Former Norfolk State men’s basketball great Robert ‘Bob’ Dandridge has been named one of 16 inductees to the 2021 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class, it was announced on Sunday.
Dandridge, who was selected to the hall of fame by the veterans committee, competed for the Spartans from 1965-69 before enjoying a 13-year professional career in the NBA.
A 6-foot-6 forward, he led Norfolk State to the 1968 CIAA regular season and tournament titles, finishing 24-2 overall and 17-1 in the league. Dandridge led the Spartans to an NCAA Regional berth as a junior in 1968 and again his senior year in 1969. He was named All-CIAA and to the CIAA All-Tournament Team both years. In 1969, he was the CIAA Tournament MVP despite NSU finishing as runner-up. He set the tournament record that year by scoring 50 points in a first-round win over Virginia Union. He still holds the record for most points in a CIAA Tournament with 114 that year.
A native of Richmond, Dandridge was also named AP honorable mention All-America as a senior in 1968-69 after scoring 32.3 points per game, a school record that still stands today. He averaged 26.2 points his junior year and finished his career with 1,664 points, good for 14th all-time at NSU. He averaged 22.5 points for his Spartans career, second in school annals. He led the Spartans to an 87-16 record during his four seasons, 63-7 in the CIAA.
After getting selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 45th overall pick in the 1969 NBA Draft, Dandridge played in more than 800 games during his NBA career. He was a four-time All-Star and competed in the playoffs eight times with both the Bucks and the Washington Bullets. He competed in the NBA Finals four times and won two NBA Championships with the Bucks in 1971 and the Bullets in 1978.
He averaged 18.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists during his NBA career, including 20.1 points in those eight playoff appearances. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1970 and both the All-NBA Second Team and the NBA All-Defensive First Team in 1979. His No. 10 was retired by the Bucks.
Dandridge was the first of now four Spartans to appear in an NBA game. His No. 12 is one of three jerseys retired by Norfolk State. He was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1992 and the inaugural Norfolk State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1983.
The 2021 Hall of Fame Class will be enshrined on Sept. 11 in at the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Enshrinement Tip-Off Celebration and Awards Gala will be held on Sept. 10 at the Mohegan Sun. Tickets for the 2021 ceremony and all enshrinement events are on sale online at www.HoopHall.com or by calling the Basketball Hall of Fame at (413) 231-5513.
This year’s hall of fame class includes nine honorees from the North American and Women’s committees: ninth-winningest coach in NBA history Rick Adelman; two-time NBA champion and 11-time NBA All-Star Chris Bosh; NBA Finals MVP and 10-time NBA All-Star Paul Pierce; the first Black NBA head coach Bill Russell; four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and NBA Champion Ben Wallace; five-time NBA All-Star and NBA Rookie of the Year Chris Webber; two-time NCAA national champion Villanova coach Jay Wright; seven-time WNBA All-Star; and two-time Olympic gold medalist Yolanda Griffith; and seven-time WNBA All-Star and three-time WNBA Most Valuable Player Lauren Jackson.
Distinguished committees focused on preserving all areas from the game also selected seven directly elected enshrinees: Val Ackerman, Cotton Fitzsimmons and Howard Garfinkel from the Contributor Committee; Clarence “Fats” Jenkins from the Early African American Pioneers Committee; Toni Kukoc from the International Committee; Bob Dandridge from the Veterans Committee; and Pearl Moore from the Women’s Veterans Committee.