.jpg)
Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Guy Rodgers
Guy William Rodgers Jr. (September 1, 1935 – February 19, 2001) was an American professional basketball player born in Philadelphia. He spent twelve years (1958–1970) in the NBA, and was one of the league's best playmakers in the early to mid-1960s. Rodgers led the NBA in assists twice, and placed second six times. Rodgers was inducted into Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014.
Rodgers was born on September 1, 1935, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Northeast High School in Philadelphia, graduating in 1954. He played on the school's basketball team, under coach Ike Wooley, who had played at Temple University in the late 1920s with Harry Litwack. Rodgers played center in high school. He averaged nearly 35 points a game as a senior. Rodgers was also known as an excellent ball-handler. As a high school senior, he was named Philadelphia's Player of the Year (over sophomore Wilt Chamberlain).
In 1953, Rodgers's Northeast team lost to Chamberlain's Overbrook High School in the 1953 Philadelphia Public League championship game. Chamberlain scored 34 points, and Rodgers scored 26 in an excellent all-around performance in playmaking and defense as well as scoring. All of Northeast's starting five players fouled out of the game trying to defend Chamberlain.
Rodgers thought about attending Seton Hall University and playing under coach Honey Russell, but his mother had died and coach Wooley believed it would be better for Rodgers, his father and sister for Rodgers to stay in Philadelphia. Rodgers took the advice and remained in Philadelphia, playing collegiately for Temple University's varsity basketball team from 1955 to 1958 under Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame coach Harry Litwack. (Freshmen could not play on the varsity at the time.) Rodgers admired Litwack's qualities as a human being, and Litwack had a great impact on his life; including applying Litwack's business advice to his life after Rodgers's basketball career ended.
Rodgers was only 6 ft (1.83 m), but he was very strong, including in his legs. He came into Temple with excellent dribbling, passing and playmaking skills, with which Litwack did not tamper. Litwack saw Rodgers's only weakness as the lack of an outside shot. During Rodgers's sophomore season (1955-56), he teamed in the backcourt with fellow Philadelphian, senior Hal Lear (who had attended Overbrook High School like Chamberlain, and had played with Rodgers on Philadelphia's public basketball courts).
Lear averaged 24 points per game, and Rodgers 18.5 points per game. The Lear-Rodgers backcourt is considered among the best, or the best, in Philadelphia college basketball history. Philadelphia basketball figure Sonny Hill had stated they should be considered among the greatest in all of college basketball. College basketball coach and commentator Dick Vitale described the pair as magical together.
Over his three years, Rodgers led Temple to a 74–16 record and third-place finishes in the 1956 NCAA basketball tournament, 1957 National Invitation Tournament and the 1958 NCAA basketball tournament. He was named to the 1958 All-Tournament Team. In the 1958 tournament, Temple lost to eventual champion Kentucky, 61–60, in a final four game played in Louisville, Kentucky. Just two seasons earlier, Rodgers and Lear's Temple team had shocked Kentucky by defeating Kentucky in its home opener, while being subjected to racial taunts over Temple's black and white players sharing the same water and towels. Rodgers believed that Temple would have won the 1958 game had it been played anywhere else. Temple was ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press's (AP) final poll in 1958.
Rodgers averaged 20.4 points, 6.4 assists and 7 rebounds a game as a junior (1956-57), and 20.1 points, 5.2 assists and 6.6 rebounds as a senior (1957-58). He became the school's leading career scorer with 1,767 points (19.6 points per game). Rodgers remains the third leading scorer in Temple history (through the 2024-25 season). He was one of the first players to pass off the dribble. He was known for rarely making a turnover. Playing with Rodgers, Lear observed Rodgers's rare ability to run and dribble, see the whole court, and pass.
Hub AI
Guy Rodgers AI simulator
(@Guy Rodgers_simulator)
Guy Rodgers
Guy William Rodgers Jr. (September 1, 1935 – February 19, 2001) was an American professional basketball player born in Philadelphia. He spent twelve years (1958–1970) in the NBA, and was one of the league's best playmakers in the early to mid-1960s. Rodgers led the NBA in assists twice, and placed second six times. Rodgers was inducted into Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014.
Rodgers was born on September 1, 1935, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Northeast High School in Philadelphia, graduating in 1954. He played on the school's basketball team, under coach Ike Wooley, who had played at Temple University in the late 1920s with Harry Litwack. Rodgers played center in high school. He averaged nearly 35 points a game as a senior. Rodgers was also known as an excellent ball-handler. As a high school senior, he was named Philadelphia's Player of the Year (over sophomore Wilt Chamberlain).
In 1953, Rodgers's Northeast team lost to Chamberlain's Overbrook High School in the 1953 Philadelphia Public League championship game. Chamberlain scored 34 points, and Rodgers scored 26 in an excellent all-around performance in playmaking and defense as well as scoring. All of Northeast's starting five players fouled out of the game trying to defend Chamberlain.
Rodgers thought about attending Seton Hall University and playing under coach Honey Russell, but his mother had died and coach Wooley believed it would be better for Rodgers, his father and sister for Rodgers to stay in Philadelphia. Rodgers took the advice and remained in Philadelphia, playing collegiately for Temple University's varsity basketball team from 1955 to 1958 under Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame coach Harry Litwack. (Freshmen could not play on the varsity at the time.) Rodgers admired Litwack's qualities as a human being, and Litwack had a great impact on his life; including applying Litwack's business advice to his life after Rodgers's basketball career ended.
Rodgers was only 6 ft (1.83 m), but he was very strong, including in his legs. He came into Temple with excellent dribbling, passing and playmaking skills, with which Litwack did not tamper. Litwack saw Rodgers's only weakness as the lack of an outside shot. During Rodgers's sophomore season (1955-56), he teamed in the backcourt with fellow Philadelphian, senior Hal Lear (who had attended Overbrook High School like Chamberlain, and had played with Rodgers on Philadelphia's public basketball courts).
Lear averaged 24 points per game, and Rodgers 18.5 points per game. The Lear-Rodgers backcourt is considered among the best, or the best, in Philadelphia college basketball history. Philadelphia basketball figure Sonny Hill had stated they should be considered among the greatest in all of college basketball. College basketball coach and commentator Dick Vitale described the pair as magical together.
Over his three years, Rodgers led Temple to a 74–16 record and third-place finishes in the 1956 NCAA basketball tournament, 1957 National Invitation Tournament and the 1958 NCAA basketball tournament. He was named to the 1958 All-Tournament Team. In the 1958 tournament, Temple lost to eventual champion Kentucky, 61–60, in a final four game played in Louisville, Kentucky. Just two seasons earlier, Rodgers and Lear's Temple team had shocked Kentucky by defeating Kentucky in its home opener, while being subjected to racial taunts over Temple's black and white players sharing the same water and towels. Rodgers believed that Temple would have won the 1958 game had it been played anywhere else. Temple was ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press's (AP) final poll in 1958.
Rodgers averaged 20.4 points, 6.4 assists and 7 rebounds a game as a junior (1956-57), and 20.1 points, 5.2 assists and 6.6 rebounds as a senior (1957-58). He became the school's leading career scorer with 1,767 points (19.6 points per game). Rodgers remains the third leading scorer in Temple history (through the 2024-25 season). He was one of the first players to pass off the dribble. He was known for rarely making a turnover. Playing with Rodgers, Lear observed Rodgers's rare ability to run and dribble, see the whole court, and pass.