Michael Ruffin

One collector is trying to find a single signature from every man who ever played for the Jazz — all 370 of them, from the 1974 New Orleans team to today. For many of them, this page is the only one on the internet. Here is Michael Ruffin: what he did on the floor, a few things most people never knew, and every card that carries his name. If you own something he signed — or you know who might — there is a note at the foot of this page.

A chemical engineering student at Tulsa, Ruffin made the NBA on defense and rebounding alone — 1.7 points but 3.9 boards a game across nine seasons after Chicago drafted him in the second round in 1999. His year with the Jazz came in 2003-04, one stop in a career that also ran through Philadelphia, Washington, Milwaukee and Portland.

He is remembered for one cruel blooper — a clock-killing toss in 2007 that landed in Toronto hands for a game-tying three — but his real legacy is on the bench: player development with the Pelicans, then assistant jobs leading to the Phoenix Suns staff in 2021.

HOW HE CAME & WENTHe signed a one-year contract on August 6, 2003 and became a free agent when it ran out.

Full name

Michael David Ruffin

Utah Jazz tenure

2003–04

Position

Forward

Born

1977, Denver, Colorado

Height

6′9″ (206 cm)

Weight

247 lb (112 kg)

College

Tulsa

Drafted

1999, 2nd round (No. 32), Chicago