Joe Quigg is a retired American basketball player. He was a key player on the 1957 National Champion North Carolina Tar Heels

1956–57 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team

The 1956–57 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented University of North Carolina. The Head Coach was Frank McGuire. The team played its home games at Woollen Gymnasium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and was a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference...

 and a second round draft pick by 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...

 in 1958.

Quigg, a 6'9 center out of St. Francis Prep

St. Francis Preparatory School

St. Francis Preparatory School, commonly known as St. Francis Prep, is a private, independent Catholic college preparatory school in the Fresh Meadows neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. It is the largest non-diocesan Catholic high school in the United States. St. Francis is run by...

 in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, came to the University of North Carolina

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...

 through coach Frank McGuire's

Frank McGuire

Frank Joseph McGuire was an American athletic coach who gained his greatest renown in collegiate basketball....

 "underground railroad" of players from New York to Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...

. Quigg was a two-year starter at center

Center (basketball)

The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...

 in the 1955–56

1955–56 NCAA men's basketball season

-Major rule changes:Beginning in 1955–56, the following rules changes were implemented:* The free-throw lane was increased from 6 feet to 12 feet.* The two-shot penalty in the last three minutes of the game was eliminated...

 and 1956–57

1956–57 NCAA University Division men's basketball season

-Season headlines:* This was the first year where NCAA basketball was split into two levels of play – the University and College divisions.-Major rule changes:Beginning in 1956–57, the following rules changes were implemented:...

 seasons. Quigg averaged 12.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore, then 10.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game as a junior. The Tar Heels went undefeated in his junior season and won the national championship. Quigg was instrumental in the championship game

1957 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Game

The 1957 NCAA Basketball Championship Game featured Wilt Chamberlain and the Kansas Jayhawks against the undefeated North Carolina Tar Heels. The game went into triple-overtime, the only championship game to have ever done so, leading many pundits to call it one of, if not the best college...

 win, hitting the game-winning free throws and knocking a pass away from Kansas center Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt Chamberlain

Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain was an American professional NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; he also played for the Harlem Globetrotters prior to playing in the NBA...

 in the closing seconds of the triple-overtime game.

Quigg was primed for a strong senior year in 1957–58

1957–58 NCAA University Division men's basketball season

-Season headlines:* Adolph Rupp won his fourth championship as he led the Kentucky Wildcats to an 84–72 win over the Seattle Chieftains and their star, Elgin Baylor. The starting unit was nicknamed the "Fiddlin' Five," after a quip by Rupp that his team were fiddlers when he really needed violinists...

, as the Tar Heels returned a strong nucleus from their championship team. However, he was injured in a preseason scrimmage and was out the entire season with a broken leg.

Even after missing his entire senior season, the New York Knicks spent a second round pick (#11 overall) on Quigg in the 1958 NBA Draft

1958 NBA Draft

The 1958 NBA Draft was the 12th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on April 22, 1958 before the 1958–59 season. In this draft, eight NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players. In each round, the teams select in reverse order of...

. Not fully healed, Quigg did not make the team. Instead, Joe Quigg went to dental school and became a dentist

Dentist

A dentist, also known as a 'dental surgeon', is a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aides in providing oral health services...

.