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Ramón Ramos

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Ramon Ramos
Personal information
Born (1967-11-02) November 2, 1967 (age 56)
Canóvanas, Puerto Rico
NationalityPuerto Rican
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight231 lb (105 kg)
Career information
CollegeSeton Hall (1985–1989)
NBA draft1989: undrafted
PositionPower forward / Center
Career history
1983–1989Indios de Canóvanas
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Puerto Rico
Pan American Games
Bronze medal – third place Indianapolis 1987 National team
Tournament of the Americas
Silver medal – second place Montevideo 1988 National team
Gold medal – first place Mexico City 1989 National team

Ramón Luis Ramos Manso (born November 20, 1967) is a Puerto Rican former basketball player. He began his career in the early 1980s with Indios de Canóvanas, then played college basketball at Seton Hall University. Ramos was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association in 1989, but would never play an NBA game after suffering severe injuries in a car crash.

Career in Puerto Rico

Born in the Puerto Rican municipality of Canóvanas, Ramos attended Catholic all-boys school Colegio San José, and played basketball and baseball.[1] He began his basketball career in 1983 as a reserve center on now-defunct hometown team Indios de Canóvanas.[2] In 1987, Ramos played on the national under-21 team that won the gold medal at the Centrobasket Under 21 competition after defeating Cuba 94-78 in Caguas. He played for Puerto Rico at the 1988 Summer Olympics.[3]

College and NBA career

In 1985, Ramos relocated to the United States to attend Seton Hall University and played for the Pirates in the Big East Conference for all four years. He was selected to the All-Big East First Team and awarded the Big East's Scholar athlete during the 1988-89 season and was namedto the Big East All-Tournament First Team during the 1988 and 1989 NCAA tournaments. In his senior year, he averaged 11.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game as Seton Hall reached their first and only Final Four in 1989, and progressed to the championship game. Ramos finished with nine points and five rebounds as the Pirates lost to the Michigan Wolverines 80-79 in overtime.

Ramos went undrafted in the 1989 NBA draft, and signed as a free agent during the 1989-90 preseason with the Portland Trail Blazers to fill a roster spot vacated by the waived Robert Reid.[4] However, Ramos would never play an NBA game after starting the season on the injured list due to tendinitis in his knee, not leaving the bench for the next five games following his clearance to resume playing on December 5,[1] and then having his career cut short eleven days later in a car crash.

Accident

On December 16, 1989, after a home game against the Golden State Warriors, Ramos lost control of the car he was driving on Portland's Interstate 5 after hitting a patch of ice, causing him to cross the center median and flip several times.[4][5] Ramos, who was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from the vehicle,[4] suffered brain damage and remained in a coma for three months.[6] Though alcohol was not a factor, Ramos had been speeding prior to the crash.[4] The Blazers kept his locker space intact, complete with his game uniform, for the remainder of the 1989-90 season and several seasons to follow. He was paralyzed from the waist down for a year after the crash, while his speech was severely affected.[7]

During the summer of 1991, more than 20,000 fans turned out to help the Trail Blazers raise $130,000 for a trust fund in Ramos' name at Slam ‘N Jam, an outdoor basketball and music event in what is now Providence Park.[8] Players from throughout the NBA came to play in the benefit game. Ramos and his parents were special guests and drew a long, standing ovation when they were introduced.

Ramos has difficulty walking and doing everyday things, and he requires constant supervision by his parents. His story has been shown several times on Puerto Rican and American television.

Ramos was inducted into the Seton Hall University Athletics Hall of Fame in February 2006. This marked Ramos' first return to New Jersey since his graduation.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Martinez, Michael (February 11, 1990). "Recovery, Not Basketball, Is Ramon Ramos' Goal Now". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  2. ^ http://www.bsnpr.com/jugadores/jugador.asp?id=1926&e=
  3. ^ http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ra/ramon-ramos-1.html
  4. ^ a b c d Associated Press (December 17, 1989). "Ramos Suffers Brain Damage in Car Crash". latimes.com. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  5. ^ http://www.beyondthebeat.net/20090831333/2009-articles/august/covering-ramon-ramos.html
  6. ^ Periodico El Mundo 5/8/90 pg 57 "Ramos: Ganando la Batalla"
  7. ^ Smith, Claire (November 13, 1994). "Ramon Ramos, No Longer as the Rookie or the Shattered, Angry Man". nytimes.com. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  8. ^ Sexton, Joe (December 26, 1992). "When the Bitter Slowly Surrenders to the Sweet". nytimes.com. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  9. ^ Bridgewater Courier-News Article on HOF Induction
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