David "Corky" Calhoun (born November 1, 1950) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. Calhoun played in the NBA from 1972–1980 after a collegiate career at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universit ...

. Calhoun was the 1st round selection (4th overall) of the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Pacific Division (NBA), P ...

in the 1972 NBA draft. He won an NBA Championship as a member of the 1976–1977

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

Basketball career

College career

Calhoun played college basketball for the University of Pennsylvania. In 84 games for the

Penn Quakers The Penn Quakers are the athletic teams of the University of Pennsylvania. The school sponsors 33 varsity sports. The school has won three NCAA national championships in men's fencing and one in women's fencing. School colors There are sev ...

of the

Ivy League The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight schoo ...

, Calhoun averaged 12.7 points and 8.1 rebounds playing under Coach

Chuck Daly Charles Jerome Daly (July 20, 1930 – May 9, 2009) was an American basketball head coach. He led the Detroit Pistons to two consecutive National Basketball Association (NBA) championships in 1989 and 1990—during the team's "Bad Boys" era— ...

. As a senior, Calhoun led Penn to the East Regional Final of the NCAA tournament and a 25–3 record.

NBA career

Calhoun was selected by the

in the 1972 NBA draft with the 4th overall pick and by the

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 ...

in the 1972

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, leading to four A ...

draft. Calhoun played for the

for 3 years before being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. He joined the

as a free agent in 1976, and was a member of their championship team that year. After two seasons with the Blazers, Calhoun was traded to the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first est ...

where he was released in the middle of the 1980 season.

Personal life

Calhoun considered playing in France after the NBA, but ultimately took a job offer from Mobil Oil Corporation (now

Exxon Mobil ExxonMobil Corporation (commonly shortened to Exxon) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is the largest direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, and was formed on November 30 ...

) where he worked as U.S. fuels marketing coordinator.The 1976–77 NBA champion Portland Trail Blazers: 30 years later
Oregonlive.com, June 4, 2007

References

* ;Notes 1950 births Living people African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Illinois Indiana Pacers players Kentucky Colonels draft picks Los Angeles Lakers players Penn Quakers men's basketball players Phoenix Suns draft picks Phoenix Suns players Portland Trail Blazers players Small forwards Sportspeople from Waukegan, Illinois 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople {{1950s-US-basketball-bio-stub