Odie Spears

Odie Spears
Personal information
Born	June 26, 1925; Scottsville, Kentucky, U.S.
Died	March 28, 1985 (aged 59); Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight	205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school	Scottsville (Scottsville, Kentucky)
College	Western Kentucky (1941–1943, 1946–1948)
BAA draft	1948: -- round, --
	Selected by the Chicago Stags
Playing career	1948–1957
Position	Guard
Number	20, 15, 8, 19
Career history
1948–1950	Chicago Stags
1950–1951	Louisville Alumnites
1951–1955	Rochester Royals
1955–1957	Fort Wayne Pistons
1956–1957	St. Louis Hawks
Career highlights and awards
	Second-team All-American – Converse (1948);
Career BAA and NBA statistics
Points	4,161 (8.7 ppg)
Rebounds	1,409 (4.0 rpg)
Assists	917 (1.9 apg)
	Stats at NBA.com
	Stats at Basketball Reference

Marion Odicea "Odie" Spears (June 17, 1924 – March 28, 1985^[1]) was an American basketball player.

A 6'5" guard from Scottsville, Kentucky, Spears attended nearby Western Kentucky University but saw little playing time during his first two seasons. After his sophomore year, he left Western Kentucky to serve in the United States Army, where he played three seasons for the 326th Glider Infantry basketball team at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He then returned to Western Kentucky in 1946 with improved skills and confidence and became the team's leading scorer during his junior and senior years. Spears received All-American honors in 1948 after leading Western Kentucky to a third-place finish in the National Invitation Tournament (then the nation's premier basketball tournament).^[2]

From 1948 to 1957, Spears played professionally in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Chicago Stags, Rochester Royals, Fort Wayne Pistons, and St. Louis Hawks. He averaged 8.7 points per game and 4.0 rebounds per game in his NBA career and ranked as one of the league's top-ten free throw shooters three times.^[3] Spears also played during the 1950–51 season for the Louisville Alumnites of the National Professional Basketball League.^[4]

After his playing career ended, Spears moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where he became an insurance executive. He was elected to the Western Kentucky Hall of Fame in 1993.^[2]

BAA/NBA career statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game
PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1948–49	Chicago	57	–	.317	.667	–	1.7	9.3
1949–50	Chicago	68	–	.357	.687	–	2.3	10.5
1951–52	Rochester	66	25.3	.395	.763	4.6	2.5	8.6
1952–53	Rochester	62	22.8	.401	.819	4.0	1.8	9.6
1953–54	Rochester	72	22.7	.364	.769	4.3	1.5	7.7
1954–55	Rochester	71	26.6	.386	.812	4.2	2.1	9.5
1955–56	Fort Wayne	72	19.1	.355	.791	3.2	1.7	6.8
1956–57	Fort Wayne / St. Louis	11	10.7	.316	.864	1.4	.6	3.9
Career		479	22.9	.366	.763	4.0	1.9	8.7

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1949	Chicago	2	–	.269	.571	–	1.0	9.0
1950	Chicago	2	–	.409	.500	–	.5	11.5
1952	Rochester	6	20.5	.303	.563	3.5	1.5	4.8
1953	Rochester	3	20.7	.421	.800	4.0	.0	6.7
1954	Rochester	6	20.2	.286	.857	2.2	1.3	4.7
1955	Rochester	3	30.0	.267	.688	4.7	3.3	11.7
1956	Fort Wayne	10	17.7	.323	.565	2.9	1.4	5.3
Career		32	20.5	.315	.637	3.2	1.4	6.4

Notes

^ "Odie Spears". Peach Basket Society. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
^ ^a ^b Odie Spears at Hilltopper Haven. Retrieved August 6, 2007.
^ "Odie Spears Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2007.
^ Association for Professional Basketball Research, National Professional Basketball League statistics

External links

Career statistics from NBA.com and Basketball Reference

[1] "Odie Spears". Peach Basket Society. Retrieved January 20, 2017.

[A-2] Odie Spears at Hilltopper Haven. Retrieved August 6, 2007.

[3] "Odie Spears Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2007.

[4] Association for Professional Basketball Research, National Professional Basketball League statistics

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