An eight-foot tall bronze statue of Wichita State Basketball legend Dave “The Rave” Stallworth was unveiled outside Koch arena this morning near the main entrance. Stallworth was a standout player who led the 1965 team to the Final Four, holds 18 school records, including the highest career point-per-game average (24.2), and was a two-time All-American. In the 1965 NBA Draft, he was taken third overall by the New York Knicks, who he won a championship with in 1970.
Stallworth played eight seasons in the NBA and came back after suffering a heart attack in 1967, his second year in the league. As a back-up on the 1969-1970 New York Knicks, Stallworth was called to action after star center Willis Reed was injured in Game 5. Stallworth stifled Wilt Chamberlain with his defense and made a reverse layup that clinched a 16 point comeback by the Knicks. Wayne Coffey, a New York Daily News journalist and writer called it “one of the most dramatic moments of the season.”
After his playing career ended in 1975, Stallworth returned to Wichita and lived a quiet life. He and Gloria, his wife of 29 years, raised five children and he was employed by Boeing for 25 years. Stallworth passed away in March of 2017.
