Oscar Robertson

Oscar Robertson was the first African American to play on UC’s basketball team. In 1960, UC’s yearbook The Cincinnatian declared: “‘The fabulous Oscar Robertson’ —the greatest athlete ever to participate for the University of Cincinnati was acclaimed by many as the finest college player in the land. In three full seasons of varsity competition, the 21-year-old magician broke practically every existing major college scoring record.” These accomplishments were achieved despite Campus racism. Early in his time at UC, Robertson was blocked from the college locker rooms by the other players. Segregation of public accommodations, later desegregated by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, meant Robertson often had to lodge alone in college dorms for away games rather than with his teammates in local hotels. Robertson set many scoring records during his four years at UC. He was number one in the country in scoring from 1958 to 1960 with an average of 35.1, 32.6, and 33.7 points per game respectively. He still has the third highest NCAA career scoring record averaging 33.8 points per game. In 1960, just after graduating from UC, Robertson led the United States basketball team to an olympic gold medal. After UC, Robertson went on to join the NBA later in 1960. During the 1963-1964 NBA season, Robertson was the NBA player of the year with the second highest average per game. The same year he threatened to boycott the All-Star game with other top players to gain legal representation in collective bargaining negotiations. In 1970, Robertson filed an antitrust suit against the NBA to stall a merger between them and the ABA and challenge the prohibition against free agency. The resulting 1976 settlement created the “Robertson Rule” allowing free agency so players can choose the best deal for themselves rather than remaining tied to a team indefinitely. The NBA Player of the Year award was renamed the Oscar Robertson Trophy in 1998 to reflect Robertson’s outstanding career and his continued support of the basketball community after his retirement. He came in second for the Associated Press’s best player of the twentieth century which was awarded to Michael Jordan.