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Paul Ruffner

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Paul Ruffner
Personal information
Born(1948-10-15)October 15, 1948
Downey, California, U.S.
DiedJune 17, 2022(2022-06-17) (aged 73)
Provo, Utah, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High schoolWarren (Downey, California)
College
NBA draft1970: 2nd round, 28th overall pick
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Playing career1970–1975
PositionPower forward / center
Number44, 15, 22
Career history
1970–1971Chicago Bulls
1971–1972Pittsburgh Condors
1973–1975Buffalo Braves
1975Spirits of St. Louis
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Paul Ruffner (October 15, 1948 – June 17, 2022) was an American basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Ruffner was born on in Downey, California. He played basketball at Earl Warren High School in Downey, California.[1]

A 6'10" center, Ruffner played college basketball for Cerritos College and then for Brigham Young University. He was selected for the Junior College Olympic Trials basketball team in 1968. The Chicago Bulls selected Ruffner in the second round of the 1970 NBA draft and the Virginia Squires selected him in the 1970 ABA draft. Ruffner signed with the Bulls.[2]

Ruffner played his rookie season, 1970–71, with the Bulls. Ruffner played for the Pittsburgh Condors of the ABA in the next season. After a year out of both leagues, Ruffner played during the 1973–74 and 1974–75 seasons for the NBA's Buffalo Braves. Ruffner then landed with the Baltimore Claws but the team folded after a few preseason exhibition games. Ruffner concluded his professional career in the final season before the ABA–NBA merger by appearing in two games for the Spirits of St. Louis during the 1975–76 campaign.[3]

Paul married Lael Bower in 1970 and they had 6 children. Shannon, Bryon, Kellene, Brett, Erin and Brad.

At the conclusion of his basketball career, Ruffner and his family made Provo, Utah their permanent home. He became a successful as a property owner and manager of student housing in Provo. He continued to share his knowledge and expertise of the game through color commentary on KSL Radio which he did for 21 years.

Ruffner died at home on June 17, 2022, after a short battle with leukemia.

Career statistics

[edit]
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA/ABA

[edit]

Source[4]

Regular season

[edit]
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1970–71 Chicago (NBA) 10 0 6.0 .429 .500 1.6 .2 3.4
1971–72 Pittsburgh (ABA) 79 13.4 .478 – .730 4.3 .7 5.7
1973–74 Buffalo (NBA) 20 2.6 .407 .615 .6 .0 .1 .1 1.5
1974–75 Buffalo (NBA) 22 4.7 .468 .200 1.0 .3 .1 .1 2.0
1975–76 St. Louis (ABA) 2 2.5 .667 – – 1.5 .0 .0 .0 2.0
Career (NBA) 52 0 4.1 .440 .500 .9 .2 .1 .1 2.1
Career (ABA) 81 13.1 .479 – .730 4.2 .6 .0 .0 5.6
Career (overall) 133 0 9.6 .471 – .688 3.0 .5 .1 .1 4.2

Playoffs

[edit]
Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1971 Chicago 1 3.0 .000 – 2.0 .0 .0
1975 Buffalo 1 4.0 .000 – 2.0 .0 .0 .0 .0
Career 2 3.5 .000 – 2.0 .0 .0 .0 .0

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "BasketballReference.com Paul Ruffner page". Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved December 26, 2008.
  2. ^ "BasketballReference.com Paul Ruffner page". Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved December 26, 2008.
  3. ^ "BasketballReference.com Paul Ruffner page". Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved December 26, 2008.
  4. ^ "Paul Ruffner NBA & ABA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
[edit]
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