Bill Closs

William Thomas Closs (January 8, 1922 – June 6, 2011) was an American basketball player. He played collegiately for Rice University. In his final year, he led the Southwest Conference in scoring and was All-American in 1943. In 1971 he was inducted into the Rice Athletic Hall of Fame, and in 2003 his basketball jersey was retired.

Bill Closs
Personal information
Born(1922-01-08)January 8, 1922
Edge, Texas
DiedJune 6, 2011(2011-06-06) (aged 89)
Palo Alto, California
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High schoolHearne (Hearne, Texas)
CollegeRice (1940–1943)
Playing career1949–1952
PositionSmall forward
Number11, 16, 14
Career history
1946–1948Indianapolis Kautskys
1948–1950Anderson Packers
1950–1951Philadelphia Warriors
1951–1952Fort Wayne Pistons
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

He joined the Marine Reserve while still at Rice, and was posted in the Fleet Marine Force Pacific Headquarters in Oahu, Hawaii in 1944.

Closs started professional basketball with Indianapolis in 1946. He played for the Anderson Packers (1948–50), Philadelphia Warriors (1950–51) and Fort Wayne Pistons (1951–52) in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 186 games. Following the conclusion of his professional basketball career, Closs enjoyed over 35 years of success in the sporting goods industry.

Closs died on June 6, 2011.[1]

References

  1. Rice Remembers Bill Tom Closs Archived 2011-07-08 at the Wayback Machine, accessed June 17, 2011


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