George Wilson, the only University of Cincinnati Bearcat to win a national basketball championship and an Olympic gold medal died Saturday, July 29, 2023, according to the UC athletics department.
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Born on May 9, 1942, Wilson Wilson starred at Marshall High School in Chicago, Illinois, and led the Commandos to four straight appearances in the Chicago Public League. He was influential as they won Illinois state championships in 1958 and 1960.
Wilson, a Chicago native, came to UC as a 1960 Parade First-Team All-American.
During his three-year varsity career, Wilson averaged 13.2 points per game. He was a two-time NCAA All-Tournament team honoree in 1962 and 1963 and graduated from UC in 1964.
Wilson was a member of the U.S. Olympic basketball team that went undefeated and won the gold medal in the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
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Wilson was then drafted by the Cincinnati Royals with their territorial selection in the 1964 NBA draft.
He spent seven seasons in the NBA, averaging 5.4 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game with the Royals, Chicago Bulls, Seattle SuperSonics (acquired via the 1967 NBA Expansion Draft), Phoenix Suns (acquired via the 1968 NBA Expansion Draft), Philadelphia 76ers, and Buffalo Braves (acquired via expansion draft prior to the 1970-71 season).
Wilson was named one of the 100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament in 2006, a group of former players and coaches honoring the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament’s 100th anniversary, and he was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
Source: abtc.ng
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