Shatterproof: Loud and Proud NCAA Marks Likely Never to Be Matched (#7)

July 5th, 2023 - 8:29

What are the school and individual records that will never come close to being matched, let along exceeded? In ensuing blogs, CollegeHoopedia.com will designate the ultimate team and individual standards of excellence. Records were made to be broken, but perhaps not always in our lifetime. Following is #7 in the countdown of most illustrious NCAA achievements:

7. Artis Gilmore's career rebounding average of 22.7 per game (for Jacksonville in 1969-70 and 1970-71) while also averaging more than 22 points per contest.

One of the most amazing things to ever see in basketball was Mr. Goatee occasionally notching a blocked shot by grabbing ball out of the air like a rebound. Gilmore, a junior college transfer, led NCAA Division I in rebounding in 1969-70 and 1970-71 en route to becoming the only player in major-college history to average more than 22 points and 22 rebounds per game in his career (minimum of two seasons). He finished with 24.3 points and 22.7 rebounds per outing in powering the Dolphins to a 49-6 record during his tenure.

The only time when Gilmore retrieved fewer than 10 missed shots for JU was in New Orleans against Loyola (La.) at the end of a streak of four consecutive road games in his junior season. He averaged 19.4 rpg in a total of 17 contests against schools currently members in power conferences. Marshall's Charlie Slack averaged 23.8 rpg from 1953-54 through 1955-56 while chipping in with 18.7 ppg. Kermit Washington, two years after Gilmore's eligibility expired, became the last major-college player to average more than 20 rebounds per game in a single season (20.4 rpg for American University in 1972-73). Following is a game-by-game summary of Gilmore's scoring and rebounding totals:

Junior (27-2 in 1969-70)

Date Opponent Pts. Reb.
D. 1 East Tennessee State 35 18
D. 2 Morehead State 31 26
D. 9 Mercer 34 32
D. 13 Biscayne (Fla.) 24 30
D. 18 Georgetown* 11 21
D. 22 Harvard 29 26
D. 26 vs. Arizona 32 17
D. 27 at Evansville 37 22
J. 2 at Hawaii 23 28
J. 5 at Hawaii 13 21
J. 9 Richmond 38 29
J. 10 Miami (Fla.) 13 23
J. 16 Virgin Islands 18 26
J. 27 at Florida State 21 19
J. 30 St. Peter's 46 30
F. 2 Iona 29 26
F. 5 at East Carolina 27 19
F. 6 at Richmond 27 21
F. 13 at Oklahoma City 27 15
F. 14 at Loyola (La.) 16 8
F. 18 Florida State 19 21
F. 24 Oklahoma City 25 18
F. 26 at Georgia Tech 27 10
M. 4 at Miami (Fla.) 19 10
M. 7 vs. Western Kentucky 30 19
M. 12 vs. Iowa 30 17
M. 14 vs. Kentucky 24 20
M. 19 vs. St. Bonaventure 29 21
M. 21 vs. UCLA 19 16

*Forfeit at 1:26 of first half.

Senior (22-4 in 1970-71)

Date Opponent Pts. Reb.
D. 1 Biscayne (Fla.) 50 29
D. 3 at St. Peter's 28 34
D. 7 George Washington 40 29
D. 8 Florida State 31 26
D. 12 at Richmond 28 19
D. 23 at Western Kentucky 29 18
D. 29 vs. Creighton 15 23
D. 30 vs. Wake Forest 13 21
J. 9 Miami (Fla.) 21 22
J. 11 Oklahoma City 15 17
J. 13 Manhattan 12 16
J. 20 Furman 18 18
J. 23 at Mercer 19 20
J. 25 South Alabama 15 19
J. 27 Florida State 15 28
F. 4 at South Alabama 25 17
F. 6 at Oklahoma City 18 19
F. 8 Loyola (La.) 24 28
F. 11 at William & Mary 2 14
F. 13 at Bradley 24 20
F. 15 at Florida State 22 25
F. 20 Valdosta (Ga.) State 26 24
F. 22 East Carolina 25 28
F. 27 at Houston 22 15
M. 2 at Miami (Fla.) 21 10
M. 13 vs. Western Kentucky 12 22

8. Centenary's Robert Parish finished among nation's top five in rebounding all four seasons with more than 15 rpg each year.
9. Kentucky's 129-game homecourt winning streak (under coach Adolph Rupp from Jan. 4, 1943, to Jan. 8, 1955).
10. Bill Chambers' 51 rebounds in a single game (for William & Mary vs. Virginia on Feb. 14, 1953).