Louie Dampier
Encyclopedia
Louis "Louie" Dampier is a retired American professional basketball
player.
A 6-foot-tall guard, Dampier is one of only a handful of men to play all nine seasons in the American Basketball Association
(ABA) (1967-1976), all with the Kentucky Colonels
. He also was one of just two players to play all nine ABA seasons with the same team; the other was Byron Beck
of the Denver Rockets
, later renamed the Nuggets.
After the ABA-NBA merger
in 1976 Dampier also played three seasons (1976
-1979
) in the National Basketball Association
(NBA) with the San Antonio Spurs
.
and played at Southport High School
in the suburb of Southport
. He also played in an annual all-star game featuring top high-school players from Indiana and Kentucky.
, playing baseball
as well as basketball. Playing under the legendary coach Adolph Rupp
, Dampier, Tommy Kron
and Pat Riley
led the Wildcats, who fielded an all-white basketball team, to the 1966 NCAA championship
game, where they lost to Texas Western College (now the University of Texas at El Paso
), which fielded an all-black
starting lineup. This story was the center of the 2006 film Glory Road
.
During his three years at Kentucky (at the time, freshmen were ineligible to play varsity sports), Dampier was a two-time All-American and three-time All-Southeastern Conference
selection. He was also named Academic All-SEC twice and Academic All-American once. Upon graduation from Kentucky in 1967, Dampier scored 1,575 points, at the time third-most in school history behind only Cotton Nash
(1,770) and Alex Groza
(1,744).
) selected Dampier in the fourth round of the NBA Draft
and the Kentucky Colonels
selected him in the ABA draft. Dampier eventually signed with the Kentucky Colonels of the fledgling ABA and teamed with Darel Carrier
to form the most explosive backcourt duo in the league. In each of the ABA's first three seasons, both Dampier and Carrier averaged at least 20 points per game. Both were three-point field goal
specialists (the ABA had used the three-point field goal from its inception), but especially Dampier who made 500 during a three-year stretch: a record 199 during the 1968-69 season, 198 in 1969-70 and 103 in 1970-71. (The 199 stood as an ABA or NBA record, until John Starks
made 217 during the 1994–95 NBA season. Dennis Scott
broke that record a year later with 267; it now belongs to Ray Allen
who made 269 in 2005-06
.) At the conclusion of the ABA's history, Dampier made a career-record 794 3-point field goals.
He also finished first all-time in the ABA in games played (728), minutes played (27,770), points scored (13,726), and assists
(4,044). During the 1970-71 season
, he hit 57 consecutive free throw
s for what was then a pro record (ABA or NBA). Seven times, he was named an ABA All-Star. He was a unanimous choice for the ABA Top 30 team. He played on the Colonels’ 1975 ABA championship team, which featured a later University of Kentucky standout, Dan Issel
, as well as 7' 2" center Artis Gilmore
.
After the 1976 season, the ABA ceased operations with Kentucky and two other teams folding. Dampier was selected by the San Antonio Spurs (one of the four teams to join the NBA in the ABA-NBA merger
) in the 1976 ABA Dispersal Draft
. Playing mostly as a role player behind George Gervin
, Dampier averaged 6.7 points in 232 NBA games.
Dampier later served as an assistant coach with the Denver Nuggets
.
Several divisions in the new ABA
were initially named after stars of the old ABA, including Dampier. The league was later divided into the Red, White, and Blue Divisions—the colors of the balls used in both the old and new ABA. Today, the league is divided into 12 regions based geographically.
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...
player.
A 6-foot-tall guard, Dampier is one of only a handful of men to play all nine seasons in the American Basketball Association
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
(ABA) (1967-1976), all with the Kentucky Colonels
Kentucky Colonels
The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the league's history, but the team did...
. He also was one of just two players to play all nine ABA seasons with the same team; the other was Byron Beck
Byron Beck
A. Byron Beck is an American former professional basketball player.A 6'9" forward/center from the University of Denver, Beck was one of six players who participated in all nine seasons of the original American Basketball...
of the Denver Rockets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
, later renamed the Nuggets.
After the ABA-NBA merger
ABA-NBA merger
The ABA–NBA merger was the merger of the American Basketball Association with the National Basketball Association, which after multiple attempts over several years finally occurred in 1976.- Origins of ABA-NBA competition :...
in 1976 Dampier also played three seasons (1976
1976-77 NBA season
The 1976–77 NBA season was the 31st season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Portland Trail Blazers winning the NBA Championship, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...
-1979
1978-79 NBA season
The 1978–79 NBA season was the 33rd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Seattle SuperSonics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Washington Bullets 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals, a rematch of the previous year's Finals, but with the opposite...
) in the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA) with the San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
.
High school
Dampier was born in Indianapolis, IndianaIndianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
and played at Southport High School
Southport High School
Southport High School is a high school located at 971 East Banta Road in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Located in Perry Township, on the south side of the city, Southport is a part of the Metropolitan School District of Perry Township....
in the suburb of Southport
Southport, Indiana
Southport is a city in Marion County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,712 at the 2010 census. It was founded in the 19th century as a place of loading, unloading, embarkation, and debarkation by teamsters driving goods north to Indianapolis, making it a true "port", even though it is...
. He also played in an annual all-star game featuring top high-school players from Indiana and Kentucky.
University of Kentucky
Dampier was a multi-sport athlete at the University of KentuckyUniversity of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
, playing 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...
as well as basketball. Playing under the legendary coach Adolph Rupp
Adolph Rupp
Adolph Frederick Rupp was one of the most successful coaches in the history of American college basketball. Rupp is fourth in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching...
, Dampier, Tommy Kron
Tommy Kron
Thomas M. "Tommy" Kron was an American former professional basketball player. A 6-5 guard, Kron, nicknamed "Tommy," played his rookie season with the St...
and Pat Riley
Pat Riley
Patrick James "Pat" Riley is an American professional basketball executive, and a retired coach and player in the NBA. Currently, he is team president of the Miami Heat. Widely regarded as one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time, Riley has served as the head coach of five championship teams...
led the Wildcats, who fielded an all-white basketball team, to the 1966 NCAA championship
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
game, where they lost to Texas Western College (now the University of Texas at El Paso
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...
), which fielded an all-black
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
starting lineup. This story was the center of the 2006 film Glory Road
Glory Road (film)
Glory Road is an American sports film directed by James Gartner, based on a true story dealing with the events leading to the 1966 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, in which the late Don Haskins – played by Josh Lucas – head coach of the Texas Western College led a team...
.
During his three years at Kentucky (at the time, freshmen were ineligible to play varsity sports), Dampier was a two-time All-American and three-time All-Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
selection. He was also named Academic All-SEC twice and Academic All-American once. Upon graduation from Kentucky in 1967, Dampier scored 1,575 points, at the time third-most in school history behind only Cotton Nash
Cotton Nash
Charles Francis "Cotton" Nash is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and National Basketball Association forward....
(1,770) and Alex Groza
Alex Groza
Alex John Groza was an American professional basketball player from Martins Ferry, Ohio who was banned from the NBA for life in 1951 for point shaving...
(1,744).
Pro basketball
In 1967 the Cincinnati Royals (now the Sacramento KingsSacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
) selected Dampier in the fourth round of the NBA Draft
NBA Draft
The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the thirty teams from the National Basketball Association can draft players who are eligible and wish to join the league. These players are usually amateur U.S. college basketball players, but international players are also eligible to be drafted...
and the Kentucky Colonels
Kentucky Colonels
The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the league's history, but the team did...
selected him in the ABA draft. Dampier eventually signed with the Kentucky Colonels of the fledgling ABA and teamed with Darel Carrier
Darel Carrier
James Darel Carrier is a former professional basketball player. Carrier played his high school basketball at the now defunct Bristow High School. A 6'3" guard, Carrier played college basketball at Western Kentucky University. Carrier was selected in the 9th round of the 1964 NBA Draft by the...
to form the most explosive backcourt duo in the league. In each of the ABA's first three seasons, both Dampier and Carrier averaged at least 20 points per game. Both were three-point field goal
Three-point field goal
A three-point field goal is a field goal in a basketball game, made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc radiating from the basket...
specialists (the ABA had used the three-point field goal from its inception), but especially Dampier who made 500 during a three-year stretch: a record 199 during the 1968-69 season, 198 in 1969-70 and 103 in 1970-71. (The 199 stood as an ABA or NBA record, until John Starks
John Starks (basketball)
John Levell Starks is a former American professional basketball shooting guard. Starks was listed at 6'5" and 190 pounds during his NBA playing career...
made 217 during the 1994–95 NBA season. Dennis Scott
Dennis Scott (basketball)
Dennis Eugene Scott is an American former professional basketball player. A 6' 8" small forward from Georgia Tech, and the 1989–1990 ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year, Scott was selected by the Orlando Magic with the fourth pick of the 1990 NBA Draft after being the leading scorer on a...
broke that record a year later with 267; it now belongs to Ray Allen
Ray Allen
Walter Ray Allen is an American professional basketball player who is currently playing for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association. He has played professionally for the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, and the Boston Celtics; and collegiately for the University of...
who made 269 in 2005-06
2005-06 NBA season
The 2005–06 NBA season was the 60th season of the National Basketball Association. It began on November 1, 2005 and ran through April 19, 2006...
.) At the conclusion of the ABA's history, Dampier made a career-record 794 3-point field goals.
He also finished first all-time in the ABA in games played (728), minutes played (27,770), points scored (13,726), and assists
Assist (basketball)
In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist...
(4,044). During the 1970-71 season
1970-71 NBA season
The 1970–71 NBA season was the 25th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Milwaukee Bucks winning the NBA Championship, beating the Baltimore Bullets 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals.- Notable occurrences :...
, he hit 57 consecutive free throw
Free throw
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court , and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team...
s for what was then a pro record (ABA or NBA). Seven times, he was named an ABA All-Star. He was a unanimous choice for the ABA Top 30 team. He played on the Colonels’ 1975 ABA championship team, which featured a later University of Kentucky standout, Dan Issel
Dan Issel
Daniel Paul Issel is a retired American Hall of Fame professional basketball player and coach.-Collegiate playing career:...
, as well as 7' 2" center Artis Gilmore
Artis Gilmore
Artis Gilmore is a retired American Hall of Fame basketball player who played in the American Basketball Association and National Basketball Association...
.
After the 1976 season, the ABA ceased operations with Kentucky and two other teams folding. Dampier was selected by the San Antonio Spurs (one of the four teams to join the NBA in the ABA-NBA merger
ABA-NBA merger
The ABA–NBA merger was the merger of the American Basketball Association with the National Basketball Association, which after multiple attempts over several years finally occurred in 1976.- Origins of ABA-NBA competition :...
) in the 1976 ABA Dispersal Draft
1976 ABA Dispersal Draft
On August 5, 1976 as a result of the ABA–NBA merger, the NBA hosted a dispersal draft to select players from the Kentucky Colonels and Spirits of St. Louis, the two American Basketball Association franchises that were not included in the ABA–NBA merger....
. Playing mostly as a role player behind George Gervin
George Gervin
George "The Iceman" Gervin is a retired American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association and National Basketball Association for the Virginia Squires, San Antonio Spurs, and Chicago Bulls...
, Dampier averaged 6.7 points in 232 NBA games.
Dampier later served as an assistant coach with the Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
.
Several divisions in the new ABA
American Basketball Association (21st century)
The American Basketball Association, often abbreviated as ABA, is a semi-professional men's basketball league that was founded in 1999. The current ABA has no affiliation with the original American Basketball Association that merged with the National Basketball Association in 1976...
were initially named after stars of the old ABA, including Dampier. The league was later divided into the Red, White, and Blue Divisions—the colors of the balls used in both the old and new ABA. Today, the league is divided into 12 regions based geographically.