Houston Sports - Rudy Tomjanovich

Rudy Tomjanovich

Born: November 24, 1948

Sport: Basketball (All-American, 5-time NBA All-Star, Gold Medal, Hall of Fame)

As of the time of this writing, the Houston professional sports scene is buzzing.  The Astros are nearly a month into their season as they try to return to the playoffs for their ninth consecutive season, and the Texans are preparing for their draft next week after back-to-back seasons with division titles and one playoff win each year.  But it's the Houston Rockets that have garnered top billing as they play their first postseason game in five years.  So with that in mind, I thought it might be a good idea to look at the story of Rudy Tomjanovich, one of the faces of the franchise that was not only there for the first Rockets playoff series win, but was at the helm when the team claimed their first two championships.

The Summit, home of the Rockets during their championship seasons

Born just outside of Detroit, MI, young Rudy's parents were both of Croatian descent - his father and his maternal grandparents had immigrated to the US during the early years of the 20th century.  He grew up playing baseball before walking away from the sport because of a bad coach.  He quickly switched to basketball in junior high, where he claimed to have beaten his coach in a one-on-one game to earn a spot on the team.  He honed his skills at a local outdoor court and was a successful player on the team at Hamtramck High School before deciding to stay local and attend the nearby University of Michigan.  He was one of the stars for the Wolverines, leading the team in scoring for all three of his seasons and setting a record for total rebounds that still stands today.  Although team as a whole did not have much success and never reached the NCAA tournament during his time on campus, Tomjanovich was recognized for his skill and hustle that made him an All-American as a senior, and in the 1970 NBA draft he was selected second overall by the San Diego Rockets.  Each of the top four picks that year - Bob Lanier, Rudy Tomjanovich, Pete Maravich, and Dave Cowens - along with four later selections all eventually found their way into the Hall of Fame.  The newly-formed Rockets franchise had played just two seasons without much success, but Rudy T (as the back of his playing jersey showed to avoid his 11-letter last name) joined a promising young core that included fellow rookie Calvin Murphy and second-year center Elvin Hayes.  After just one season, during which Tomjanovich averaged just 5.3 points per game on the way to helping the team to a 40-42 record, the Rockets left San Diego and relocated to Houston.

Once in Texas, and with a year under his belt, Rudy Tomjanovich showed rapid improvement.  The 1971-72 season saw him jump to 15 points per game alongside 11.8 rebounds, and the following season showed similar results.  But it wasn't until the 1973-74 season that he was finally recognized for his individual efforts, when he earned his first of four consecutive All-Star selections.  A year later the Rockets finally achieved postseason success, reaching the playoffs after a 41-41 season and defeating the New York Knicks for their first series victory before being eliminated by the Boston Celtics.  The team from Houston had begun to emerge as a relevant force in the league, but then disaster struck.  During a game against the Los Angeles Lakers on December 9, 1977, Tomjanovich ran towards center court to intervene in a fight.  In a moment, two lives and the way basketball was played changed drastically, as Lakers forward Kermit Washington turned and punched Tomjanovich.  The blow was nearly fatal, causing massive facial fractures, bleeding, and a loss of consciousness, and brought the entire arena of fans, players, and officials to an instant, terrified hush.  Rudy T's recovery would take 5 months, during which the team floundered and Washington was suspended and traded away to Boston.  The NBA also made significant changes to penalties for fights on the court, which had been commonplace up until that point.

Although Rudy Tomjanovich's return to the court was celebrated and resulted in a fifth All-Star selection, his play diminished and he chose to retire after the 1981 season, despite the Rockets having finally reached their first NBA Finals appearance that year.  As a basketball "lifer" he jumped into scouting for two years with Houston before earning his way onto the bench as an assistant coach.  When head coach Don Chaney was removed during the 1992 season, the only year the franchise didn't make the playoffs during a 15-year span from 1985-2000, Tomjanovich was named the interim coach.  He and the team performed well enough over the final two months that he was given the full-time job the following year, during which the Rockets set a franchise record for wins in a season.  It marked the first time a rookie head coach had taken a team from not making the playoffs to a division title in one year.  But the following year was even better, as the 1993-94 Houston Rockets won the first NBA Championship in franchise history.  Although they seemed to have faltered the next season and only reached the playoffs as a six seed, Tomjanovich led the team to the title once again, making history as the lowest-seeded team to win the championship.  During his time with Houston he also coached Team USA to a gold medal in the 2000 Olympics.  He eventually coached a total of 11 seasons, setting franchise records in total wins and win percentage, before leaving the team after a cancer diagnosis in 2003.

Rudy Tomjanovich attempted a comeback with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2004, possibly fueled by several unsuccessful seasons at the end of his tenure with Houston, but left the position after just 43 games.  Although he cited exhaustion, there was speculation that the team had second thoughts and decided to buy out his contract rather than keep him as their coach.  He remained as a consultant for several years before eventually retiring.  In the meanwhile he has been active in cancer and scholarship charities, and has been recognized by several Ring of Honor and Hall of Fame inductions while also having his number 45 retired by the Houston Rockets and Michigan Wolverines.  In addition to the Basketball Hall of Fame (2020), other honors include the Houston Sports (2019), Michigan Sports (1995), Texas Sports (2003), and Croatian American Sports (2024) halls of fame as well as the UM Hall of Honor (1979).  Rudy T is now living out his retirement in Houston, where he supports the local university and professional teams.