Al Bunge

Allan J. Bunge (November 24, 1937 – November 26, 2019 ) is a former National Basketball Association (NBA) first round draft pick (seventh pick overall) of the Philadelphia Warriors in the 1960 NBA draft.

Bunge averaged 10.1 points and 9.1 rebounds as a sophomore in 1957–1958 as Maryland was 22–7, winning their first ACC tournament championship and qualifying for the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history.

Bunge led the Maryland Terrapins to the NCAA tournament in 1958.

Bunge's career was interrupted, and his entire life impacted, by flareups of ulcerative colitis that was discovered during his freshman year at Maryland.

Born in Delanco, New Jersey, Bunge played football, basketball and baseball at Palmyra High School.

He was high school teammates with future Wake Forest Hall of Fame inductee Dave Wiedeman.

It was assumed that Wiedeman was going to attend Maryland with Bunge, before eventually enrolling at Atlantic Coast Conference rival Wake Forest University.

A fantastic athlete, Bunge had ties to all three major sports at Maryland.

Bunge played basketball for Coach Bud Millikan at Maryland.

He was also recruited to play football for Jim Tatum at Maryland, but did not play football.

Bunge was initially a 2-sport athlete at Maryland, as he pitched on the 1958 Maryland baseball team, along with his basketball role.

In basketball, Bunge averaged a double-double of 12.4 points and 10.6 rebounds over his 75-game Maryland basketball career.

In the 1958 ACC tournament on March 6–8, 1958, Maryland first defeated Virginia 70–66, then defeated #6 ranked Duke 71–65 in overtime.

In the Final, Maryland defeated defending National Champion, #13 ranked North Carolina 86–74 to capture the ACC Tournament.

Of the ACC Tournament championship, Bunge later said, “It was a big deal.

‘Whoa, Tobacco Road, maybe it’s not what it used to be."

In the 1958 NCAA University Division basketball tournament, Maryland Won their First round (86–63) against Boston College, then lost in the East Regional semifinal (71–67) versus the Temple Owls.

They then won the East Regional Third Place game (59–55) versus the Manhattan Jaspers to close out the season.

(Any 3rd-place games are no longer played in NCAA tournaments).

Bunge was immediately hospitalized after the Terrapins' loss to Temple, missing the pep rally held for the Terrapins, and his weight had fallen to well under 200 pounds.

Bunge suffered from ulcerative colitis that was first discovered during his freshman year at Maryland, and he had lost 55 pounds at that time.

He would experience fatigue, drastic weight loss, anemia and had to endure regular transfusions.

"When I came back for my sophomore year, I couldn't run up and down the floor" he said.

"I had a transfusion and that made me better for most of the year. When we got to the end of the year, my anemia started coming back."

Of the Temple game he said, “I could hardly play, I didn't even play half the game.

If I had been healthy, we would’ve won.”

As a junior in 1958–58, Bunge averaged 11.1 points and 10.5 rebounds as Maryland finished 10–13.

On Feb. 26, 1958, he had 22 rebounds against Georgetown, setting the school record.

His 10.6 rebound career average is the fourth highest in Maryland history and his 12.6 rebound average in 1959–1960 ranks third in Maryland history.

Maryland went 15-8 (9-3 in the ACC), as Bunge lead the team with both 16.7 points and 12.6 rebounds as a senior in 1959–60.

Included in Bunge's career were some record setting games:

Following the 1959–60 collegiate season, Bunge was selected to play in the prestigious Shrine East-West basketball Game at Madison Square Garden.

He and East teammates Lenny Wilkens, Jerry West and Tom Stith played against the West squad featuring and future NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson, among others.

Bunge guarded Robertson in the game.

“It was a thrill,” he said about of playing against Robertson.

“I think he had 11 or 12 points, but they weren't all against me." Bunge earned the Most Valuable Defensive Player Award in the game.

On January 4, 1960, Bunge scored 43 points vs. Yale, the school record that stood until Ernie Graham scored 44 against North Carolina State in 1978.

Bunge also received an invitation to the 1960 U.S. Olympic Trials for basketball.

He did not make the team, which, led by Robertson, won the gold medal at the 1960 Olympic Games.

The 1960 Olympic trials had the AAU and NCAA wrestling for control of USA Basketball.