Gene Rock

Who was Gene Rock?

Eugene "Gene" Rock was an American professional basketball player who played in the Professional Basketball League of America and the Basketball Association of America during the 1947–48 season. A native of Huntington Beach, California, Rock attended Huntington Beach High School before enrolling at the University of Southern California to play basketball. While at USC, Rock earned varsity letters in 1942, 1943 and 1947. Like many male college athletes during his day, Rock served in the military for two years before finishing college; he was in the Marine Corps. Rock led the Trojans in scoring during 1942–43 and again in 1946–47. During the former season, USC finished with a then-school record 23–5 mark en route to winning the Pacific Coast League Southern Division title. Rock was also a teammate of future College Basketball Hall of Fame coach Tex Winter.

After his college career ended, Rock went on to play for the Birmingham Skyhawks in the PBLA, which was a professional basketball league that lasted for less than one full season due to underfunding. He averaged 6.9 points per game in seven games before the league folded. Rock then signed with the Chicago Stags of the BAA. In 11 games played, he averaged 0.9 points. His basketball career ended after the season, and Rock went on to work for the Los Angeles Police Department, where he eventually became a captain. Rock retired in 1979, and lived the rest of his life in the San Diego area. On October 31, 2002, he succumbed to cancer.