Generoso Charles "Jerry" Rullo (June 23, 1923 – October 21, 2016) was an American professional basketball player.

Jerry Rullo
Personal information
Born(1923-06-23)June 23, 1923
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
DiedOctober 21, 2016(2016-10-21) (aged 93)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
NationalityAmerican
Listed height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Listed weight165 lb (75 kg)
Career information
High schoolJohn Bartram
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
CollegeTemple (1942–1946)
Playing career1946–1957
PositionGuard
Number7, 6
Career history
1946–1947Philadelphia Warriors
1947Baltimore Bullets
1947–1948Philadelphia Sphas
19481949Philadelphia Warriors
1949–1950Trenton Tigers
1950–1957Sunbury Mercuries
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Biography

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He attended John Bartram High School in his hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1] A 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) guard from Temple University, Rullo played four seasons (1946–1950) in the Basketball Association of America/National Basketball Association as a member of the Philadelphia Warriors and Baltimore Bullets. He averaged 2.9 points per game in his BAA/NBA career and won a league championship with Philadelphia in 1947. Rullo played for eight seasons in the Eastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL) for the Sunbury Mercuries. He was selected as the EPBL Most Valuable Player in 1951 and was a four-time All-EPBL team selection.[2]

With the deaths of Ralph Kaplowitz and Angelo Musi in 2009, Rullo was the last living member of that Warriors championship team, the first in the history of the BAA/NBA. With the death of Kenny Sailors in January 2016, Rullo became the last living player from the inaugural 1946–47 season of the BAA. He died on October 21, 2016, of heart failure at Penn Medicine Rittenhouse.[3]

BAA/NBA career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship
Year Team GP FG% FT% APG PPG
1946–47 Philadelphia 50 .299 .489 .4 2.5
1947–48 Baltimore 2 .000 .000 .0 .0
1948–49 Philadelphia 39 .290 .689 1.2 3.5
1949–50 Philadelphia 4 .333 1.000 .5 1.8
Career 95 .292 .591 .7 2.9

Playoffs

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Year Team GP FG% FT% APG PPG
1947 Philadelphia 7 .231 1.000 .0 1.0
1949 Philadelphia 2 .250 1.000 .5 3.0
Career 9 .238 1.000 .1 1.4

References

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  1. ^ "Jerry's journey". South Philly Review. November 3, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  2. ^ "Jerry Rullo minor league basketball statistics". Stats Crew. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  3. ^ Cook, Bonnie L. (October 30, 2016). "Jerry Rullo, 94, basketball pro became city rec coach". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
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