Larry Siegfried

Siegfried led Ohio in scoring as a senior at Shelby High School.[1]

Siegfried played college basketball for Ohio State University, and his tenure there overlapped with future Hall-of-Famers Jerry Lucas and John Havlicek. Siegfried, a junior high scoring guard, and Joe Roberts, a senior forward, were the two holdover starters when three outstanding sophomores, Lucas, Havlicek and guard Mel Nowell arrived for the 1959–60 season. Siegfried adjusted his scoring to allow for Lucas and Nowell while joining Roberts and Havlicek as a key defender. Siegfried was also an excellent free throw shooter few risked fouling. The Ohio State Co-Captain of the 1960 team, Siegfried played a key role in the Buckeyes run to the 1960 NCAA title. All five starters from that team later played in the NBA, which then had just nine teams and eleven players per team. Future coach Bobby Knight was a reserve on that team as well. Said Knight of Siegfried, "I never saw a better guard in the Big Ten than Larry Siegfried. He was a great player. He was tough as hell. He was physical, he could jump . . . if I had my choice of any guard who played in the Big Ten when I coached and everything else, I'd have a hard time picking someone else."[2]

For the 1960–61 season, Siegfried was team captain outright. The team went undefeated until the NCAA Final, when they were upset by Cincinnati. Siegfried was named to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team. Also named All-Big Ten, Siegfried did not get the All-American consideration he may have been due because of the star presence of Lucas. Siegfried did play in the 1960 US Olympic Trials for the Rome Games.

Following his NBA career, Siegfried counseled prisoners at the Mansfield Correctional Institution in Ohio and did motivational speaking.He also served briefly as the Executive Director of the Central Ohio Chapter of The Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC).[4] He died of a heart attack on October 14, 2010.[5]