Bus Whitehead

Bus Whitehead
	Whitehead with the Phillips 66ers
Personal information
Born	January 13, 1928; Kansas City, Kansas
Died	June 11, 2010 (aged 82); Lincoln, Nebraska
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight	210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school	Scottsbluff (Scottsbluff, Nebraska)
College	Nebraska (1947–1950)
NBA draft	1950: 7th round, 75th overall pick
	Selected by the Chicago Stags
Position	Center / power forward
Number	14, 52
Career history
1950–1953	Phillips 66ers
Career highlights and awards
	AAU All-American (1952); AP Honorable Mention All-American (1950); First-team All-Big Seven (1950);
	Stats at Basketball Reference

Milton Edgar "Bus" Whitehead (January 13, 1928 – June 11, 2010).^[1] was an American basketball player. He was an All-conference college player for the University of Nebraska and was an AAU All-American for league power Phillips 66.

Whitehead came to the Cornhuskers from Scottsbluff, Nebraska and led the Huskers to back to back Big Seven Conference titles in 1949 and 1950. In the 1948–49 season, Whitehead teamed with guard Claude Retherford as the Huskers tied Oklahoma for the Big Seven title. After Retherford's graduation, Whitehead became the focal point of the Nebraska offense for 1949–50. Averaging 15.7 points per game (then a school single-season record), Whitehead was the only unanimous member of the Big Seven all-conference first team.^[2] He was also named an honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press.^[3] Following the season, Whitehead became the first Nebraska player selected to play in the East-West college All-Star game.

After graduation, Whitehead was drafted by the Chicago Stags in the seventh round of the 1950 NBA draft. Instead, Whitehead chose to play for the Phillips 66ers of the Amateur Athletic Union and in 1952 was named an AAU All-American. After his time with the 66ers, Whitehead entered private business. He also spent a season as an assistant coach at his alma mater.^[1]

Whitehead was named to the University of Nebraska Athletic Hall of Fame and the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame. In 2011, the University of Nebraska named the court of their new practice facility the "Bus Whitehead Court," in honor of their All-American center.^[4]

Bus Whitehead died on June 11, 2010, at his home in Lincoln, Nebraska.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Obituary:Whitehead, Milton E. "Bus" Jr". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
^ "Bus Whitehead Unanimous Choice For All-Big Seven Cage Honors". The Lincoln Star. 12 March 1950. p. 19. Retrieved September 3, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "1950 AP All-America Basketball Team". The Bee. 9 March 1950. p. 28. Retrieved September 3, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Nebraska Unveils Hendricks Training Complex". Scout.com. Retrieved September 3, 2014.

[OBIT-1] "Obituary:Whitehead, Milton E. "Bus" Jr". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved September 3, 2014.

[2] "Bus Whitehead Unanimous Choice For All-Big Seven Cage Honors". The Lincoln Star. 12 March 1950. p. 19. Retrieved September 3, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.

[3] "1950 AP All-America Basketball Team". The Bee. 9 March 1950. p. 28. Retrieved September 3, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] "Nebraska Unveils Hendricks Training Complex". Scout.com. Retrieved September 3, 2014.

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