and former player. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His nicknames included "Mr. Clutch", for his ability ...

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 ...

. The Lakers finished 48–34, losing to

Lew Alcindor Lew or LEW may refer to: People * Lew (given name) * Lew (surname) Places * Lew, Oxfordshire, England * River Lew, in Devon, England Transport * LEW Hennigsdorf, a rail vehicle factory in Hennigsdorf, Germany * Lew (locomotive), a British narro ...

and the Milwaukee Bucks in the Western Division Finals. Overall, Hetzel played six 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 ...

(1965–1971), averaging 11.2 points and 5.9 rebounds in 416 games.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 1965–66 , align="left" ,

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, 56 , , - , , 12.9 , , .399 , , - , , .685 , , 5.2 , , 0.5 , , - , , - , , 6.8 , - , align="left" , 1966–67 , align="left" ,

, 77 , , - , , 27.6 , , .400 , , - , , .810 , , 8.3 , , 1.4 , , - , , - , , 12.2 , - , align="left" , 1967–68 , align="left" ,

, 77 , , - , , 31.1 , , .414 , , - , , .833 , , 7.1 , , 1.7 , , - , , - , , 19.0 , - , align="left" , 1968–69 , align="left" ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, 53 , , - , , 30.0 , , .416 , , - , , .837 , , 8.9 , , 1.6 , , - , , - , , 15.9 , - , align="left" , 1968–69 , align="left" ,

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, 31 , , - , , 22.1 , , .488 , , - , , .838 , , 4.5 , , 0.9 , , - , , - , , 11.9 , - , align="left" , 1969–70 , align="left" ,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, 63 , , - , , 12.0 , , .483 , , - , , .835 , , 3.3 , , 0.7 , , - , , - , , 6.1 , - , align="left" , 1970–71 , align="left" ,

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, 59 , , - , , 10.4 , , .434 , , - , , .779 , , 2.5 , , 0.6 , , - , , - , , 4.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 416 , , - , , 21.4 , , .421 , , - , , .817 , , 5.9 , , 1.1 , , - , , - , , 11.2

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 1966–67 , align="left" ,

, 13 , , - , , 23.7 , , .383 , , - , , .786 , , 7.2 , , 1.8 , , - , , - , , 9.5 , - , align="left" , 1967–68 , align="left" ,

, 10 , , - , , 32.1 , , .460 , , - , , .820 , , 6.6 , , 1.6 , , - , , - , , 18.8 , - , align="left" , 1969–70 , align="left" ,

, 5 , , - , , 15.0 , , .520 , , - , , .818 , , 3.6 , , 0.6 , , - , , - , , 7.0 , - , align="left" , 1970–71 , align="left" ,

, 7 , , - , , 5.4 , , .333 , , - , , 1.000 , , 1.0 , , 0.3 , , - , , - , , 1.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 35 , , - , , 21.2 , , .427 , , - , , .814 , , 5.3 , , 1.3 , , - , , - , , 10.3

Personal life

Hetzel resides in Virginia and Florida. *Starting in 1980 he owned and operated Fred Hetzel & Associates a Real Estate and Development Company in Leesburg, Virginia. In 1985 he was elected the President of the Virginia Association of Realtors. Reflecting on his career, Hetzel said “I was injured and had some problems that impacted my pro career,” he said.“However, I am happy to have had the experience of the NBA, to meet such great personalities and to have relationships with such great people is very special." Hetzel's brother Will Hetzel played at Maryland from 1967 to 1970, averaging 18.0 points and 9.1 rebounds in his career. Will Hetzel played for Coach Lefty Drisell in his senior year at Maryland. Hetzel's father, Fred Sr, played basketball at Maryland from 1928 to 1930.

Honors

* In 1985, Hetzel was inducted into the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Basketball Hall of Fame. *1990 Recipient of the NABC Balfour Silver Anniversary Award *Inducted into the Davidson Hall of Fame in 1990. *1996 SoCon 75th All Time All Star Team erry West, Hot Rod Hundley, Fred Hetzel, Dick Groat, Frank Selvy* In 2010, Hetzel was inducted into the Southern Conference Hall of Fame.

References

External links

Career stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hetzel, Fred 1942 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Washington, D.C. Centers (basketball) Cincinnati Royals players Davidson Wildcats men's basketball players Los Angeles Lakers players Milwaukee Bucks expansion draft picks Milwaukee Bucks players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Bonita Springs, Florida Philadelphia 76ers players Portland Trail Blazers expansion draft picks Power forwards (basketball) San Francisco Warriors draft picks San Francisco Warriors players