Rusty LaRue
A true collegiate multi-sport anomaly who parlayed his athletic IQ into a role on the Chicago Bulls' last championship team of the Jordan era.
Born 1973 (age 53)·American multi-sport athlete·Birthday: December 10·Generation X
Biography
Rusty LaRue's story is one of sheer athletic versatility. At Wake Forest University, he wasn't just a basketball player; he was a three-sport athlete who also quarterbacked the football team and played baseball, a feat nearly unheard of in modern college sports. This background shaped him into the ultimate utility player. Undrafted in the NBA, his work ethic and basketball intelligence earned him a contract, leading to a journeyman career as a backup guard. His pinnacle came during the 1997-98 season with the Chicago Bulls, where he served as a deep-reserve practice player and soaked in the culture of Michael Jordan's final championship run, earning a ring. After his playing days, LaRue smoothly transitioned into coaching, leveraging his understanding of multiple sports and team dynamics. His path underscores that a career in professional sports can be built not just on superstar talent, but on adaptability, smarts, and relentless hustle.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Rusty was born in 1973, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Rusty Was Born
The biggest hits of 1973
#1 Movie
The Exorcist
Best Picture
The Sting
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Rusty's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1973Born
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1978Started school
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1986Became a teenager
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
1989Could drive
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1991Could vote
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1994Turned 21
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
2003Turned 30
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 40
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
2023Turned 50
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 53 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won an NBA championship as a member of the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls.
- One of the last athletes to play both football and basketball at the NCAA Division I level, starting games at quarterback for Wake Forest.
- Played professionally in the NBA for five seasons with three different teams: the Bulls, Utah Jazz, and Golden State Warriors.
- After his playing career, served as a head basketball coach at the high school level and later as an assistant coach for the Wake Forest men's team.
Did You Know?
In 1995, he started at quarterback for Wake Forest in a game against NC State, throwing for over 300 yards, while also being on the basketball team.
He once played in an NBA game and an NFL preseason game for the Green Bay Packers in the same year (1996), though he did not make the Packers' regular-season roster.
He set a Wake Forest basketball record (since broken) for three-pointers in a single game with 9.
His full name is John Rusty LaRue.
“I just wanted to compete and help the team win, whatever the sport.”
