Bobby Wanzer in Perspective
Enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame, located at Springfield, Massachusetts in 1987
1. The combined record of the two SHU teams that Bobby Wanzer played for was 40-5.
2. Bobby does not show up on SHU's list of 500+ point scorers because he lost three seasons and one or two years of varsity eligibility in service to his country as a member of the United States Marine Corps. The SHU Media Guide credits him with an 8.8 ppg average for the (1942-43) season (projects to a maximum of 158 points). The SHU Media Guide also shows a 11.6 ppg average for Wanzer during the (1946-47) season [projecting a season total of 313 points and an SHU career total of 471 points].
3. Given his NBA FTM percentage records, Bobby Wanzer is most likely among the career leaders for Seton Hall in Free Throw shooting percentage. Unfortunately, however, the SHU Media Guide has no FT percentage records for seasons prior to the 1950s decade.
4. NBA records show that Wanzer made 80.3% of his free throws in 607 regular season games........87.4% of his free throws in 49 NBA Playoff games................and 85.7% of his free throws in 5 NBA All-Star games. He was also the first player in NBA history to shoot better than 90% (377/417 = 90.4%) from the line throughout a full, regular season.
5. After leaving the Hall, Bobby Wanzer joined the Rochester Royals of the NBL and Rochester went on to win the NBL title in Wanzer's (1947-48) rookie season. Before the next (1948-49) season began, the NBL was absorbed by the BBAA and that combined league was renamed to be the same National Basketball Association ("NBA") we are familiar with today.
6. In Rochester's inaugural (1948-49) NBA season, Wanzer led the Royals with 82.3% free throw shooting (3rd in the league, overall). Bobby was 6th in the NBA in shooting percentage from the field and 10th in the NBA in assists. The Royals finished first in the NBA's Western Conference regular season standings but lost to the (then Minneapolis) Lakers in the semifinal playoff round.
7. During the next (1949-50) season, Wanzer paced the Royals in FG% (41.4% = 3rd in the NBA overall); FTA and FTM. His 80.6% FT% ranked him 10th in the NBA for that year. Despite the fact that the (1949-1950) Royals set an all-time NBA home winning percentage record of .971 (33-1), they only finished tied for 1st place with the Lakers and lost a divisional tie breaker game to the Lakers before losing in the first round of the NBA playoffs to the (then Fort Wayne) Pistons.
8. Bobby Wanzer's (1950-51) Rochester Royals were the NBA Champions !
Wanzer led this (1950-51) NBA Champion team in FT% and was 2nd in the entire league; making 85% of his free throws. He also shot better than 40% from the field for the second time in what would become three consecutive seasons of 40%+ accuracy........in an era when 30% was closer to the norm than 40%. The Royals defeated the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals that season; 4 games to 3.
9. For the NBA's (1951-52) season, the Royals finished 1st in the Western Division for the regular season but fell to the Lakers in the divisional final playoff round. Wanzer was named a member of the All-NBA's Second Team [recognizing him as one of the league's top ten players] and he played for the Western Division in the league's All-Star game at Boston that season. Bobby became the first player in NBA history to surpass 90% accuracy in free throw shooting; leading both the Royals and the entire league with his 90.4% figure. His shooting percentage from the field (42.5%) was 4th best for the entire NBA; Bobby's 15.7 ppg scoring average was 8th best in the NBA and his 262 assists ranked him as 7th in that category.
10. Bobby Wanzer was once again an NBA All-Star (for the winning West Division team) and a Second Team All-NBA honoree for the 1952-53 season. The Royals did make the playoffs again but lost in the 1st round. Wanzer led the Royals in FTA and FTM and he made the NBA's "Top Ten" statistical rankings for scoring (9th), assists (10th) and Free Throw accuracy (10th @ 81.2%).
11. For the third consecutive season, Bobby Wanzer achieved Second Team All-NBA status in (1953-54) and played in the NBA's All-Star game (where he scored 12 points and passed off 6 assists) .
Bobby led the Royals in FGM, FTM and scoring, as he finished 10th in the entire NBA for ppg in (1953-54). Once again, the Lakers won the NBA Championship, knocking out Wanzer's Royals in the Western Division final playoff round.
12. During the (1954-55) season, Wanzer qualified for and played in his fourth consecutive NBA All-Star game but he was not named to any "All-NBA" team. Nevertheless, he still paced the Royals in scoring, assists and FTM, as the team made the league playoffs for the 8th year in a row. However, they were defeated in the first round of those (1954-55) playoffs.
13. Bobby Wanzer served in a dual role as player/head coach of the Rochester Royals for the (1955-56) season. He still played in every single regular season game and made the All-Star game roster for a fifth time, where he scored 13 points for the victorious West squad. As a player, he still maintained a "double-figures" ppg average and as a coach, he mentored rookie SHU product Richie Regan.
14. Bobby Wanzer completed his career as an active NBA player with the (1956-57) season, when he was still making his free throws at a rate of better than 78% that season. He continued as the Royals coach throughout this, their final season in Rochester. For his entire NBA career, Bobby Wanzer averaged 12.2 ppg; 3.2 apg 4.5 rpg and made 80.3% of his free throws, as well as 39.3% of his shots from the field.
15. Before the (1957-58) season, the Royals franchise relocated to Cincinnati and it eventually evolved to become today's Sacramento Kings. In addition to Richie Regan, Bobby Wanzer also coached Cincinnati Royals stars such as Maurice Stokes, Jack Twyman and Wayne Embry.
Bob Ley @BobLeyESPN