A native of Vancouver, Bob Houbregs’s 6’8”, 225 pound frame lended itself to basketball. As a result, Houbregs wound up playing NCAA ball at the nearby University of Washington. During his four years with UW, Houbregs evolved into one of the most dominant centers of his day. As a junior he was named a Second Team Consensus All-American. And by his senior year, Houbregs was named the NCAA Player of the year, and there was a Bob Houbregs appearance on the First Team All American list. That year he also led the University of Washington to the Final Four while averaging 34.8 points per game in the post season.

1953 brought the first Bob Houbregs appearance to the NBA. He was the 3rd overall pick for the Milwaukee Hawks, and played with the Hawks, Bullets, Celtics, and Pistons.

Bob Houbregs Speaker

One interesting Bob Houbregs speaker topic might be what it meant to be a successful international athlete in a time when most professional American sports teams didn’t have international players.

Bob Houbregs Appearance

There was a brief Bob Houbregs appearance as general manager of the Seatlle SuperSonics from 1970 to 1973.

Bob Houbregs Endorsement

Although Houbregs didn’t spend much time in the NBA, his successful college career earned him the endorsement of the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987. There was also a Bob Houbregs endorsement from the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000.