Charles E. Tyra ( ; August 16, 1935 – December 29, 2006) was an American

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 who is best known as the first Louisville Cardinal

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 ...

. He played five seasons in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA) for the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

and Chicago Packers.

Basketball career

Tyna attended Atherton High School in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

and played collegiately for the

Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...

from 1953 to 1957. Tyra was a 1957 All-American. He is still the school's leading all-time rebounder and ranks 11th on the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

career rebounds list with 1,617. He was the first and one of five to have their basketball jersey number retired by

. Tyra was the No. 2 overall pick of the 1957 NBA draft by the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

. Prior to the April 17, 1957 draft day, on April 3, 1957, the #2 pick (Tyra) was traded by the Pistons with Mel Hutchins to the

for Dick Atha, Nathaniel Clifton and Harry Gallatin. On May 16, 1961, Tyra was traded by the New York Knicks with Bob McNeill to the Chicago Packers for Dave Budd. Overall, Tyra played five seasons in the

for the New York Knicks (–) and Chicago Packers (). He played one season with the Pittsburgh Rens (1962–1963) of the American Basketball League. Tyra averaged 8.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in 348 NBA games.

Personal

Tyra died, aged 71, at the Franciscan Health Care Center in

on December 29, 2006; he had been diagnosed with congestive heart failure more than two years earlier. Tyra's son, Vince Tyra, served as athletic director at the University of Louisville from 2018 to 2021. He served as the interim athletic director after the departure of Tom Jurich and was appointed permanently to the position on March 26, 2018, before leaving on December 10, 2021.

Career statistics

NBA

Source

Regular season

Playoffs

References

External links

ESPN article reporting Tyra's death
1935 births 2006 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Atherton High School alumni Basketball players from Louisville, Kentucky Centers (basketball) Chicago Packers players Detroit Pistons draft picks Louisville Cardinals men's basketball players New York Knicks players Pittsburgh Rens players Power forwards 20th-century American sportsmen {{ULouisville-stub