Dick Nemelka

Richard Samuel Nemelka (October 1, 1943 – September 19, 2020) was an American professional basketball player for the American Basketball Association (ABA). As a college player, he earned All-American recognition at Brigham Young University (BYU).

Dick Nemelka
Personal information
Born(1943-10-01)October 1, 1943
Salt Lake City, Utah
DiedSeptember 19, 2020(2020-09-19) (aged 76)
Salt Lake City, Utah
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High schoolWest (Salt Lake City, Utah)
CollegeBYU (1963–1966)
NBA draft1966 / Round: 5 / Pick: 44th overall
Selected by the St. Louis Hawks
PositionShooting guard
Number11
Career history
1970–1971Utah Stars
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Early life and high school

Nemelka was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He played basketball at Utah's West High School where he was an all-state selection. He also played shortstop on the varsity baseball team.[1][2]

College career

Nemelka played in thirteen games for the BYU Cougars freshman team, averaging 16.2 points per game.[1]

Nemelka started every game for BYU his sophomore season, averaging 10.8 points per game.[1]

In his junior season at BYU, Nemelka averaged 15.4 points per game as BYU finished 21-7 and won the Western Athletic Conference championship. He was also named to the All-WAC second team and was an Academic All-WAC selection.[1]

As a junior at BYU, Nemelka averaged 24.0 points per game as BYU won the 1966 NIT. Nemelka was named as a first team All-American by the USBWA and a third team All-American by the NABC. He was also named to the All-WAC first-team and to the Academic All-Wac team.[1]

Professional career

Nemelka was drafted with the fourth pick in the fifth round of the 1966 NBA draft by the St. Louis Hawks (now based in Atlanta). However, he never played in the NBA. Nemelka played one season in the ABA for the Utah Stars, and averaged 5.5 points, 1.5 assists, and 1.5 rebounds per game. He played in nine playoff games for the Stars in the 1971 ABA playoffs, on the way to the Stars winning the 1971 ABA championship.[3]

Post-Playing career

Following his professional basketball career, Nemelka worked as an attorney in Utah.[4] On May 13, 2008 the Chair of the Ethics and Discipline Committee of the Utah Supreme Court entered a public reprimand against Nemelka for the violation of three rules.[5]

Nemelka died on September 19, 2020 at age 76 after a battle with cancer.[6][7]

References
  1. "Dick Nemelka Athletic Profile". byucougars.com. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
  2. Real GM-Dick Nemelka
  3. "Dick Nemelka NBA & ABA statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
  4. Facer, Dirk. "That championship season". deseretnews.com. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
  5. "Attorney Discipline (Utah Bar Journal)". utahbar.org. Archived from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
  6. Sorensen, Mike (September 23, 2020). "Dick Nemelka, BYU All-American, loses battle with cancer at 76". Deseret News. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  7. "Richard Samuel Nemelka, 1943–2020". Legacy.com. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
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