Chamberlain Shows He’s Rebounding Boss

Wes Unseld had a remarkable rookie season in 1969.

The 6-foot-8, 250-pound center from Louisville averaged 18.2 rebounds and led his Baltimore Bullets to the NBA Eastern Division championship.

But one night, 30 years ago tonight, the Lakers’ Wilt Chamberlain took young Unseld back to school.

Chamberlain, upset at being told Unseld had out-rebounded him in five previous meetings, 115-95, had his game face on at the Forum.

In a 120-109 Laker win, Chamberlain had 38 rebounds to Unseld’s nine. Eight of those were offensive rebounds, which Chamberlain stuffed in Unseld’s face.

Shaken, Unseld sat on a stool afterward and told The Times’ Mal Florence what he’d learned.

“Wilt can do anything he wants,” he said.

Said Bullet Coach Gene Shue: “Wilt’s capable of getting 100 rebounds.”

Chamberlain’s 38 gave him 80 for two games. He’d had 42 against Boston two nights earlier.

And Unseld shook off the humiliation. He went on to win both the NBA’s most-valuable-player and rookie-of-the-year awards.

Also on this date: 20th century America was slow to embrace professional football. Part of the reason was the attitude of college coaches, and it can be seen clearly in remarks made in 1922 by New York University football Coach Tom Thorp: “Professional football will never be widely popular in this country. . . . The reason is, in the player’s off-season he tends to become a bum . . . and loafs through the remainder of the year. He acquires nothing but habits of idleness and shiftlessness that probably ruin him for a useful career.”