August 10, 2020. "He was just too likeable of a guy," said Robin Miller, a sports journalist who went to Southport High School five years after Dampier and is a former Indianapolis Star columnist. Shoot until nightfall. Louie Dampier. It has taken way too long, but history and Louie Dampier finally are in the same building — the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame into which Dampier finally was inducted this weekend. All rights reserved. He was our guy.". And the Colonels biggest rivals were the ABA's Indiana Pacers. Louie is the … He remembers, more than anything, Dampier's release -- a lightning fast release on his shot that none could match. Either way, rivals were lost. "I was trying to get to the places he had been.". © 2020 www.indystar.com. The no-brainer, Dampier's fans thought, would be for him to play basketball at Indiana University. The. And he wasn't strong. He'd kill you with that shot, Carrier said. Carrier played with Dampier on the Colonels. "The individuals who are on the ABA committee are media and ABA people who go way back," Colangelo said. And that place Dampier made it to Saturday is a place all great basketball players want to be. Follow Dana Benbow on Twitter: @DanaBenbow. The Basketball Hall of Fame makes no representation concerning, and is not responsible for the quality, content, accessibility, nature or reliability of any hyperlinked site. High School: Southport 1963. He was a high school great who many remember for scoring the last 12 points of a sectional game in which Southport beat powerhouse George Washington. 2020 Hall of Fame banquets POSTPONED. Upon graduation from Kentucky in 1967, Dampier had scored 1,575 points, at the time third-most in school history. While all attempts are made to ensure the correctness and suitability of information under our control and to correct any errors brought to our attention, no representation or guarantee can be made as to the accessibility, correctness or suitability of information provided by any hyperlinked site or any other linked information accessed through the Basketball Hall of Fame website but not under its control. Together, Dampier and Carrier formed what has been called the most explosive backcourt duo ever to play in the ABA. And Dampier still plays basketball. He capped his career playing three years with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA. What he lacked in physical attributes, he made up for with sheer, utter heart. But I felt like my uncle had talked him into it so I went to go visit Kentucky.". Then he played nine years with the Kentucky Colonels in the American Basketball Association, finishing as the all-time leader in points, assists, games, 3-pointers and minutes. He wanted to be good. Save 90%. Inducted 1993. USA Today sports writer Adi Joseph contributed to this story. He wasn't big. And he got an offer, but Dampier was always convinced it wasn't genuine. He would shoot and shoot and shoot. There may be some who say, 'Why isn't so and so elected ahead of him?' They averaged at least 20 points per game, both three-point specialists. The Hall of Fame has more than 400 inductees and 40,000 sq. A 6-foot playmaker on Adolph Rupp's famed "Rupp's Runts" team at the University of Kentucky, Dampier averaged 21 points per game as the Wildcats raced all the way to the 1966 NCAA national championship game. Love Hoosier high school hoops history? But even then, people still looked at him as Little Louie. As for any naysayers on his election into the Hall of Fame? And so he was good. Shepherd had played at Carmel High School and Butler University, blazing a basketball career five years behind Dampier. Dampier was a seven-time ABA All-Star during his nine-year career in the American Basketball Association. He joins Australian coaching legend Lindsay Gaze (International Committee), former Boston Celtics coach Tom Heinsohn (Veterans Committee, previously in as a player), pre-NBA great John Isaacs (Early African American Pioneers Committee) and retired college coach George Raveling (Contributor Direct Election Committee). He wasn't tall. The phone call isn't one a guy would want to miss, but somehow Louie Dampier missed it. People would come to watch him. "I remember him as a small, frail-looking shooting guard at Kentucky," said Hall of Fame chairman Jerry Colangelo. He went to the University of Kentucky to play college ball. He was their high school basketball star. As a Colonel, and one of only a handful of players to play all nine seasons of the ABA, "Little Louie" fired from all angles and all distances to become the league's all-time leader in points and three-point field goals. Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame museum reopens September 24. 99¢ per month. Little Louie had not only survived. Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. Inducted: 1993High School: Southport 1963College: University of Kentucky 1967. SUBSCRIBE NOW. But it was in the judgment and I trust our system.". College: UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY 1967. And on Saturday, at age 70, Dampier really made it. It was the early 1960s, basketball was king and Dampier was an icon in this town. He had made it. "Branch told me to take a look around the facility and I waited for about 20 minutes while my uncle talked to him. The Louie Dampier Book of Basketball was straightforward, concise, and fun to read. Billy Shepherd remembers being somewhat in awe as he played against Dampier in the ABA. In 1975, with Dampier feeding the ball inside to Artis Gilmore and Dan Issel, the Kentucky Colonels beat the Indiana Pacers to win the franchise's only ABA championship. Louis Dampier (born November 20, 1944) is an American retired professional basketball player. His former teammates and rivals say he is a "reluctant superstar. Dampier was the biggest sports hero ever to come out of Southport. The Louie Dampier Book of Basketball was straightforward, concise, and fun to read. Louie Dampier. "So they know the ABA. He was known as Little Louie. "My uncle Louie was a graduate of IU and took me to visit (then-coach) Branch McCracken," Dampier said in an Indianapolis Star story. He was the heart and soul of Rupp's guard-oriented attack, a deadly shooter from the corner and devastating scorer in the open floor. Southport star is 1st Indy-born player to make Hall of Fame. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level. A fourth round draft pick of the NBA's Cincinnati Royals, Dampier instead chose to sign with the Kentucky Colonels of the upstart American Basketball Association. Branch came back out and said, 'We have a scholarship here for you if you want it.' "It couldn't happen to a better human being," said Darel Carrier, who played with Dampier on the Colonels. ft. of basketball history. Dampier has career averages of 15.9 points and 4.9 assists a game (18.9 and 5.6 in the ABA) in his career from 1967 to 1979. Dampier didn't return repeated phone calls to talk about his honor. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." And Louie Dampier, 6-0, 165 pounds, ... "It couldn't happen to a better human being," said Darel Carrier, of Dampier's Hall of Fame induction. To look at Louie Dampier – 6-0 and 165 pounds -- you might wonder if he could survive on the basketball court at all. But on those long summer days in Southport, a teenage Dampier could be found at the outdoor courts, on a battered goal at a park or a school – making sure that he could survive. He was elected to the Hall of Fame by the ABA Committee. Each and every one of them, except Dampier. He knew he could be good. 1000 Hall of Fame AvenueSpringfield, Massachusetts 01105. "And Louie was the very best.". All the time, according to Miller, who stays in touch with him. University of Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp was at that game to scout another player, but after seeing Dampier, he offered him a spot at Kentucky. ", "He's very humble, unassuming," Shepherd said. "Then he goes to the ABA and had an outstanding career.". September 15, 2020. More News . SUBSCRIBE NOW. "I always looked up to him," Shepherd said. A 24 ppg scorer for Coach Blackie Braden’s 1963 county and sectional champs..set sectional scoring record for game (40) and tourney (114)…two-time class president member of Indiana All-Stars…played for Adolph Rupp at Kentucky…3-time All-Conference, All-American in 1966 and Academic All-American in 1967…reached NCAA title game in 1966 in 10 seasons with the ABA’s Kentucky Colonels, he set league all-time records for total points, 3-pointers, assists and minutes played…then played three seasons with the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs. He became the first Indianapolis-born player to make it into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Get the ball and score filled every page. Hoosiers detested the Colonels. Good beyond Southport. "We really complemented each other," Carrier said, "because you could try to guard him and then leave me open or you could try and guard me and leave him open.".

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