Forgotten Jayhawks: Dave Robisch

The second installment of “Forgotten Jayhawks” features the great Dave Robisch.

An All-American and two-time Big Eight player of the year, 6-foot-10 center Dave Robisch left his mark on Kansas basketball. Robisch played from 1968-1971 under head coach Ted Owens. His number 40 jersey hangs in the rafters in Allen Fieldhouse, and for good reason.

Robisch was a key-factor on Kansas’ 1971 Final Four team, averaging 19 points and 10 rebounds per game on the season; however, his best season came the previous year where he averaged a monster 26.5 points and 12.1 rebounds per game.

During the 71’ Final Four game against the John Wooden led UCLA Bruins, Robisch hit a shot that put the Jayhawks ahead late in the game. Controversially, Robisch was called for a travel prior to the shot, and UCLA would go on to win the game and their 7th national title under Coach Wooden.

Despite never getting to the title game, Robisch deserves credit for his contributions as a prolific scorer. Robisch ranks #11 on the all-time scoring list with 1,754 points during his time as a Jayhawk. His 25.6 points per game during his junior year is also top-ten in Kansas history.

Interestingly, Robisch also played baseball while in college. He was named All-Conference in 1969 as a pitcher and even attracted some attention from pro scouts, but ultimately chose basketball.

After his final season with Kansas basketball, Robisch was drafted by the Celtics with the 44th pick in the draft, but wouldn’t play for Boston. Instead, Robisch landed with the Denver Nuggets of the ABA.

He would go on to play in the NBA after the merger, playing in both leagues for a total of 13 seasons. Robisch was never one place for too long, bouncing around seven different teams including the Lakers, Spurs, and Pacers. In his professional career, Robisch averaged 11.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.