Gene Rock
Eugene Rock (November 4, 1921 – October 31, 2002) was an American professional basketball player who played in the Professional Basketball League of America (PBLA) and the Basketball Association of America (BAA) during the 1947–48 season.[1][2] A native of Huntington Beach, California, Rock attended Huntington Beach High School before enrolling at the University of Southern California to play basketball.[1] While at USC, Rock earned varsity letters in 1942, 1943 and 1947.[3] Like many male college athletes during his day, Rock served in the military for two years before finishing college; he was in the Marine Corps.[3] Rock led the Trojans in scoring during 1942–43 (12.6 points per game) and again in 1946–47 (11.1 ppg).[3] During the former season, USC finished with a then-school record 23–5 mark en route to winning the Pacific Coast League Southern Division title.[3] Rock was also a teammate of future College Basketball Hall of Fame coach Tex Winter.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 4, 1921 Caruthers, California |
| Died | October 31, 2002 (aged 80) San Diego, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Listed weight | 155 lb (70 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Huntington Park (Huntington Park, California) |
| College | USC (1941–1943, 1946–1947) |
| BAA draft | 1947 / Undrafted |
| Playing career | 1947–1948 |
| Position | Guard |
| Number | 15 |
| Career history | |
| 1947 | Birmingham Skyhawks |
| 1947–1948 | Chicago Stags |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career BAA statistics | |
| Points | 10 (0.9 ppg) |
| Assists | 0 (0.0 apg) |
| Games played | 11 |
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com | |
After his college career ended, Rock went on to play for the Birmingham Skyhawks in the PBLA, which was a professional basketball league that lasted for less than one full season due to underfunding. He averaged 6.9 points per game in seven games before the league folded.[2] Rock then signed with the Chicago Stags of the BAA. In 11 games played, he averaged 0.9 points.[1] His basketball career ended after the season, and Rock went on to work for the Los Angeles Police Department, where he eventually became a captain.[3] Rock retired in 1979, and lived the rest of his life in the San Diego area. On October 31, 2002, he succumbed to cancer.[3]
BAA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | ||||
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | ||||
| FT% | Free-throw percentage | ||||
| APG | Assists per game | ||||
| PPG | Points per game | ||||
References
- "Gene Rock". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2010. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
- "Professional Basketball League of America 1947–48". apbr.org. The Association for Professional Basketball Research. 2009. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
- "Former Trojans player Rock dies". Sports Illustrated. CNN. November 1, 2002. Retrieved October 4, 2010.