Former K-State legend Bob Boozer has died. He went on to become an NBA star and was a 1960 Olympic gold medalist. He was 75.
Ella Boozer says her husband died Saturday of a brain aneurysm after becoming ill Friday night.
Boozer was a two-time first team All-American at K-State in 1958-59. He averaged 21.9 points and 10.7 rebounds per game in his career. Boozer put up 25.6 points a night as a senior in 1959, and led the Wildcats to a 14-0 Big 8 record and a #1 ranking at the end of the regular season. His jersey hangs from the rafters at Bramlage Coliseum, and he was the top vote getter for the K-State all-century team in 2003.
He became the first K-Stater to play on the US Olympic team in 1960, with Jerry West, Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas, which dominating the competition, going 8-0 to win the gold medal.
Boozer played 11 years in the NBA after the Cincinnati Royals drafted him No. 1 overall. The 6-foot-8 forward retired after winning the 1971 NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Boozer averaged 14.8 points and 8.1 rebounds in his NBA career with six teams.
He returned to Omaha after his playing days and worked as an executive for the local telephone company.
(Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.)
