Bill Ridley
undrafted | |
| Position | Point guard |
|---|---|
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
William D. Ridley (February 2, 1934 – September 28, 2019) was an American college basketball player. He was an All-American and All-Big Ten player for the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Ridley, a diminutive but quick 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
NCAA eligibility rules of the time, Ridley joined the varsity team for the 1953–54 season, averaging 6.0 points per game in a supporting role.[3] He moved into the starting lineup in his sophomore season, raising his scoring average to 15.2 points per game and was named third-team All-Big Ten Conference by the United Press International (UPI), who also named him to their national "Small-America" team of the top players under 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m).[4][5]
In Ridley's senior season, the Illini started a potent scoring lineup with Brother, Paul Judson and
frontcourt with Ridley running the attack from the perimeter.[6][7] Ridley led the team's fast break, using his speed and ballhandling to push the ball ahead off of the team's strong rebounding ability.[8] Ridley finished the year averaging 15.3 points per game and at the close of the season was named All-Big Ten and as a third-team All-American by both the Associated Press (AP) and UPI.[9][10]
Following the close of his college career, Ridley's size made a National Basketball Association career difficult. He was not drafted in the 1956 NBA draft and instead went into the insurance and asset management business.[11] He died on September 28, 2019, in his post-retirement home of Frostproof, Florida.[12]
References
- Newspapers.com.
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- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
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- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "William Ridley obituary". Legacy.com. October 4, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
