Bob Kurland
From Hoopedia
Robert Albert "Bob" Kurland (born December 23, 1924 in St. Louis, Missouri) was a 7-foot basketball center, who played for Henry Iba's Oklahoma A & M University (now Oklahoma State University) Aggies basketball team. He was an important part of the team's consecutive NCAA titles in 1945 and 1946. Because Kurland often leaped above the rim to grab opponents' shots, the NCAA banned defensive goaltending in 1945.
The rivalry between him and DePaul's George Mikan would foreshadow similar matchups, especially those of "Big Men".
Kurland never played professional basketball, passing up the newly formed Basketball Association of America and National Basketball League (which would merge, forming the National Basketball Association), to play for Phillips Petroleum's A.A.U. team, the 66 Oilers. Kurland played for six years with Phillips, winning three AAU championships. Since Kurland never played pro basketball he was eligible for the 1948 and 1952 Olympics, where he helped pick up two gold medals for Team USA.
Kurland was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1961 as a player.
He worked for Phillips Petroleum and became an insurance salesman after his basketball days.
