Adolphus Pulliam (born March 14, 1946) is an American former

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 television sportscaster. He played collegiately at

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The University offers over 140 undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, education, Legal education, law, and pharmacy. Drake U ...

. He was named to Drake University's All-Century basketball team. He helped lead the Drake men's basketball team to the 1969 Final Four and a third-place finish. On 7 February 2009, Drake University retired Pulliam's #5 jersey that he wore for the Bulldogs. In 2019 he was inducted into the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame. Pulliam was born in

West Point, Mississippi West Point is a city in Clay County, Mississippi, Clay County, Mississippi, United States, in the Golden Triangle (Mississippi), Golden Triangle region of the state. The population was 10,105 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is t ...

and grew up in

Gary, Indiana Gary ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 69,093 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it Indiana's List of municipalities in Indiana, eleventh-most populous city. The city has been historical ...

. He had eight siblings, and at age 6 Dolph, his mother and siblings left Dolph's father. As a child he picked cotton in Oran, Missouri. His mother died on 24 October 1952, and while her death was officially ruled to be accidental carbon monoxide poisoning in a vehicle, Dolph was never satisfied by that conclusion. He was raised by his aunt and uncle after the death of his mother. Pulliam attended

with a four-year athletic scholarship, and graduated with a B.A. in Speech, and a minor in Radio/TV Broadcasting. He served as color analyst alongside Larry Cotlar on KRNT radio, the home of Drake Bulldogs basketball, and as director of Community Outreach and Development at Drake University. He was drafted by the Boston Celtics in the 6th round (80th overall) of the 1969 NBA draft. He was also drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Draft. Pulliam decided to take a job at Drake instead of becoming a professional athlete. He was the first African-American television broadcaster in the state of Iowa when he joined KRNT (later KCCI) television as a sportscaster. Pulliam retired from Drake University effective May 31, 2013, where he had worked in marketing.

References

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20090209055110/http://www.midmajority.com/2008/02/the-midmajority-interview-dolp.php *https://web.archive.org/web/20080215235635/http://www.blackiowa.org/exhibits/moments/dolph_pulliam.html *http://www.serveouryouth.org/publications/newsletter_03-2006.pdf {{DEFAULTSORT:Pulliam, Dolph 1946 births Living people Basketball players from Mississippi Boston Celtics draft picks Drake Bulldogs men's basketball players Sportspeople from West Point, Mississippi American men's basketball players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen