[surveParticipant]

Former Notre Dame and Chicago Bulls star Orlando Woolridge has died at age 52, officials in Louisiana told the Shreveport Times.

 

[+] Enlarge

Tim Defrisco/Getty ImagesOrlando Woolridge, shown with the Lakers shooting over the Knicks’ Patrick Ewing in 1988, was known for his thunderous dunks.

 

Desoto Parish Chief Deputy Coroner Billy Locke told the newspaper that Woolridge had been under hospice care for a chronic heart condition at his parents’ home in Mansfield, La.

Woolridge was part of Notre Dame’s Final Four team in 1978 as a freshman. As a senior, he hit a last-second jumper to end Ralph Sampson and No. 1 Virginia’s 28-game winning streak.

Woolridge, a 6-foot-9 forward, had a 13-year NBA career after being taken with the sixth overall pick by the Bulls in 1981. He played five seasons in Chicago, averaging 22.9 points per game in 1984-85, Michael Jordan‘s first in the league.

He signed with the New Jersey Nets as a free agent after the 1985-86 season and was suspended in 1987 for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. He went on to play for the Lakers, Nuggets, Pistons, Bucks and Sixers and finished with career averages of 16 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

After playing overseas, Woolridge was a coach for the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks and recently coached Arizona in the ABA.

In 2010, Woolridge was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

 

 

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7996539/former-notre-dame-fighting-irish-chicago-bulls-player-orlando-woolridge-dead-52

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

There was a Woolridge kid on U of Tennessee last season.  Were they related?

[surveParticipant]

Renaldo Woolridge of the Tennessee Volunteers is the son of Orlando Woolridge.  Other son, Royce transfered from Kansas to Washington State and will be eligible this year.

it says Orlando died from a chronic heart condition.

[CAROLINA BLUE NICKParticipant]

Damn at 52? R.I.P. Wooldridge. For some reason I can’t click on the espn link. Does it say how he passed?

[CAROLINA BLUE NICKParticipant]

Thanks surve. Man thats sad. He was an athletic beast. And held the bulls down before Jordan got there. R.I.P. to Jack Twyman too.

[surveParticipant]

 yeah, and Woolridge should also be remembered for combining with Jordan in 1984-85 to avg a combined 51ppg. (Jordan 28.2ppg and Woolridge 22.9ppg)

he also played with Magic Johnson, and in 1990-91 he avg 25ppg and 7rpg for the Nuggets at 31 years old.

you said it when you said athletic beast

 

[Author]

Posts