Trail Blazers @trailblazers Original Trail Blazer, Team Ambassador Dale Schlueter has lost his battle with cancer
Damn, I just saw him at a game this year. I got to play against the Blazer Alumni team once and he came out of no where and blocked the shit out of me. He had to have been in his 40s or 50s and I was amazed. RIP Dale! You always represented the Blazers with class and dignity!
I remember him well, but from his days in Buffalo as Bob McAoo's (no D) backup. 69 isn't that old anymore. RIP
Seemed like he was at every Blazer event I went to the past few years. Great guy. Always loved talking with him. RIP.
RIP Dave and my condolensces to his loved ones. That photo of him guarding Wilt Chamberlain is great. Next to the stilt he looks about 5'9
You mean this grainy picture? That's what newspapers typically gave us 40 years ago. 6-10, born in Tacoma, high school in Colorado. At Colorado State with Bob Rule, who was first draft pick of the expansion Sonics. (Schlueter was similarly on the expansion Blazers). Both were drafted 1967, but Schlueter entered the NBA a year later (I don't know why; too brief to be military). Backup on the 9-win 1972-73 76ers. Played for famous coaches (Cotton Fitzsimmons, Al Attles, John McCleod, Kevin Loughery, 2 years of Jack Ramsay in Buffalo + 1 here). Age 68 not 69 per the articles, since his birthday was in November. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/schluda01.html Click on the MP column and you see he should have gone 8th. http://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1967.html http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/colorado-state/1967.html Junior year, lost in 1st round of playoffs to sophomore Elvin Hayes, who lost 4 days later to Oregon State. http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/boxscores/1966-03-07-colorado-state.html http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/boxscores/1966-03-11-houston.html