At the age of twenty-four, he was the youngest coach in NBA history and the youngest coach of a major professional team in any sport. Pistons in 1964. "Dave DeBusschere was a loyal friend, an unselfish teammate and a quality human being. classy people" in the sport. playoffs by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Division finals. daughter. that he excelled and by 1964, he was player-coach of the Pistons, Dick Groat, baseball star who did double duty in NBA, dies at 92 "He was the final piece of the puzzle.". As Frazier, among others, has said, DeBusschere was the ''final piece of the puzzle'' that turned a good team into a championship team. The overwhelming emotion derives from more than pride. He tried to combine the sports and pitched parts of two seasons Powered by WordPress using DisruptPress Theme. display: block; in May 1975 and helped bring about the league's merger with the N.B.A. Playing under the coach Bob Calihan, DeBusschere led his basketball team to the National Invitational Tournament in 1960 and 1961 and the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament in 1962. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. Theres the white banner, the 22 in orange, KNICKS below it and DeBUSSCHERE above it, as in Dave DeBusschere, as in the same first and last name as this Chaminade player, the grandson of the late Hall of Famer. But once you get to the game, the pressure and expectations in your mind doesnt really come up for me at all. They had come to honor and bid farewell to, as Father Peter Colapietro said in his homily, ''the simple saloonkeeper's son, who always looked for the other guy'' and who became ''the New York giant who was a shooting star.''. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. He was like a brother to me.". Free to concentrate on playing, DeBusschere continued to improve and was named to the NBA All-Star teams from 1966 to 1968. ; Patrick Ewing, whom DeBusschere drafted first in 1985 when he was the Knicks' general manager; Dave Cowens; Oscar Robertson; Tiny Archibald; Archie Clark; Dick McGuire; Stu Jackson; Lou Carnesecca; Dave Checketts; Mike Riordan; Cal Ramsey; Rod Thorn; John Andariese; and from the current Knick team Coach Don Chaney and Charlie Ward. [1] In October 2021, DeBusschere was again honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. 2003 The Associated Press. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Family members linked to this person will appear here. in awe of that. It was standing room only today as nearly a thousand people packed St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church on Fifth Street this gentle spring morning. Your devotion to your teammates, the depth of your sense of belonging, is something like blood kinship, but without the complications. You brought all these things to the many lives you touched. (BUDDE) DEBUSSCHERE December 9, 1909 ~ January 18, 2014 Inez was born in Vancouver, WA to Emilia and August Budde in 1909, 104 years ago. baseball tournament berths. He played for the Chicago White Sox of MLB in 1962 and 1963 and in the NBA for the Detroit Pistons from 1962 through 1968 and for the New York Knicks from 1968 to 1974. Red Sox notebook: Boston to host Terry Francona, Guardians for was replaced late in the 1966-67 season by Donnis Butcher. Dave and I were not hunters, but once Willis got started, it took him more than a little while to finish. red-white-and-blue basketballs -- with the NBA. instrumental in the 1976 merger of the ABA -- famous for its Dave DeBusschere, the Hall of Fame forward whose tenacious defensive play, rebounding prowess and timely scoring helped propel the Knicks to their only two N.B.A. In May 2003, DeBusschere collapsed on a Manhattan street from a heart attack and was pronounced dead at New York University Hospital. The next year the Knicks won the Atlantic Division title in the expanded NBA but were defeated in the second round of the playoffs. From there, the Knicks became championship-caliber. I spoke at Peter's college graduation. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. The team won the opening series in the playoffs but lost in the divisional finals. Dave DeBusschere DeBusschere led Austin to the finals of the city basketball championship in 19551956 and 19561957. '', ''Dave was the strong, silent type,'' Phil Jackson, the Los Angeles Lakers' coach and DeBusschere's former Knicks teammate, wrote in ''Maverick''(Playboy Press, 1975). loyal friend, an unselfish teammate and a quality human being.". finals in 1972) to die. ." Oh my God! "He finally made the choice to go to the NBA, but he was a rare The school retired his number and named its court after Reed in Jerry West recalled his longtime rival as "one of the really DeBusschere, who later was the vice president of the Nets and Knicks, as well as serving as the last commissioner of the old American Basketball Association, was walking from his office at a downtown real estate firm to a restaurant, accompanied by his son Dennis, around 12:30 p.m. Dick Groat, baseball star who did double duty in NBA, dies at 92 Finally I'd get out of bed, put my hands on his back and push him over on his side. [2], DeBusschere was born in Detroit to parents Peter Marcell and Dorothy DeBusschere. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Trump lawyer seeks mistrial in E. Jean Carroll rape suit citing 'unfair and prejudicial rulings', TARDY YET TESTY: MAYOR STILLWORKING ON PEOPLE SKILLS, Woman has 'loud, full body orgasm' in the middle of LA concert, $76K NJ boarding school admits falling 'tragically short' in protecting teen who killed self after relentless bullying, 'rapist' taunts, Georgia player under fire after racist remark during 2023 NFL Draft on livestream, Kim Kardashian seemingly shades Kourtneys wedding in now-deleted caption amid feud, Pregnant Rihanna models over-the-top vintage Chanel ahead of Met Gala 2023, Inside Nick Cannons extravagant Six Flags celebration for twins 12th birthday, NY Post Sports Reporter Zach Braziller breaks down the Knicks game 1 loss to the Heat, Elon Musk Tells Bill Maher Woke Mind Virus Is Dangerous On Real Time, Padma Lakshmi claps back at trolls: 'I have boobs, I have nipples'. Pete and Kristie DeBusschere have two other sons. The pallbearers included Dave Bing, who played with DeBusschere in Detroit before DeBusschere was traded to the Knicks in December 1968; Billy Cunningham, who played with Philadelphia; John Havlicek, the Boston Celtics great; and Richie Guerin and Tom Hoover, who were Knicks predecessors.