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Looking forany autographRich Kelley
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 Rich Kelley: 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.
Stanford's 7-footer won bronze with Team USA at the 1974 FIBA World Championship, then became the New Orleans Jazz's first-round pick, seventh overall, in 1975. Across two Jazz tours in an eleven-season career, 1978-79 stands out — 15.7 points and 12.8 rebounds a game, second in the league on the glass, plus a then-franchise-record 166 blocked shots.
Then came a business life as varied as any ex-center's: a Stanford MBA, CEO of the minor-league San Jose Giants, early investments in Coinstar and other startups, and in 2004 co-founding Search Fund Partners. Stanford inducted him into its Athletics Hall of Fame in 1985.
HOW HE CAME & WENTNew Orleans took him seventh overall in 1975. He was traded to New Jersey in 1979 in the deal for Bernard King and came back to Utah in a February 1983 trade with Denver for Danny Schayes, staying through 1984-85.
- Full name
- Richard Ryland Kelley
- Jazz tenure — New Orleans & Utah
- 1975–79, 1982–85
- Position
- Center
- Born
- 1953, San Mateo, California
- Height
- 7′0″ (213 cm)
- Weight
- 236 lb (107 kg)
- College
- Stanford
- Drafted
- 1975, 1st round (No. 7), New Orleans
A card. A photo. A program. A page from an old autograph book. Anything he put his name on.
You do not need to know what it is. Take a photo with your phone and send it to me. I will tell you what you have, for free, whether or not anything comes of it. I pay the postage both ways. I answer every message myself, usually the same day.
With the Jazz
RICH KELLEY · 1975–79, 1982–85 · PER GAME| SEASON | TEAM | G | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975–76 | NOJ | 75 | 17.9 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.8 | .485 | — | .776 |
| 1976–77 | NOJ | 76 | 19.8 | 6.9 | 7.7 | 2.7 | 0.6 | 0.8 | .477 | — | .792 |
| 1977–78 | NOJ | 82 | 25.8 | 10.2 | 9.3 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 1.6 | .505 | — | .779 |
| 1978–79 | NOJ | 80 | 33.8 | 15.7 | 12.8 | 3.6 | 1.6 | 2.1 | .506 | — | .814 |
| 1982–83 | UTA | 32 | 24.4 | 7.2 | 7.3 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 0.7 | .467 | — | .829 |
| 1983–84 | UTA | 75 | 22.3 | 5.2 | 6.5 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.4 | .500 | — | .765 |
| 1984–85 | UTA | 77 | 16.6 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 0.4 | .477 | .000 | .750 |
| JAZZ TOTAL | 7 SEASONS | 497 | 22.9 | 8.1 | 8.0 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 1.0 | .494 | .000 | .791 |
Season by season, regular season, with this franchise only. More info: Basketball-Reference ↗ · Wikipedia ↗
Did you know
RICH KELLEY · 6 NOTES- Was drafted by the Jazz in New Orleans and returned to the franchise years later in Utah.
- Earned a Stanford MBA and went into finance after basketball — long regarded as one of the most intellectual men ever to play the position.
- His post-basketball résumé runs from CEO of baseball's San Jose Giants to early stakes in tech startups like Coinstar.
- He averaged a double-double across three Stanford seasons, 18.6 points and 12.4 rebounds, and was a three-time All-Pac-8 pick.
- The ABA's New York Nets drafted him as an underclassman in 1974, but he turned them down to finish at Stanford.
- He was part of the Jazz side that won the 1983-84 Midwest Division title.