Q: Fifty-six years ago this week, Wilt Chamberlain made his debut playing for the Kansas Jayhawks. On December 3, 1956, he scored a record number of points, helping KU clobber Northwestern at Allen Fieldhouse. How many points did Chamberlain score?
Chamberlain had his own thirty-minute weekly radio show. “Flip'er with Dipper” featured current hit records and Chamberlain’s banter, as well as occasional guest appearances by his fellow Jayhawks. (Photo via KU University Archives) |
A: 52 points!
Wilt Chamberlain debuted for the Kansas Jayhawks on December 3, 1956, at Allen Fieldhouse, where he helped the Hawks beat Northwestern 87-to-69. In his first regular game at KU, he scored 52 points! That single game KU record still stands today. Chamberlain, also known as “Wilt the Stilt” and “The Big Dipper,” averaged 29.6 points and 18.9 rebounds per game, and led his team to the title game of the 1957 NCAA tournament. But the championship eluded him. KU suffered a heart-breaking triple-overtime loss to North Carolina. The highly-recruited player from Philadelphia did not stay long at KU. Chamberlain left before his senior year to play for the Harlem Globetrotters and then the NBA. The former Jayhawk set numerous NBA records, many of which remain intact. He died in 1999.
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