Dave DeBusschere

Did You Know?

• DeBusschere appeared as himself on the April 29, 1963 episode of the game show To Tell the Truth and received two votes.
• He starred in both basketball and baseball at the University of Detroit, averaging 24 points a game in basketball and pitching the Titans to three NCAA baseball tournament berths.
• The University of Detroit Mercy inaugurated the Dave DeBusschere Scholarship in 2003, supporting two student-athletes with a minimum 3.0 GPA and exceptional leadership skills.

Early life

DeBusschere was born in Detroit to parents Peter Marcel and Dorothy DeBusschere. He attended Austin Catholic Preparatory School, where he inspired the "White Shirted Legion" tradition. As a junior he was named all-state, and in his senior year he led his team to the Michigan Class A high school basketball championship, scoring 32 points despite fouling out midway through the fourth quarter. His family had come from Torhout in West Flanders, Belgium, and he used an anglicized pronunciation of his surname.

Baseball career

Dave DeBusschere joined the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent in 1962 and spent two seasons with the big-league club. On August 13, 1963, he tossed a shutout against the Cleveland Indians, allowing six hits and one walk while striking out three. Over 22 plate appearances, he collected just one hit—a single off Bennie Daniels on July 17, 1963. After two more years in the minors, he quit pitching to concentrate on playing and coaching basketball. He remains one of only 13 athletes to have competed in both the NBA and Major League Baseball.

Basketball career

DeBusschere was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the 1962 NBA draft as a territorial pick. In his rookie season he averaged 12.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team. After an injury-shortened second season, he became player-coach for the Pistons in 1964–1965, the youngest coach in league history. He was traded to the New York Knicks during the 1968–1969 season. With the Knicks he won NBA championships in 1970 and 1973. Over his 12-year career he averaged 16.1 points and 11 rebounds, was named to eight All-Star teams, and was selected to the NBA All-Defensive first team six times. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1983 and named to the NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996.

Life after basketball

DeBusschere retired as a player in 1974, and his no. 22 jersey was retired by the Knicks. He became the ABA's commissioner for the 1975–76 season and helped bring about the NBA–ABA merger. He later served as assistant coach and director of basketball operations for the Knicks, drafting Patrick Ewing with the first overall pick in 1985. He purchased Ring magazine with partners in 1979 and authored a book titled The Open Man about the Knicks' 1969–70 championship season.