Bob Kurland
A towering 7-foot pioneer who dominated the college game with the first dunk, won two Olympic golds, and helped force basketball's rule changes.
1924–2013 (age 89)·American basketball player·Birthday: December 23·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Bob Kurland didn't just play basketball; he forced the game to evolve around him. At a towering seven feet in the 1940s, he was a physical anomaly, a gentle giant from Missouri who led Oklahoma A&M to back-to-back NCAA championships under coach Hank Iba. His most famous on-court innovation was the dunk—he is widely credited with being the first to perform one in a college game, a simple but devastating act of superiority. His mere presence under the basket was so overwhelming that it prompted the NCAA to institute the goaltending rule. Off the college court, Kurland became a cornerstone of American basketball dominance, anchoring the U.S. Olympic teams to gold medals in 1948 and 1952, where his defensive prowess stifled international opponents. Eschewing the fledgling NBA, he spent a decorated decade with the Phillips 66ers in the AAU, winning multiple national titles. Kurland's career, built on fundamental skill rather than flash, cemented him as one of the sport's foundational big men and a Hall of Fame bridge between its early and modern eras.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Bob was born in 1924, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bob Was Born
The biggest hits of 1924
#1 Movie
The Sea Hawk
Bob's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1924Born
First Winter Olympics held in Chamonix, France
President: Calvin Coolidge"It Had to Be You" — Isham Jones
1929Started school
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1937Became a teenager
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1940Could drive
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1942Could vote
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1945Turned 21
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1954Turned 30
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1964Turned 40
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
1974Turned 50
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1984Turned 60
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1994Turned 70
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 80
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2013Died at 89
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
Key Achievements
- Led Oklahoma A&M to consecutive NCAA championships in 1945 and 1946.
- Won gold medals with the U.S. Olympic basketball team in the 1948 London and 1952 Helsinki Games.
- Credited as the first player to regularly dunk the basketball in college games.
- Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1961.
- Won three AAU national championships with the Phillips 66ers industrial team.
Did You Know?
He turned down a lucrative offer from the NBA's St. Louis Bombers to maintain his amateur status and play for the Phillips 66 company team.
The NCAA's goaltending rule was instituted largely in response to his ability to swat shots away from above the rim.
He was a two-time Helms Foundation College Player of the Year (1945, 1946).
After basketball, he had a long executive career with the Phillips Petroleum company.
“I just stood there and put my hands up, and the ball came down and I put it in the basket.”
