Ernie Vandeweghe
Encyclopedia
Ernest Maurice "Ernie" Vandeweghe Jr. (born September 12, 1928 in Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
) is a physician, a United States Air Force
veteran and a retired professional basketball player. He is best known for playing for the New York Knicks
of the NBA and for the athletic successes of his family. He is the father
of former NBA All-Star (and former New Jersey Nets
coach) Kiki Vandeweghe and grandfather of tennis professional Coco Vandeweghe
. He is also the widower of 1952 Miss America
pageant winner Colleen Kay Hutchins
.
In his youth, Vandeweghe played football
, basketball
and baseball
for Oceanside High School
on Long Island
where he was also a member of the Omega Gamma Delta
Fraternity. A 6'3" guard, Vandeweghe played collegiately for the Colgate University Raiders
, where he was an All-America
n. He was drafted by the Knicks in the 1949 BAA Draft, and played in the NBA for six seasons. While playing for the Knicks, Vandeweghe also studied medicine
. After retiring from the NBA in 1956, Vandeweghe served as a physician for the Air Force; while stationed overseas in Germany
he and his wife became the parents of Kiki. In addition, he had two other children who were world-class athletes; his daughter Tauna won a U.S. national swimming championship in the backstroke
(and competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics
), and his son Bruk medalled in beach volleyball in the 1994 Goodwill Games
.
Dr. Vandeweghe has also served as chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, and served on the Olympic Sports Commission under President Gerald Ford
, where he assisted with development of two key pieces of sports legislation--Title IX
and the 1976 Amateur Athletic Act. He has also been a senior vice president with Focus Partners LLC, a New-York-based financial services firm, and a consultant with the United States Golf and Fitness Association. He occasionally provides commentary for several sports publications.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) is a physician, a United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
veteran and a retired professional basketball player. He is best known for playing for the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
of the NBA and for the athletic successes of his family. He is the father
Father
A father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...
of former NBA All-Star (and former New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
coach) Kiki Vandeweghe and grandfather of tennis professional Coco Vandeweghe
Coco Vandeweghe
Coco Vandeweghe is an American professional tennis player. She played on the junior circuit, where she reached a high ranking of junior world no. 15, but is gradually playing more senior tournaments. She won the 2008 US Open Girls' singles championship.She made her WTA debut in Los Angeles, and...
. He is also the widower of 1952 Miss America
Miss America
The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
pageant winner Colleen Kay Hutchins
Colleen Kay Hutchins
Colleen Kay Hutchins , a native of Salt Lake City, Utah was crowned as Brigham Young University Homecoming Queen in 1947...
.
In his youth, Vandeweghe played football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
for Oceanside High School
Oceanside High School
-Campus:Oceanside High School rests between the beach and Interstate 5. The remodeled campus includes many palm trees and new sport fields. There is a three-story Science & technology building and Senior Hall...
on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
where he was also a member of the Omega Gamma Delta
Omega Gamma Delta
Omega Gamma Delta is an American fraternity. It was created June 22, 1902 by Percy & Arthur Edrop and Walter Dohm in Brooklyn, New York.- External links :* * *...
Fraternity. A 6'3" guard, Vandeweghe played collegiately for the Colgate University Raiders
Colgate Raiders men's basketball
The Colgate Raiders men's basketball team represents Colgate University in Hamilton, New York in NCAA Division I competition. The school's team competes in the Patriot League and play their home games in Cotterell Court.-NCAA Tournament Results:...
, where he was an All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n. He was drafted by the Knicks in the 1949 BAA Draft, and played in the NBA for six seasons. While playing for the Knicks, Vandeweghe also studied medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
. After retiring from the NBA in 1956, Vandeweghe served as a physician for the Air Force; while stationed overseas in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
he and his wife became the parents of Kiki. In addition, he had two other children who were world-class athletes; his daughter Tauna won a U.S. national swimming championship in the backstroke
Backstroke
The backstroke, also sometimes called the back crawl, is one of the four swimming styles regulated by FINA, and the only regulated style swum on the back. This has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disadvantage of swimmers not being able to see where they are going. It is also the only...
(and competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
), and his son Bruk medalled in beach volleyball in the 1994 Goodwill Games
Goodwill Games
The Goodwill Games was an international sports competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s...
.
Dr. Vandeweghe has also served as chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, and served on the Olympic Sports Commission under President Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
, where he assisted with development of two key pieces of sports legislation--Title IX
Title IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a United States law, enacted on June 23, 1972, that amended Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2002 it was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, in honor of its principal author Congresswoman Mink, but is most...
and the 1976 Amateur Athletic Act. He has also been a senior vice president with Focus Partners LLC, a New-York-based financial services firm, and a consultant with the United States Golf and Fitness Association. He occasionally provides commentary for several sports publications.