Bill Stauffer, basketball player, Died at 85

  Sports

William Albert “Bill” Stauffer was born on June 9, 1930, and died on November 26, 2015.

He was an American basketball player.

William was an all-conference college player at the University of Missouri and a first-round NBA draft pick by the Boston Celtics in 1952.

Stauffer came to Missouri from Maryville High School in Maryville, Missouri.

Undersized for the center position at 6’4″, William nonetheless was one of the Big Seven Conference’s top rebounders and left Missouri as the school’s all-time leader.

He was named first-team All-Big Seven in both his junior and senior seasons.

William jersey was the first retired by the Missouri basketball program and in 1991 he was elected to the school’s athletic Hall of Fame.

In 2006, he was named to the school’s All-Century team.

Following the close of his college career, Stauffer was selected by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 1952 NBA draft.

However, William chose to instead enlist in the United States Air Force, then entered a career in journalism and business.

William passed away at age 85 on November 26, 2015 from a brain haemorrhage.