Jerry Colangelo knew Dick Van Arsdale lengthy earlier than he made his first Phoenix Suns participant ever.
“I feel it was 1961,” Colangelo recollects. “I play for the College of Illinois and we play Indiana. I heard and browse concerning the (Dick and Tom) Van Arsdale twins, who had been freshmen. They got here in very seen coming from Indiana.
“As I used to be dribbling down the court docket, I noticed them sitting underneath the basket and I instantly knew it was them and made eye contact with each of them as I walked again up the court docket.”
Years later, Colangelo led the brand new Phoenix NBA franchise in 1968 and drafted Dick Van Arsdale with the primary decide within the enlargement draft. Colangelo understood this in additional methods than on the sphere.
“He represented the crew in addition to anybody may,” stated Colangelo, 85, who lengthy owned the franchise earlier than promoting it in 2004. “Should you had written it, it could not be higher, and the way he behaved, his life.”
The Suns introduced the demise of Van Arsdale on Monday. Born in Indianapolis, the “Authentic Solar” has died on the age of 81.
“We’re deeply saddened by the passing of Suns legend Dick Van Arsdale, the ‘Authentic Solar’ and member of our ‘Ring of Honor,'” the Suns stated in an announcement confirming Van Arsdale’s demise.
A 3-time All-Star, Van Arsdale performed his closing 9 NBA seasons with the Suns after spending his first three with the New York Knicks, who drafted him within the second spherical of the 1965 draft out of Indiana.
“He embodied, for my part, the type of participant and athlete that you’d need to begin a franchise with,” Colangelo stated. “He represented all the appropriate issues. He was a basketball purist. He was an incredible participant. He actually was.”
A shooter, Van Arsdale scored the franchise’s first factors, helped the Suns attain their first NBA Finals in 1976 and retired in 1977 because the all-time scoring chief with 12,060 factors.
“I had nice respect for him,” Colangelo stated. “He competed like hell. I imply, he was a extremely powerful man, for my part, and but, a mild soul.”
Van Arsdale and his twin, Tom, had been teammates in Phoenix throughout their closing NBA season in 1976-77. Dick Van Arsdale remained related to the Suns as a broadcaster, normal supervisor and senior vp of participant personnel.
“He performed completely different positions for me,” Colangelo stated. “He performed for me, he coached me. He did all of the completely different jobs. No matter accountability he was given, he was there.”
Van Arsdale was interim head coach of the Suns to complete the 1986-87 season. Changing John MacLeod, Van Arsdale went 14-12 for the Suns 36-46.
“The neighborhood was lucky to have a person with the character that Dick Van Arsdale represented,” Colangelo continued. “He represented the town, he represented the state, the franchise in addition to anybody may and everybody cherished him.”
Colangelo remembers that Van Arsdale wasn’t too eager on leaving New York for Phoenix, however the two established a lifelong bond.
“Once I first met him, he wasn’t the happiest man about change,” Colangelo stated. “He did not actually know something about Phoenix, Arizona, however we acquired alongside extraordinarily effectively and rapidly.”
Remembering the “Authentic Solar”: Dick Van Arsdale led a wealthy basketball life, highlighted by Phoenix’s 1976 playoff run
Invoice Shover additionally factored in Van Arsdale’s transition. Sover labored for the Pulliam household. Eugene C. Pulliam bought The Arizona Republic and Phoenix Gazette within the mid-Nineteen Forties.
Shover, a local of Indianapolis, got here to work for the 2 Phoenix publications. He was a promoter for the Indiana-Kentucky highschool all-star sport and developed a relationship with the Van Arsdale twins.
“Invoice turned my man once I acquired right here,” Colangelo stated. “He took me underneath his wing and helped me tremendously in the neighborhood and assembly everybody I wanted to. He had an incredible relationship with Dick. He was so excited for Dick to come back to Phoenix and I I stated to Dick, “We’ll do effectively. We’ll win and I need you to know that you will be right here in Phoenix for so long as I have been related to this crew, which turned out to be a very long time, about 50 years. »
Of their assertion Monday, the Suns known as Van Arsdale a “cornerstone” of the franchise who was “cherished all through the Suns group and fan base” over time. His quantity 5 is likely one of the jersey numbers retired by the crew.
“Our ideas are along with his family and friends, together with his twin brother and Suns teammate Tom, throughout this troublesome time,” the Suns concluded within the assertion.
Do you might have any ideas on the present state of the Suns? Contact Suns insider Duane Rankin at [email protected] or contact him at 480-810-5518. Observe him on X, previously Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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This text was initially printed on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Suns legend Dick Van Arsdale dies at 81
