Rick Roberson

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 Rick Roberson: what he did on the floor, a few things most people never knew, and every card that carries his name. If you have a better example of his signature, or a story about it, the note at the foot of this page still stands.

Memphis-born and Cincinnati-schooled, Roberson blocked ten shots in a 1967 triple-double that still stands as a share of the Bearcats single-game record. The Lakers took him 15th overall in 1969, and as a rookie he shored up the front line of a Finals team while Wilt Chamberlain sat injured. In Cleveland he grabbed 25 rebounds in a game, a franchise record not tied until 2014. Injuries limited his 1974-75 stop with the New Orleans Jazz to 16 games at 7.4 points and 7.4 rebounds.

An undersized center at 6-foot-9, he made his living on quickness, switching out to guard smaller men face-to-face. His son Chris reached the majors during a long professional baseball career. Roberson died in May 2020 at 72.

HOW HE CAME & WENTHe was traded to the expansion Jazz for his sixth season and fourth team. It was a brief and largely lost stint, and the club waived him.

New Orleans Jazz tenure

1974–75

Position

Center

Born

1947, Memphis

Died

2020

Height

6′9″ (206 cm)

Weight

231 lb (105 kg)

College

Cincinnati

Drafted

1969, 1st round (No. 15), Los Angeles Lakers