Joe C. Meriweather (October 26, 1953 – October 13, 2013) 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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. A 6'10"

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

from

Southern Illinois University Southern Illinois University is a system of public universities in the southern region of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its headquarters is in Carbondale, Illinois. Board of trustees The university is governed by the nine member SIU Board of Tr ...

, Meriweather played ten seasons (1975–1985) in the NBA as a member of the Houston Rockets,

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

, New Orleans Jazz, New York Knicks, and

Kansas City 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 (NBA), Western Conference Pacific Division ( ...

. He earned NBA All-Rookie honors in his first season, during which he averaged 10.2 points, 6.4

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

, and 1.5 blocks. Over the course of his NBA career, Meriweather averaged 8.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks. Of note, Meriweather is one of a select few players who have blocked 10 shots in an NBA game more than once. Meriweather accomplished the feat twice during his career, first with the Jazz in 1977 (his only career triple double), and then again later with the Knicks in 1979. Those totals established franchise records for both teams; the Jazz record has since been broken by

Mark Eaton Mark Edward Eaton (January 24, 1957 – May 28, 2021) was an American professional basketball player who spent his entire career (1982–1993) with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Named an NBA All-Star in 1989, he wa ...

numerous times, but Meriweather still holds the record for the Knicks (later tied by Dikembe Mutombo). He played for the US national team in the

1974 FIBA World Championship The 1974 FIBA World Championship was the 7th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's teams. It was hosted by Puerto Rico from July 3 to 14, 1974. The tournament was won by the Soviet Union. Venues Comp ...

, winning the bronze medal. Meriweather spent the 1985–86 basketball season playing for Granarolo Bologna in Italy. He coached the Kansas City Mustangs of the

Women's Basketball Association The Women's Basketball Association (WBA or WWBA) was the first women's professional basketball summer league, operating from 1992 to 1995. The league was called the WWBA and WBA for the first All-Star tour in 1992, before settling on WBA. The pion ...

professional league to an undefeated season in 1994. He also served as the head women's basketball coach at

Park University Park University is a private university in Parkville, Missouri. It was founded in 1875. In the fall of 2017, Park had an enrollment of 11,457 students. History The school which was originally called Park College was founded in 1875 by John A ...

Parkville, Missouri Parkville is a city in Platte County, Missouri, United States and is a part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The population was 7,177 at the 2020 census (2021 est, 7,810). Parkville is known for its antique shops, art galleries, and hist ...

from 1997 to 2010 before resigning in March 2010. Meriweather died on October 13, 2013 in

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...

.Former Kansas City Kings Player Joe C. Meriweather Dies at 59
retrieved October 15, 2013

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meriweather, Joe C. 1953 births 2013 deaths African-American basketball players American women's basketball coaches American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Spain American men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks players Basketball players from Alabama Centers (basketball) Houston Rockets draft picks Houston Rockets players Kansas City Kings players Liga ACB players New Orleans Jazz players New York Knicks players People from Phenix City, Alabama Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball players United States men's national basketball team players 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people 1974 FIBA World Championship players

See also

References