Dave Gunther

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Dave Gunther
Gunther from 1958 Hawkeye
Personal information
Born(1937-07-22)July 22, 1937
DiedMarch 16, 2024(2024-03-16) (aged 86)
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High schoolLe Mars (Le Mars, Iowa)
CollegeIowa (1956–1959)
NBA draft1959: 8th round, 56th overall pick
Selected by the Philadelphia Warriors
PositionForward
Number11
Career history
As player:
1959–1960Cleveland Pipers
1960Detroit Pistons
1960–1961Williamsport Billies
1961–1962San Francisco Saints
1962San Francisco Warriors
As coach:
1967–1970Wayne State (NE)
1970–1988North Dakota
1993–1995Buena Vista
1996–2001Bemidji State
Career highlights and awards
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

David C. Gunther (July 22, 1937 – March 16, 2024) was an American basketball player and coach. He served as the head basketball coach at the University of North Dakota from 1970 to 1988. Gunther played college basketball at the University of Iowa and professional basketball with the San Francisco Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Early years[edit]

Gunther was born in 1937 and attended Le Mars High School in Le Mars, Iowa.[1] He attended Le Mars High School and, as a senior, was selected as the first-team center on the 1955 All-Iowa basketball team.[2]

College career[edit]

Gunther enrolled at the University of Iowa and played for the Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team at the forward position from 1956 to 1959. He scored 271 points (12.3 average) as a sophomore, 435 points (19.8 average) as a junior, and 482 points as a senior (21.9 average). He ranked 19th nationally in scoring during the 1958–59 season. He was selected as Iowa's most valuable player three consecutive years.[3] He closed his college career with 1,188 points, tying the Iowa career scoring record set by Bill Logan from 1954 to 1956.[3]

Professional basketball[edit]

Gunther was selected by the Philadelphia Warriors in the eighth round of the 1959 NBA draft but Gunther stated at the time that he was not interested in playing professional basketball.[4] In the fall of 1959, after completing a tour of military service with the U.S. Army, Gunther joined the Cleveland Pipers of the National Industrial Basketball League.[5]

In June 1960, the Detroit Pistons purchased rights to Gunther from the Philadelphia Warriors.[6] He played a portion of the season with the Pistons before being sold to the Williamsport Billies of the Eastern Professional Basketball League (EBL).[7][8] He was selected as rookie of the year in the EBL.[7]

In May 1961, the San Francisco Saints of the American Basketball League outbid the Pistons to sign Gunther.[7][9] His season was cut short when he was called back into military service.[10][11]

In 1962, he concluded his professional basketball career with the San Francisco Warriors of the NBA.[1]

Coaching career[edit]

After his playing career ended, Gunther worked as a basketball coach. He began his coaching career in 1963 as a head coach at Charles City High School in Charles City, Iowa.[12] He next served as head basketball coach at Kimball High School in Royal Oak, Michigan, from 1964 to 1967.[13]

In August 1967, he was hired as the head basketball coach at Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska.[13] He served as head coach at Wayne State for three years, compiling a 70–12 record. He was selected as the Nebraska coach of the year in 1968 by the Lincoln Journal and in 1969 by the Omaha World Herald.[14]

In the spring of 1970, Gunther was hired as the head basketball coach at the University of North Dakota.[14] He continued to hold that position for 18 years until his retirement in March 1988.[15] He compiled a 332–117 record at North Dakota.[16]

In 1993, Gunther was hired as head basketball coach at Buena Vista in Storm Lake, Iowa.[16] He led Buena Vista to a 25–25 overall record in two seasons. In March 1995, he was named head basketball coach at Bemidji State University.[17] He retired in 2001 after six years at Bemidji.[18]

Death[edit]

Dave Gunther died on March 16, 2024, at the age of 86.[19]

Career statistics[edit]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA[edit]

Source[1]

Regular season[edit]

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1962–63 San Francisco 1 5.0 .500 – 3.0 3.0 2.0

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Dave Gunther NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  2. ^ "1955 Boys' All-State Basketball Team". The Courier. March 25, 1955. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b "Gunther Iowa's MVP for Unprecedented 3rd Time". Iowa City Press-Citizen. March 17, 1959. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Warriors Draft Iowa's Gunther". The Gazette. March 31, 1959. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Dave Gunther to Join Cleveland Team in NIBL". The Courier. December 14, 1959. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Pistons Buy Dave Gunther". The Des Moines Register. June 28, 1960. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b c "Dave Gunther Signs". The Bridgeport Post. May 5, 1961. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Chiefs Battle Billies Sunday". The Bridgeport Post. December 16, 1960. p. 98 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Saints outbid Pistons to get Dave Gunther". Globe-Gazette. May 5, 1961. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Army-Bound Dave Gunther Leads Saints in ABL Win". The Berkshire Eagle. November 7, 1961. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Army Gets SF's Dave Gunther". The California. November 3, 1961. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Dave Gunther Charles City's New Cage Boss". The Courier. April 9, 1963. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b "Dave Gunther Named Wayne State Mentor". Sioux City Journal. August 6, 1967. p. 41 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b "Gunther Gets Coaching Job at UND". Sioux City Journal. April 1, 1970. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Gunther stepping down as North Dakota coach". Argus-Leader. March 1, 1988. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ a b "Gunther returns to coach in Iowa". Iowa City Press-Citizen. May 7, 1993. p. 2D – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Bemidji State lures Gunther away from BV". Sioux City Journal. March 10, 1995. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Gunther retires after longtime coaching career". Sioux City Journal. March 7, 2001. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Miller, Tom (17 March 2024). "Former UND men's basketball coach Dave Gunther dies at 86". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved 18 March 2024.

External links[edit]

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