George King (basketball, born 1928)

George King
George King
Born	16 August 1928 (age 98); Charleston, West Virginia, U.S.
Died	5 October 2006 (aged 78); Naples, Florida, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Professional basketball player, college basketball coach, athletic director
Years active	1950–1992
Known for	NBA player; head coach at Morris Harvey College, West Virginia University, Purdue University; Purdue athletic director

George Smith King Jr. (born August 16, 1928 – died October 5, 2006) was an American professional basketball athlete and university coach originating from Charleston, West Virginia.

College career

King was a student-athlete at Morris Harvey College (currently known as the University of Charleston), where he led his squad to participate in four NCAA championship tournaments. In 1950, he posted an average of 31.2 points per contest and accumulated a total of 2,535 points across 117 collegiate games. He completed his A.B. degree in physical education that same year and received recognition as West Virginia's Amateur Athlete of the Year during both his junior and senior seasons.

Professional career

Chosen in the eighth round of the 1950 NBA draft, King began his professional playing career with the Bartlesville Phillips 66ers during the 1950–1951 season. In 1955, he captained the Syracuse Nationals to the NBA Finals, where he made the decisive free throw in Game 7 and executed a critical steal that clinched the championship. After five campaigns with Syracuse, King completed his NBA tenure with the Cincinnati Royals. Over six seasons, he averaged 10.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game.

In 1956, King participated in a tour across eleven Middle Eastern nations with the Nationals under the Educational Exchange Service sponsored by the State Department. The following year marked a milestone as he became the first American to lead basketball coaching clinics throughout Africa.

Morris Harvey College

Following his stint with the Nationals, King returned to coach college basketball at Morris Harvey for one season before resuming his final NBA year with the Royals.

West Virginia

King started as an assistant coach at West Virginia University under Fred Schaus and ascended to head coach in 1961 after Schaus departed for the Los Angeles Lakers. During his tenure, King guided the Mountaineers to a 102–43 win-loss record, capturing three Southern Conference tournament championships and multiple NCAA tournament berths. He earned a master's degree in physical education from WVU in 1957 prior to concluding his professional playing career.

Purdue

Taking over from Ray Eddy, King served as head coach at Purdue University and achieved a 109–64 record. In 1969, he led Purdue to its first Big Ten Championship in nearly three decades and their inaugural postseason appearance, culminating in an NCAA title game loss to John Wooden's UCLA squad. The 1968–69 Boilermakers ranked first nationally with an average of 94.8 points per game and featured prominent players Rick Mount and Billy Keller. After coaching, King transitioned into Purdue's athletic director role until 1992.

Over his 21 years as Purdue’s seventh athletic director, King managed substantial program expansion, including launching women's varsity sports in the 1976–77 academic year. He earned considerable respect within collegiate sports administration, holding positions such as President of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and chairing major NCAA committees. Notably one of the youngest athletic directors nationally, King uniquely combined coaching responsibilities during the 1971–72 season. His contributions have been honored through inductions into both Purdue’s and University of Charleston’s Athletic Halls of Fame.

Later years and death

In 1983, King was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Charleston and received their Distinguished Alumni Award that same year. He became a member of the National Basketball Hall of Fame Honors Committee in 1982 and was inducted into the University of Charleston Athletic Hall of Fame in 1985. King's achievements were further recognized in 1990 when he earned the James J. Corbett Memorial Award from NACDA.

King concluded his career at Purdue in 1992 and was later inducted into the Purdue Hall of Fame in 2001.

He passed away at the age of 78 on October 5, 2006, at Hospice of Naples, Florida, surrounded by his family. His survivors include his wife Jeanne G. King, five children, eighteen grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and additional relatives.

NBA

Source

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1951–52	Syracuse	66*	28.6	.406	.712	4.2	3.7	10.0
1952–53	Syracuse	71	35.5	.402	.643	4.0	5.1	11.2
1953–54	Syracuse	72	32.9	.376	.627	3.7	3.8	11.3
1954–55†	Syracuse	67	30.1	.377	.611	3.4	4.9	8.9
1955–56	Syracuse	72	32.5	.372	.640	3.5	5.7	10.3
1957–58	Cincinnati Royals	63	36.1	.364	.617	4.9	5.3	9.7
Career		411	32.6	.382	.642	3.9	4.8	10.3

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1952	(Syracuse)	6	34.5	.352	.679	4.8	3.9	9.5
1953	(Syracuse)	2	33.5	.462	.833	2.5	4.5	11.0
1954	(Syracuse)	10	28.6	.403	.603	2.2	2.1	8.8
1955†	(Syracuse)	'11'*	33.7	.393	.636	3.7	5.6	11.5
1956	(Syracuse)	8	39.6	.361	.792	5.9	7.5	14.2
1958	(Cincinnati Royals)	2	39.5	.250	.667	2.5	3.5	9.0
Career		39	34.0	.372	.679	3.8	4.6	11.0

External links

Player Career Stats