Carl Robert Boldt (October 22, 1932 – January 30, 2015) was an American college basketball player who was an integral member to the University of San Francisco's national championship team in 1955–56. A 6'5" forward, Boldt started alongside future Hall of Famers Bill Russell and K. C. Jones as the Dons won their second-consecutive national championship with an unblemished 29–0 record.[1] He scored 16 points in the 1956 national championship match against Iowa.[1]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 22, 1932 Long Beach, California |
| Died | January 30, 2015 (aged 82) Panorama City, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Verdugo Hills (Tujunga, California) |
| College | Glendale CC (1951–1953) San Francisco (1955–1957) |
| NBA draft | 1957: 7th round, 50th overall pick |
| Selected by the Detroit Pistons | |
| Position | Forward |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
College and army career
editJunior college
editBoldt graduated from Verdugo Hills High School in Tujunga, California before enrolling at Glendale Community College in the fall of 1951.[2] At Verdugo, Boldt scored 1,024 points in 63 career games.[2] He won Most Valuable Player (MVP) or was named to the all-tournament team in "most" of the tournaments he played in.[2] For a time, Boldt was the nation's leading scorer at the junior college level.[2] He earned All-America honors following his 1950–51 sophomore season.[2]
Army
editAfter graduating from Glendale, Boldt enrolled in the United States Army and was stationed at Fort Ord.[2] He spent one year serving in the military from 1954 to 1955 and played on the Army's basketball squad.[2] Boldt made the all-star team, and upon being honorably discharged he went home to California.[2]
San Francisco
editIn the fall of 1955–56, Boldt enrolled at USF to play basketball.[2] In his first season, the Dons, led by Russell and Jones, recorded an undefeated season en route to winning the NCAA Tournament.[1] He was a starting forward.[3] Years later, Boldt mentioned how it's been pointed out that he and Michael Jordan both scored 16 points in their respective NCAA national championship games.[3] He said, "I had to laugh. I may have got 16 but I wouldn't be talking to anyone if we didn't have Bill Russell playing center and K. C. Jones playing guard for us."[3]
The following season, Boldt's senior year in 1956–57, the USF squad had lost Russell, Jones and other key players due to graduation, so a third straight national championship seemed implausible.[4] The Dons performed surprisingly well, won a third consecutive conference championship, and made it to the Final Four of the 1957 NCAA Tournament.[5] The Dons beat Michigan State in the Third Place consolation game. Early into Boldt's final season, San Francisco's then-NCAA record 60-game winning streak was snapped on December 17, 1956.[4] Coincidentally, the streak had begun exactly two years earlier on December 17, 1954.[4] San Francisco compiled a 60–7 record in Boldt's two seasons on the team.[5]
Professional career and later life
editBoldt was selected in the 7th round (50th overall) in the 1957 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons following the conclusion of his collegiate career.[6] He never played in the National Basketball Association, however. Boldt then spent some time playing for the Buchan Bakers in the National Industrial Basketball League (NIBL), where in 1958–59 he was a Western Conference All-Star.[7] He was also named the All-Star Game MVP after holding Dick Boushka, the NIBL's leading scorer, to only six points (all coming off free throws).[7] After Boldt quit playing basketball, he spent time in the 1970s working as a scout and assistant coach for the American Basketball Association's Los Angeles Stars.[3] He then began his career in business, and in 1984 he entered the coffee industry.[3] Boldt lived in Arcadia, California with his wife when he died after a period of declining health, on January 30, 2015.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c "1956 National Champions". USFDons.com. University of San Francisco. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "2012 Hall of Fame Inductees". Carl Boldt. Glendale Community College. 2013. Archived from the original on November 21, 2011. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Leon, Alex (March 29, 2001). "How I See It". Glendale News-Press. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
- ^ a b c Schneider, Bernie. "USF Basketball, 1956–1957: A Near Threepeat" (PDF). University of San Francisco. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 17, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
- ^ a b "San Francisco Dons index". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
- ^ "1957 NBA Draft". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
- ^ a b "NIBL All-Star Game". basketball-reference.com. BuchanBakers.com. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
- ^ "Carl Boldt, teammate of Bill Russell in NCAA title run, dies at 82". Los Angeles Times. February 2, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2015.