Russ Critchfield Basketball: A Look Back at the California Guard Legend
[Body]
Well, let me tell ya ’bout this fella, Russ Critchfield. Don’t know much ’bout basketball myself, but I heard folks talkin’. Seems he was a pretty big deal back in the day, playin’ that there basketball game.
Now, they say he was born in California, Salinas to be exact, in 1946. That’s a long time ago, y’know? Makes him an old fella now, I reckon. He wasn’t a big giant of a man, neither. Just 5’10”, they say. A guard, that’s what they called him. Like he was guardin’ somethin’, I guess. Probably guardin’ that ball, keepin’ it from the other fellas.
He played for some university out there in California. University of California, that’s the one. Folks say he was real good, one of the best guards in the whole state. Can you believe that? A little fella like him, bein’ so good at that ball game. They even gave him a prize, called him the MVP, three years in a row! Must’ve been somethin’ special, that boy.
- Born in Salinas, California in 1946
- Played guard at 5’10”
- University of California MVP three years straight (1966-68)
They got all these numbers and stats for these fellas, ya know? Like how many points they scored and all that. I don’t pay much mind to that stuff, but they say Russ fella scored 161 points in one season. Played for a team called the Oakland Oaks. Never heard of ’em myself, but they musta been somethin’. That was in the American Basketball Association, not that NBA thing the youngsters are always talkin’ about.
He averaged somethin’ like 3.4 points a game, they say. Don’t sound like much to me, but I guess it was good enough back then. They didn’t have all them fancy moves and slam dunks like they do now, I bet. Just good ol’ fashioned basketball, runnin’ and passin’ and tryin’ to get that ball in the hoop.
Even though he was a star in college, seems like he didn’t make it big in the pros. Only played one season with them Oakland Oaks. Maybe he got tired of all that runnin’ around. Or maybe he just wanted to come home and settle down. Who knows?
But even though he didn’t play for long, folks still remember him. They got him in some Hall of Fame, they say. Cal Athletics Hall of Fame, to be exact. That’s a pretty big honor, I reckon. Means he musta been a real good player, that Russ Critchfield.
Now, you can find all sorts of stuff ’bout him on that internet thingamajig. Stats and game logs and all that. If you’re into that sort of thing, you can go look it up yourself. Me? I’m just tellin’ ya what I heard from the folks around here. He was a good basketball player, that’s for sure. A real California legend, they say.
Russ Critchfield, remember that name. He might not be as famous as them fellas on TV nowadays, but he was a darn good player in his time. And that’s all that matters, ain’t it? He played the game he loved, and he was good at it. Can’t ask for much more than that, can ya?
So there you have it. A little somethin’ ’bout Russ Critchfield, the basketball fella from California. Hope I told it right. Like I said, I don’t know much ’bout basketball, but I know a good story when I hear one. And Russ Critchfield, he’s got a good story, that’s for sure.
Tags: [Russ Critchfield, Critchfield Basketball, University of California, Oakland Oaks, American Basketball Association, California Golden Bears, College Basketball, Basketball Stats, MVP, Hall of Famer]
Original article by the Author:yixunnet,If you intend to republish this content, please attribute the source accordingly:https://www.aaafruitbasket.com/russ-critchfield-basketball-a-look-back-at-the-california-guard-legend/