Orlando Woolridge(1959-2012)
- Actor
Woolridge starred for Notre Dame where he played for four seasons under
Coach Digger Phelps, who said that Woolridge's cousin Willis Reed, a
Hall of Fame center for the Knicks, had recommended him. He helped the
Fighting Irish reach the NCAA Tournament in each of his four collegiate
seasons, including the Final Four as a freshman in 1978. One of his
defining moments came during his senior year at Notre Dame when he hit
a jump shot at the buzzer to beat No. 1-ranked Virginia on national
television, ending the Cavaliers' 28-game winning streak. His
professional career began in 1981 when he was drafted in the first
round, sixth overall by the Chicago Bulls. Known for his high-flying
dunks and ability to throw down lob passes, Woolridge played 13 seasons
in the NBA for the Bulls, Lakers, Nets, 76ers, Nuggets, Bucks, Pistons
and spent his final two seasons playing in Italy. During the 1987-88
season, he was with the New Jersey Nets when he told the NBA he had a
cocaine problem. He was suspended for violating the league's
substance-abuse policy, and he was signed by the Lakers after
completing a drug rehabilitation program in Van Nuys. He retired in
1996 and coached the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National
Basketball Association in the late 1990s and was the first former
N.B.A. player to coach in that league and was named the Sparks' interim
head coach in 1998, led them to a 20-12 record in 1999 with the interim
label removed. It was the team's best mark in its three-year history,
but he was fired at the season's end for what management called
philosophical differences.