Bob Kauffman
A bruising power forward who became a three-time All-Star and the first face of the Buffalo Braves franchise.
1946–2015 (age 69)·American basketball player and coach·Birthday: July 13·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bob Kauffman's NBA career was a study in reliable, blue-collar excellence. Drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics, he found his footing as a versatile big man with a sharp mid-range shot, first with the Chicago Bulls and then with the expansion Buffalo Braves. In Buffalo, he became an immediate cornerstone, earning All-Star honors in the team's very first three seasons of existence. His scoring, rebounding, and leadership provided credibility for the fledgling franchise. After his playing days, he transitioned into a long career as an executive and scout, applying his hard-nosed understanding of the game to front offices in Atlanta, New Jersey, and Utah.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bob was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bob Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Bob's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 60
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2015Died at 69
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
Key Achievements
- Selected as an NBA All-Star three consecutive times (1971, 1972, 1973) while playing for the Buffalo Braves.
- Was the first star player for the expansion Buffalo Braves, leading the team in scoring and rebounding in its inaugural season.
- Played a key role on the 1970 Chicago Bulls team that won a then-franchise-record 51 games.
- Later served as the General Manager of the Atlanta Hawks from 1983 to 1990.
Did You Know?
He was the third overall pick in the 1968 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics.
Kauffman and fellow All-Star guard Walt Bellamy were traded for each other in a 1970 deal between the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks.
After his executive career, he worked as a scout for the Utah Jazz for nearly two decades.
His daughter, Blair, is a television news anchor.
“You show up, you work, and you do your job for the team.”
