Early Life, Education, and College Career
- Terry Dischinger was born on November 21, 1940, in Terre Haute, Indiana.
- He attended James A. Garfield High School in Terre Haute, where he excelled in basketball, football, and track.
- Dischinger's father, Donas Dischinger, coached him in football and track.
- He earned all-state honors in basketball and also played on the Babe Ruth League world championship baseball team.
- Dischinger attended Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.
- He played under Coach Ray Eddy in the Big Ten Conference.
- In his sophomore season, Dischinger was named a Second Team All-American and led the team in scoring and rebounding.
- During his junior season, he was named a First Team All-American and led the conference in scoring.
- Dischinger finished his college career as one of Purdue's all-time leading scorers.
1960 Olympics and Professional Career
- Dischinger was selected to the USA men's basketball team for the 1960 Rome Olympics.
- He won a gold medal as a starting guard/forward alongside basketball legends Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, and Jerry Lucas.
- The 1960 Olympic team was later inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
- Dischinger averaged 11.3 points per game and was the fourth-leading scorer on the team.
- Dischinger was drafted by the Chicago Zephyrs as the eighth overall pick in the 1962 NBA draft.
- He won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in his first season.
- Dischinger was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team.
- He played for the Baltimore Bullets in his second season.
- Dischinger was traded to the Detroit Pistons and became an NBA All-Star for the third consecutive season.
- After his NBA career, Dischinger practiced orthodontics.
Post-NBA Career and Personal Life
- Dischinger was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019 for his achievements at Purdue University.
- The 1960 United States men's Olympic basketball team, of which Dischinger was a member, was collectively inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
- Dischinger held several scoring records at Purdue University, which were later broken by other players.
- He is remembered as one of Purdue's all-time leading scorers and a dominant player in college and professional basketball.
- After retiring from basketball, Dischinger completed dental school in Memphis, Tennessee.
- He started an orthodontic practice in Lake Oswego, Oregon.
- Dischinger is married to Mary for over fifty years and has three children and nine grandchildren.
- His grandson Michael Loomis played basketball at Northwest Christian University.
Professional Career - Detroit Pistons and Portland Trail Blazers
- Dischinger returned to the Detroit Pistons in 1967 after leaving the NBA.
- He played for the Pistons for five seasons and coached in two games as a player-coach during the 1971–72 season.
- Dischinger averaged 12.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 452 games.
- He played alongside Hall of Famers Bob Lanier, Dave Bing, and Walt Bellamy.
- Dischinger was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in 1972.
- He averaged 6.1 points and 3.0 rebounds in 15 minutes per game.
- Dischinger played under Coach Jack McCloskey and retired after one season in Portland.
- He was involved in an altercation with Mike Price of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Honors and Playoffs
- Dischinger was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1989.
- He was elected to the Purdue Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 1994.
- Dischinger was named to the NFHS Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Indiana High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 1995.
- He was named to the Purdue Centennial Basketball Team in 1997.
- Dischinger played in the playoffs with the Detroit Pistons in 1968.
- He averaged 9.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game in the playoffs.
- Dischinger retired with a career playoff scoring average of 9.3 points per game.
Terry Gilbert Dischinger (November 21, 1940 – October 9, 2023) was an American basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Dischinger was a three-time NBA All-Star and the 1963 NBA Rookie of the Year, after averaging 28 points per game in his three seasons at Purdue University.
 Dischinger as a junior at Purdue, 1960-61 | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | November 21, 1940 Terre Haute, Indiana, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died | October 9, 2023 (aged 82) Oswego, Oregon, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 189 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | James A. Garfield (Terre Haute, Indiana) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Purdue (1959–1962) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 1962: 2nd round, 8th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Chicago Zephyrs | |||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1962–1973 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Small forward / shooting guard | ||||||||||||||
| Number | 43, 18, 42 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| As player: | |||||||||||||||
| 1962–1964 | Chicago Zephyrs / Baltimore Bullets | ||||||||||||||
| 1964–1972 | Detroit Pistons | ||||||||||||||
| 1972–1973 | Portland Trail Blazers | ||||||||||||||
| As coach: | |||||||||||||||
| 1971 | Detroit Pistons | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Career NBA statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Points | 9,012 (13.8 ppg) | ||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 3,646 (5.6 rpg) | ||||||||||||||
| Assists | 1,151 (1.8 apg) | ||||||||||||||
| Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||||
| College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2019 | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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In 2019, Dischinger was inducted to the College Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2010, the 1960 United States men's Olympic basketball team of which Dischinger was a member, was collectively inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Dischinger practiced orthodontics after his NBA career.
