Joe Quigg 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. He was a key player on the 1957 National Champion North Carolina Tar Heels and a second round draft pick by 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 ...

in 1958. Quigg stood 6 feet 9 inches tall and played the

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

position at St. Francis Prep in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He came to the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

through coach Frank McGuire's "underground railroad" of players from New York to Chapel Hill along with the likes of

Pete Brennan Peter Joseph Brennan (September 23, 1936 – June 8, 2012) was an American basketball player. He played one season in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the New York Knicks. Early life Brennan was born in Brooklyn, New York. ...

Tommy Kearns Thomas Francis Kearns Jr. (born October 6, 1936) is an American former professional basketball player. Born in New York City, he played collegiately for the University of North Carolina, where he played an integral role on the 1957 National Cha ...

, Danny Lotz, and

Lennie Rosenbluth Leonard Robert Rosenbluth (January 22, 1933 – June 18, 2022) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA), but he is remembered, first and foremost, for his college basketball player days. He play ...

. Quigg was a two-year starter; for the 1955–56 and 1956–57 seasons. Quigg averaged 12.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore, then 10.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game as a junior. The Tar Heels went undefeated in his junior season and won the national championship. Quigg was instrumental in the

championship game A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional/provincial/state, national, continental and world championships, and ...

win, one of the greatest games in history. Quigg made the game-winning free throws and knocked down a pass to 7 feet 1 inch tall

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

center

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain ( ; August21, 1936 – October12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player. Standing tall, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 seasons. He was enshrin ...

in the closing seconds of the 54–53, triple-overtime win. Quigg was primed for a strong senior year in 1957–58, as the Tar Heels returned a strong nucleus from their championship team. However, he was injured in a preseason scrimmage and was out the entire season with a broken leg. Even after missing his entire senior season, the New York Knicks spent a second round pick (#11 overall) on Quigg in the 1958 NBA draft. Not fully healed, Quigg did not make the team. Instead, Joe Quigg went to dental school and became a

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental doctor, dental physician, dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry, the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. The dentist's supporting team aids in provi ...

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Date of birth unknown Living people American men's basketball players Centers (basketball) New York Knicks draft picks North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players Basketball players from Brooklyn 20th-century American sportsmen {{1930s-US-basketball-bio-stub