Top 10 Louisville Cardinals Basketball Players of All Time

Top 10 Cardinals

The Louisville Cardinals have one of the greatest traditions in College Basketball history. Today, we will take at look at the Top 10 Cardinals of all time! Check out the best game previews and College Basketball news on the Grueling Truth!

10. Derek Smith

Smith was a starter on the 1980 national championship team and is one of 19 Cardinals to have his jersey retired. He ranks sixth on the University of Louisville’s all-time scoring list with 1,826 career points. Smith was a three-time All-Metro Conference performer and was named the league’s Player of the Year in 1981. As a member of the renowned “Doctors of Dunk,” he and teammate Wiley Brown are widely believed to have invented, or at least popularized, the high five.

Derek Smith tribute [Louisville Cardinals, Clippers, Kings] – Christmas Eve, 1996 | Fox Sports News

9. Rodney McCray

One of only four players in U of L history to exceed both 1,000 career points and rebounds, McCray began his collegiate career as a freshman on the 1980 national championship team and was also a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team. Known as one of the most exciting players in Cardinal history, he was named the Metro Conference Player of the Year during his senior year in 1983. McCray went on to have a successful ten-season career in the NBA.

12 26 81 #8 Louisville at #13 DePaul 1 of 2

8. DeAJuan Wheat

Louisville’s second all-time leader in scoring (2,183 points) and three-point field goals (323), Wheat also ranks fourth all-time at U of L in assists (498). As a senior, he was named Honorable Mention All-America by The Associated Press, as well as Third Team All-America by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and Second Team All-America by The Sporting News. He led the Cardinals in scoring (17.3), assists (career-high 4.3), steals (career-high 1.94), three-point field goals (career-high 97) and minutes played (34.9 per game) as a senior and had 15 games with 20 or more points. The former Ballard High star helped lead the Cards to the Sweet 16 in 1996 and the Elite Eight a season later.

DeJuan Wheat jersey honored

7. Junior Bridgeman

Ulysses “Junior” Bridgeman was named the Player of the Year in the Missouri Valley Conference twice. He later had his jersey retired by the Milwaukee Bucks. As a senior, he earned All-America honors by averaging 16.1 points per game and leading the Cardinals to the Final Four in 1975.

Junior Bridgeman Talks 1975 Louisville Final Four Team

6. Milt Wagner

Wagner played a pivotal role in leading the Louisville Cardinals to the 1986 NCAA Championship. During his time with the team, he also contributed to three Final Four appearances in 1982, 1983, and 1986, as well as a trip to the Sweet Sixteen in 1984. Over the course of his college career, he helped the Cardinals achieve an impressive record of 113 wins and 32 losses, securing three Metro Conference regular-season titles and two Metro Conference Tournament championships. He redshirted the 1985 season due to a broken foot.

MILT WAGNER – CAMDEN HIGH

5. Butch Beard

Beard teamed with Wes Unseld on two Cardinals teams that reached the NCAA Sweet 16. Beard scored more than 1,500 points in his career as a Cardinal.One of only two U of L players to average 20 points or more in multiple seasons, Beard holds the Cardinal record for points in a conference game with 41 and ranks second on Louisville’s career scoring average list. He was a two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference selection, and was an All-American in 1969. Beard went on to play nine seasons in the NBA and coached the New Jersey Nets.

Butch Beard: Mr. Basketball, UofL Hall of Famer, NBA All-Star / Champion – AIR113

4. Pervis Ellison

Ellison burst onto the scene in the 1986 Final Four, where he was named the most outstanding player. As a freshman, he was good, but nobody saw his final four performances coming. In some way, he was chasing the final four performances the rest of his career, but Ellison was one of the greatest shot-blockers and Rebounders in school history.

Pervis Ellison, famously known as “Never Nervous Pervis,” is the only player in the history of the University of Louisville to achieve over 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. He made history in 1989 when he became the first Louisville player to be selected as the number one overall pick in the NBA Draft, chosen by the Sacramento Kings. Ellison holds the record as Louisville’s all-time leading shot blocker, having blocked at least one shot in 130 of his 136 collegiate games. Additionally, he ranks as the school’s third leading scorer. In 1986, he led the Cardinals to a national championship and distinguished himself by becoming the first freshman since 1944 to be named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.

Pervis Ellison Part 2

3. Charlie Tyra

Tyra became Louisville’s first All-American and led the team to the 1956 NIT championship, and remember, in 1956, winning an NIT was a big deal. Tyra was the man that prompted Louisville’s program to national prominence. Tyra once had 38 rebounds in a game.

Charlie Tyra, Louisville’s all-time leading rebounder, played a pivotal role in leading the University of Louisville (U of L) to its first NIT title in 1956. He was a consensus All-American in both the 1955-56 and 1956-57 seasons. Tyra set the school record for rebounds in a single game, grabbing an impressive 39 boards against Canisius. He ranks first in made free throws, second in career rebounding average, fourth in career scoring average, fifth in total career scoring, and eighth in field goals made. Additionally, he is likely among the top 10 for most impressive body hair.

Greatest Cardinals Hoopster Of All-Time?

2. Wes Unseld

Unseld was a powerful man who could outrebound the best 7-footers in the Nation at the time. Unseld averaged over 20 points as a Cardinal and led the Cardinals to two NCAA Tournament appearances.

In 1964, Wes Unseld began his basketball career at the University of Louisville, where he averaged 35.8 points and 23.6 rebounds per game over 14 games with the freshman team. He was a three-time letter winner, scoring a total of 1,686 points in 82 games, which averages out to 20.6 points per game. Unseld also grabbed 1,551 rebounds, averaging 18.9 rebounds per game. He led the conference in rebounding in 1966, 1967, and 1968, and helped Louisville achieve a record of 60 wins and 22 losses, which included two trips to the NCAA tournament and one trip to the NIT. Unseld went on to make history as the first player in the NBA to win both the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards in the same season.

Louisville Cardinal Basketball Great Wes Unseld Passes Away

1. Darrell Griffith

Griffith was a local kid made good as he led the Cardinals to their first-ever National Championship in 1980. Griffith was so important to the Louisville program that they didn’t even wait until Griffith was gone to retire his number. Griffith’s senior season included 825 points, a .553 shooting percentage, consensus All-American honors, and the Most Outstanding Player award at the Final Four. With 23 points, Griffith was the only Louisville player to score in double figures in the 59-54 title-game victory over UCLA. With 2,333 points, he remains U of L’s career scoring leader.

Darrell Griffith aka “Dr. Dunkenstein”