| Temple Tucker | |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 10 |
| Weight Lb: | 205 |
| Birth Date: | 28 March 1936 |
| Birth Place: | Bowie, Texas, U.S. |
| High School: | Bowie (Bowie, Texas) |
| College: | Rice (1955–1958) |
| Draft Year: | 1958 |
| Draft Round: | 4 |
| Draft Pick: | 29 |
| Draft Team: | Philadelphia Warriors |
| Career Position: | Center |
| Career Number: | 21 |
| Highlights: |
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Temple Lafayette Tucker (born March 28, 1936)[1] is an American former basketball player, known for his All-American college career at Rice University in the 1950s. At 6'10", Tucker played the center position.
A native of Bowie, Texas, Tucker starred at Bowie High School, winning four state championships in four years while scoring 2,331 points.[2] He then enrolled at Rice in the fall of 1954.[3] Due to NCAA player eligibility rules of the time, Tucker could not play varsity basketball until his sophomore year in 1955–56.[4] He made an immediate impact that season, which saw him average 22.1 points and 12.7 rebounds per game.[4] The 22.1 scoring average was the second best in school history to that point, while his 12.7 rebounds led the Southwest Conference (SWC) for the season.[4] In just his first eligible season, Tucker earned a third-team All-American selection by a major All-American voting body of the time (NEA).[5] He was also named to the All-SWC second team.[6]
Despite his drop in production, Tucker's junior season in 1956–57 saw him repeat in leading Rice in points (15.1) and rebounds (10.5) per game.[4] He earned his second consecutive All-SWC second team honor.[7]
During his senior season, Tucker averaged 13.5 points and 8.8 rebounds and was awarded the Billy Wohn Award as the team's most valuable player.[4] [8] For his career, Tucker scored 1,218 points (including a then school single-game record of 43) and grabbed 768 rebounds (then-second in school history behind Gene Schwinger's 810).[9]
After his collegiate career ended, Tucker was selected in the 1958 NBA draft by the Philadelphia Warriors in the fourth round (29th overall).[10] He opted to pursue a career as a life insurance agent instead, where he earned a lifetime membership into the Million Dollar Round Table.[4]