Richard Thomas O'Keefe (September 29, 1923 – December 17, 2006) was an American professional basketball player.[1] After serving as captain of the St. James High School basketball team in his hometown of San Francisco, California,[2] O'Keefe began his college basketball career with Santa Clara Broncos in 1941. He missed the 1944–45 and 1945–46 seasons to serve in World War II,[2] but returned to play his senior year with the Broncos in 1946–47. O'Keefe was selected with the ninth overall pick in the 1947 BAA draft by the Washington Capitols and played with the team for four years until it folded in 1951.
 O'Keefe in 1948 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 29, 1923 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Died | December 17, 2006 (aged 83) Greenbrae, California, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | St. James (San Francisco, California) |
| College | Santa Clara (1941–1944, 1946–1947) |
| BAA draft | 1947: 1st round, 9th overall pick |
| Selected by the Washington Capitols | |
| Playing career | 1947–1951 |
| Position | Small forward / shooting guard |
| Number | 15, 13 |
| Career history | |
| 1947–1951 | Washington Capitols |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
After his basketball career, O'Keefe worked as a security chief.[1] He served as a charter member of Santa Clara's Athletic Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the San Francisco Prep Hall of Fame in 2002.[2]
BAA/NBA career statistics
edit| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | APG | Assists per game | ||
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | PPG | Points per game | ||
| FT% | Free-throw percentage | Bold | Career high | ||
Regular season
edit| Year | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947–48 | Washington | 37 | .245 | .508 | 0.5 | 4.2 |
| 1948–49 | Washington | 50 | .255 | .515 | 0.9 | 3.8 |
| 1949–50 | Washington | 68 | .306 | .739 | 1.1 | 7.0 |
| 1950–51 | Washington | 17 | .206 | .641 | 1.5 | 3.9 |
| Career | 172 | .272 | .640 | 0.9 | 5.2 | |
Playoffs
edit| Year | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Washington | 11 | .367 | .650 | 1.0 | 5.2 |
| 1950 | Washington | 2 | .308 | .875 | 2.5 | 7.5 |
| Career | 13 | .356 | .714 | 1.2 | 5.5 | |
References
edit- ^ a b "Richard O'Keefe Obituary". Legacy. SFGate. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Former Bronco Earns Prep Hall of Fame Honor". Santa Clara Broncos. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
External links
edit- Career statistics from NBA.com and Basketball Reference