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 (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 t ...
, Rock attended
Huntington Park High School before enrolling at the
University of Southern California
, mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it"
, religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist
, established =
, accreditation = WSCUC
, type = Private research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $8.1 ...
to play basketball.
[ While at USC, Rock earned varsity letters in 1942, 1943 and 1947.]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 (refl ...
.[ 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 189 ...
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 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-lar ...
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 eighth most populous city in the United States ...
area. On October 31, 2002, he succumbed to cancer.[
]
BAA career statistics
Regular season
Playoffs
See also
* List of shortest players in National Basketball Association history
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