Joseph Wayne Ruklick was an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia Warriors of the National Basketball Association.
15 Facts About Joe Ruklick
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Joe Ruklick played college basketball for the Northwestern Wildcats and was an All-American in 1959.
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Joe Ruklick was selected by Philadelphia in the second round of the 1959 NBA draft.
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Joe Ruklick was known for passing the ball for the assist on Warriors teammate Wilt Chamberlain's final score en route to his NBA record 100-point game.
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Joe Ruklick was born in Chicago, but he moved to an orphanage in Princeton, Illinois, after his mother was diagnosed with tuberculosis when he was 11.
6.
Joe Ruklick attended Princeton High School, leading the team to consecutive state tournaments in 1954 and 1955.
7.
Joe Ruklick played three seasons with the Wildcats, leading the team in both scoring and rebounds each year.
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Wilt Chamberlain 8.
Joe Ruklick finished with career averages of 19.9 points and 13.2 rebounds per game.
9.
Joe Ruklick guarded Wilt Chamberlain in his first collegiate game with Kansas in 1956.
10.
Joe Ruklick countered with 22 points but fouled out with 9:30 remaining in the game.
11.
Joe Ruklick was selected by the Philadelphia Warriors in the second round of the 1959 NBA draft with the ninth overall pick.
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Joe Ruklick received a graduate degree from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism at the age of 50.
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Joe Ruklick worked at newspapers including The Galesburg Register-Mail and later The Chicago Defender, where he was the only white among the African-American newspaper's 22-person editorial staff.
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Joe Ruklick lived in Evanston, and frequently attended Northwestern games while reporting for the Aurora Voice.
15.
Joe Ruklick died of natural causes at 82 on September 17,2020.