Charles E. Slack (February 26, 1931 – July 3, 2020) was an American
college basketball
College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...
player from
Marshall University
Marshall University is a public university, public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1837 and is named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, chief justice of the Uni ...
. He holds the
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
(NCAA)
Division I record for the highest single-season
rebound average when he grabbed 25.6 rpg in 1954–55.
Considered one of the greatest rebounders in college basketball history,
he had his Marshall
uniform number (#17) retired in January 2000.
[ In his four-year career with the Thundering Herd, from 1952–53 to 1955–56, Slack compiled 1,916 career rebounds, which is third all-time behind Tom Gola's 2,201 and Joe Holup's 2,030.] Additionally, Slack's effort of 43 rebounds against Charleston (West Virginia) on January 12, 1954, is the second highest single game rebound total in NCAA history behind Bill Chambers' 51.[ Slack owns the top four spots on Marshall's season rebounding average list with 25.6, 23.6, 22.2 and 16.3 rebounds per game.] A prodigious rebounder, he also scored 1,551 points during his career.[
Slack was drafted by the Fort Wayne Pistons in the ]1956 NBA draft
The 1956 NBA draft was the tenth annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 30, 1956, before the 1956–57 season. In this draft, eight NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball pl ...
, but he never played professionally. He was, however, an alternate for the 1960 United States men's basketball team at the Olympics.[ Slack was also a member of the varsity football team and was inducted into the Marshall University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1985 as a two-sport star. In 2019, he was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame.
Slack died July 3, 2020, at the age of 89.]
See also
* List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 30 or more rebounds in a game
*
* List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career rebounding leaders
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slack, Charlie
1931 births
2020 deaths
Amateur Athletic Union men's basketball players
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Ohio
Fort Wayne Pistons draft picks
Forwards (basketball)
Marshall Thundering Herd football players
Marshall Thundering Herd men's basketball players
People from Pomeroy, Ohio