Maurice Stokes
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 17, 1933 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Died | April 6, 1970 (aged 36) Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 232 lb (105 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
Westinghouse (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) |
| College | Saint Francis (PA) (1951–1955) |
| NBA draft | 1955 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2nd overall |
| Selected by the Rochester Royals | |
| Playing career | 1955–1958 |
| Position | Power forward / Center |
| Number | 12 |
| Career history | |
| 1955–1958 | Rochester / Cincinnati Royals |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 3,315 (16.4 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 3,492 (17.3 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,062 (5.3 apg) |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame as player | |
|
College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 |
|
Maurice Stokes (June 17, 1933 – April 6, 1970) was an American professional basketball player in the 1950s for the Cincinnati/Rochester Royals of the National Basketball Association (NBA) until his career — and later his life — was cut short by a debilitating injury.
Stokes was born in Rankin, Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh, one of four children — he had a twin sister and two brothers. His father worked in a steel mill and his mother was a domestic. When Maurice was age 8, the family moved to nearby Homewood, where he later attended Westinghouse High School. Stokes did not start his first two years at Westinghouse, but in his last two years, he helped lead the Bulldogs to back-to-back city championships in 1950 and 1951.
Stokes attended and graduated from Saint Francis College in Loretto, Pennsylvania. There he led the Red Flash to the 1955 National Invitation Tournament and was named Most Valuable Player although his team finished fourth in the tournament. Stokes remains St. Francis' all-time leading rebounder with 1,819 and is second in scoring with 2,282 points. The Red Flash were 79-30 during Stokes' four seasons. He was later inducted in the St. Francis University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Playing for the National Basketball Association's Rochester Royals, which became the Cincinnati Royals in 1957, from 1955 to 1958, Stokes averaged 16.3 rebounds per game during his rookie season and was named NBA Rookie of the Year. The next season, he set a league record for most rebounds in a single season with 1,256 (17.4 per game). Stokes was second in the NBA in rebounds and third in assists in 1957–58; a feat only Wilt Chamberlain has matched for a full season.
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