Robert Orville Dille (July 2, 1917 – December 10, 1998) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player and championship high school coach. Dille was an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

forward at Valparaiso, where he was a member of "The World's Tallest Team" and later coached Fort Wayne's

Northrop High School Northrop High School is a Fort Wayne Community Schools high school located in the northern suburbs of Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana, United States. Northrop is classified as 5A by the IHSAA. Northrop High School has had a sister school, the ...

to an Indiana state championship in 1974. He was inducted into the

Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame is a sports museum and hall of fame in New Castle, Indiana. While it honors men and women associated with high school, college, and professional basketball in Indiana, an emphasis is placed on the athlete's high ...

in 1989. Dille starred at

Chesterton High School Chesterton High School is a public high school serving grades 9-12 located in Chesterton, Indiana. It is the only high school in the Duneland School Corporation. History In 1833, Jesse Morgan, the area's first postmaster, opened the first edu ...

Chesterton, Indiana Chesterton is a town in Westchester Township, Porter County, Indiana, Westchester, Jackson Township, Porter County, Indiana, Jackson and Liberty Township, Porter County, Indiana, Liberty townships in Porter County, Indiana, Porter County, in the U ...

and matriculated at

Valparaiso University Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. It is an independent Lutheran university with five colleges. It enrolls nearly 2,300 students and has a campus. The university is known for its Luthe ...

as a 26-year-old with a wife and son. He played varsity basketball while working 48 hours a week at a local company in addition to his full courseload. In 1944, Dille was named Valparaiso's first nationally recognized All-American. Following his collegiate career, Dille played for the Detroit Falcons of the

Basketball Association of America The Basketball Association of America (BAA) was a professional basketball league in North America, founded in 1946. Following its third season, 1948–49, the BAA merged with the National Basketball League (United States), National Basketball Lea ...

, averaging 5.2 points per game in his lone season with the club. Dille was an assistant coach for

during the 1947–48 season, and he later coached high school basketball in his home state of

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. He coached at Valparaiso High School, Berne-French Township High School and Fort Wayne North before taking the reins at Fort Wayne Northrop in 1971. Dille coached at Northrop for seven years, winning a state championship in 1974.

BAA career statistics

Regular season

References

1917 births 1998 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Fort Wayne, Indiana Detroit Falcons (basketball) players Forwards (basketball) Hammond Ciesar All-Americans players High school basketball coaches in the United States People from Chesterton, Indiana Sportspeople from Valparaiso, Indiana Philadelphia Warriors draft picks Toronto Huskies draft picks Valparaiso Beacons men's basketball players 20th-century American sportsmen {{1910s-US-basketball-bio-stub