Louie Dampier
(Born 1944)
Hall of Fame Induction: 2015
Card Shown:
2007-08 Upper Deck
Chronology Canvas
Position: PG
Height: 6’0″
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Louie Dampier was a top-scoring guard who helped lead the Kentucky Wildcats to the NCAA championship game and later helped bring an ABA Championship to the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA. Dampier was also a playmaker who finished 4th in career assists per game in the ABA with 5.5. He was also one of the first volume three-point shooters in the ABA. Louie finished his twelve-year professional basketball career playing for the San Antonio Spurs.
Awards and Honors
- Louie was a two-time All America selection at Kentucky in 1965-66 (First Team) and in 1966-67 (Second Team). In 1966, Dampier teamed with Pat Riley to lead the Wildcats to the NCAA championship game where they lost to Texas Western College 72-65. That final game has been immortalized in the movie Glory Road.
- Louie was named to the ABA All-Rookie First Team in 1967-68 and was named to the All-ABA Second Team that same year. He made the All-ABA Second Team three more times during his playing career.
- Dampier was a seven-time ABA All-Star during his nine-year career in the American Basketball Association.
- In 1975, Dampier teamed with Hall of Fame players Artis Gilmore and Dan Issel to lead the Kentucky Colonels to the ABA Championship.
- Louie is the ABA’s all-time leading scorer with 13,726 points. Second through fifth place on the list are occupied by Dan Issel, Ron Boone, Mel Daniels, and Julius Erving. Dampier also has ABA all-time career marks in assists (4,044), games played (728), three-pointers (794), and minutes played (27,770).
Points of Interest
- “Rupp’s Runts,” coached by the legendary Adolph Rupp, were an undersized team that far exceeded expectations in advancing to the NCAA championship game in 1966. Their tallest starting player, at 6’5″ tall, was Tommy Kron.
- After he completed his college career at Kentucky, Louie was drafted by the Cincinnati Royals in the fourth round (38th overall pick) of the 1967 NBA Draft. However, Dampier decided to stay in Kentucky and play in the ABA for the Kentucky Colonels instead. Louie played in the ABA for its entire nine-year existence before finishing his career in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs.
- Louie finished his ABA career with averages of 18.9 points, 5.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game. His total career averages (ABA and NBA) were 15.9 ppg, 4.9 apg, and 2.6 rpg.
- In 1992, Louie had his number 10 jersey retired by the University of Kentucky. In 1993 he was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, where he played high school basketball.
- Dampier missed the official call from the Hall of Fame in Springfield, which was to announce his upcoming induction, because he was vacuuming. His son saw the announcement online and ended up texting Louie’s wife with the news. Many believed that his enshrinement was long overdue.
Statistics
Louie Dampier Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference