20 Facts About Jim Pollard

1.

James Clifford Pollard was an American professional basketball player and coach.

2.

Jim Pollard was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978.

3.

Jim Pollard has been inducted into the Bay Area Hall of Fame, Stanford Hall of Fame, and Pac-12 Hall of Honor.

4.

Jim Pollard attended Oakland Technical High School in his hometown of Oakland, California.

5.

Jim Pollard averaged 19.8 points per game in his senior year, setting a school record.

6.

Jim Pollard was recruited to Stanford University by former Stanford star and future Hall of Famer, Hank Luisetti.

7.

Jim Pollard played for the Stanford Indians for two seasons, under head coach Everett Dean.

8.

At Stanford, Jim Pollard joined the Sigma Rho chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.

9.

Jim Pollard went on to graduate from the University of Minnesota in 1954.

10.

Jim Pollard led the AAU in scoring and earned Most Valuable Player honors both years.

11.

Jim Pollard's teams were runners-up in the national AAU tournament both seasons.

12.

Jim Pollard played amateur baseball for Jordan, Minnesota's Town Team baseball club, during his NBA career.

13.

Jim Pollard began his professional basketball career in 1947 after signing with the Minneapolis Lakers while the team was a part of the National Basketball League.

14.

Jim Pollard was a four-time NBA All-Star, and was named to the All-NBA First Team in 1949 and 1950, and Second Team in 1952 and 1954.

15.

Jim Pollard was renowned for his tremendous leaping ability, and subsequently earned the nickname "The Kangaroo Kid".

16.

Jim Pollard was known for his corner jumpshot, and was a respected player and teammate.

17.

Jim Pollard retired from playing basketball after eight seasons, and finished with career averages of 13.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.

18.

Jim Pollard immediately moved into coaching after retiring, taking the head coach position at La Salle University for the Explorers men's basketball team in 1955.

19.

Jim Pollard moved to the American Basketball Association for the league's inaugural season in 1967, and coached the Minnesota Muskies, which relocated to Miami and became the Miami Floridians the following season.

20.

Jim Pollard spent his final years of coaching at Florida Atlantic University with the Owls men's basketball team, which he coached for two seasons.