Gene Schwinger
Forward | |
| Number | 21 |
|---|---|
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Eugene Albert Schwinger (August 20, 1932 – January 16, 2020) was an American basketball player, known for his All-American college career at Rice University in the 1950s.
A native of
freshmen were ineligible to compete for varsity sports, so Schwinger's college basketball career began as a sophomore
in 1951–52.
His three years as a
forward held four school records (all since eclipsed): points and rebounds in a single season (604 and 344), and points and rebounds for a career (1,328 and 810).[1][2] He was twice a first-team All-Southwest Conference selection while leading the league in points per game both years.[3] In all three seasons he led Rice in scoring and rebounding.[2] As a junior in 1952–53 Schwinger was named a second-team All-American by the Newspaper Enterprise Association, and as a senior in 1953–54 the Associated Press named him an honorable mention All-American.[2] In 1953–54 he led the Owls to a share of the Southwest Conference regular season title and a berth in the 1954 NCAA tournament
, where the team finished in third place in their region.
In the spring of 1954 Schwinger was selected by the
Minneapolis Lakers in the NBA draft.[4] He was taken in the fourth round (36th overall).[5] Schwinger opted instead to pursue a career in business, bypassing the NBA.[1] He attended Harvard Business School and earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 1959.[1] Schwinger spent his business career in various roles within banking, securities trading, and investment firms until his retirement in 2003.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Obituary: Eugene Albert "Gene" Schwinger". Dignity Memorial. SCI Shared Resources, LLC. January 20, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ a b c "2019–20 Rice Owls men's basketball media guide" (PDF). Rice University. 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ "Southwest Conference". From Naismith to Nash. 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ "1954 NBA Draft". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ "Gene Schwinger". TheDraftReview.com. Retrieved May 24, 2020.