Sam Worthen

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 Sam Worthen: 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.

New York playground royalty, named one of ESPN's Elite 24 Rucker Park legends, Worthen became an All-American point guard at Marquette. The Bulls drafted him in the second round in 1980, and his two NBA seasons ended with the Utah Jazz in 1981-82.

Then came a coaching life like few others: USBL championships with Springfield, Miami, and New Haven, CBA benches from Albany to Fort Wayne, fifteen years as player-coach of the Harlem Wizards, and a turn as coach of the Washington Generals, losing nightly to the Globetrotters in a pink tutu and tiara when the skits demanded it. In 2003, 23 years after leaving for the NBA, he completed his Marquette degree.

HOW HE CAME & WENTA Chicago second-rounder in 1980, he came to Utah for 1981-82, his second and final NBA season.

Full name

Samuel Lee Worthen

Utah Jazz tenure

1981–82

Position

Guard

Born

1958, Brooklyn, New York

Height

6′5″ (196 cm)

Weight

194 lb (88 kg)

College

Marquette

Drafted

1980, 2nd round, Chicago