Rick Barry

Rick Barry was born on March 28, 1944 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He enrolled at the University of Miami in 1961, but did not play basketball for the Hurricanes during his freshman year. Averaging an impressive 19.0 points per game during his sophomore year, Barry exploded during his junior season, averaging 32.2 points per game, and went on to earn the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) scoring title in 1965, scoring an average of 37.4 points per game. Barry's superstar performance at the University of Miami earned him a top spot in the 1965 National Basketball Association (NBA) draft, and he was selected in the first round by the San Francisco Warriors. Barry married Pam Hale, the daughter of the University of Miami coach, in 1965.

During his rookie season, Barry took the NBA by storm, averaging 25.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per game and becoming only the fourth player in NBA history to score more than 2,000 points in his first year of league. Barry, who also became famous for his accurate, underhanded free throws, shot better than 86 percent from the foul line. Barry played in the NBA All-Star game and was named the game's most valuable player. He was also selected as the NBA Rookie of the Year.

If his rookie season was spectacular, his sophomore season was sensational. During the 1966-67 season Barry led the league in scoring, averaging 35.6 points per game. He also averaged 9.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. With no other superstars on the Warriors' team, Barry was still able to carry his team into the NBA championship series in 1966, but the Warriors lost to the Philadelphia 76ers, led by center Wilt Chamberlain.