Dick Boushka

Richard James Boushka (July 29, 1934 – February 19, 2019) was an American basketball player who competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics. Born in Springfield, Illinois, Boushka played collegiately at Saint Louis University.

Dick Boushka

Boushka in 1955.
Personal information
Born	July 29, 1934 Springfield, Illinois
Died	February 19, 2019 (aged 84) Port St. Lucie, Florida
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight	209 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school	Campion (Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin)
College	Saint Louis (1951–1955)
NBA draft	1955 / Round: 3 / Pick: 20th overall
Selected by the Minneapolis Lakers
Position	Forward
Career highlights and awards
Third-team All-American – AP (1955) 3× First-team All-MVC (1953–1955) 2× AAU All-American (1957, 1959) No. 24 jersey retired by Saint Louis Billikens
Medals Men's basketball Representing  United States Olympic Games 1956 Melbourne Team competition Pan American Games 1959 Chicago Team competition

In addition to his play on the gold-medal winning 1956 American Olympic team, he was a member of the American team in the 1959 Pan American Games and was a standout player for the Wichita Kansas) Vickers of the AAU. Boushka eventually became the president of team sponsor Vickers Petroleum.[1][2] Boushka was named to the Saint Louis Billikens All Century Team. He was on the team with other Saint Louis players such as Jordair Jett, Anthony Bonner, and Larry Hughes.

Investments

After parimutuel gambling was legalized in Kansas in 1986, Boushka approached RD Hubbard with the idea of a greyhound track. The Los Angeles Times wrote that they planned on building a "combined horse-dog complex, and now Kansas has a $70-million facility [named The Woodlands], the two tracks sharing a joint parking lot." According to Hubbard, "if we didn't do what we did, the greyhounds and the horses would have wound up competing against one another in the same market. It was a better idea getting the two industries to work together."[3] In Kansas City, they funded the construction and opening of The Woodlands racing park in 1989.[4] Built to serve as both a greyhound track and later as a horse racing track, the venue was the first legal gambling outlet in the area since the 1930s, and in its second year attendance peaked at 1.7 million attendees.[5]

Death

Boushka died on February 19, 2019.[6]

References

1. Grundman, Adolph H. (2004). The Golden Age of Amateur Basketball: The AAU Tournament 1921-1968. U. of Nebraska Press. pp. 163, 212. Retrieved 23 September 2015. vickers petroleum.
2. "Dick Boushka". Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
3. Christine, Bill (February 19, 1991). "Hubbard Looks to Track's Future : Hollywood Park: He is working 15-hour days in his new role as president to get things ready for the April 24 opener". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2015-06-16.
4. "R.D. Hubbard". NTRA. 2010. Archived from the original on 2015-06-19. Retrieved 2015-06-19.
5. Stallings, Dianne (August 26, 2010). "A complicated life". Ruidoso News. Archived from the original on June 19, 2015. Retrieved 2015-06-19.
6. Dick Boushka's obituary

External links

• Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Dick Boushka". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-18.