Bumper Tormohlen

Bumper Tormohlen
Personal information
Born(1937-05-12)May 12, 1937
Holland, Indiana, U.S.
DiedDecember 27, 2018(2018-12-27) (aged 81)
Spring Hill, Tennessee, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High schoolHolland (Holland, Indiana)
CollegeTennessee (1956–1959)
NBA draft1959: 2nd round, 11th overall pick
Drafted bySyracuse Nationals
Playing career1961–1970
PositionPower forward / center
Number12, 34
Coaching career1968–1982
Career history
Playing
1959–1961Cleveland Pipers
1961–1963Kansas City Steers
1963–1970St. Louis / Atlanta Hawks
Coaching
1968–1970;
1974–1976		Atlanta Hawks (assistant)
1976Atlanta Hawks (interim)
1976–1979;
1981–1982		Chicago Bulls (assistant)
Career highlights
Career NBA statistics
Points1,191 (4.4 ppg)
Rebounds1,122 (4.1 rpg)
Assists257 (0.9 apg)
Stats at NBA.com 
Stats at Basketball Reference 

Eugene R. "Bumper" Tormohlen (May 12, 1937 – December 27, 2018) was an American professional basketball player and coach.

Early life

Tormohlen was born on May 12, 1937, in Holland, Indiana, to Albert and Louise (Weitkamp) Tormohlen.[1][2] He attended Holland High School (later consolidated into Southridge High School in Huntingburg, Indiana), graduating in 1955.[1][3][4] Tormohlen was a three-year starter in basketball for the Holland High Dutchmen.[5][2] As of 2017, he was one of only four Holland High graduates to be on the honors banner at Huntingburg Memorial Gym.[4]

He helped lead the Dutchmen to an IHSAA Sectional in 1953.

College career

In 1955, Tormohlen received a basketball scholarship to attend the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.[2] Tennessee's head coach Emmett Lowery[6] was born in Oakland City, Indiana,[7] and had been a star basketball player at Indianapolis Tech High School and with the Purdue Boilermakers.[8][9]

Tormohlen played center for the Tennessee Volunteers in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and was a three-year starter on the varsity team.[2][10] As a sophomore (1956–57), Tormohlen averaged 12.5 points and led the Vols with 16.2 rebounds per game.[11] He was second in the SEC in rebounding average per game.[12] As a junior, he averaged 16.2 points and 16.7 rebounds per game, leading the team in both categories,[13] and leading the SEC in rebounding average.[14] He was named first-team All-SEC that season.[15] Both the Associated Press (AP) and United Press named Tormohlen first-team All-SEC.[16]

As a senior (1958–59), Tormohlen averaged college career-highs of 17.8 points and 17.7 rebounds per game, leading Tennessee in both categories that season.[17] He led the SEC in rebounding average as well,[18] and was second in the nation in rebounding average that season.[19] The AP named him first-team All-SEC for the second consecutive season,[20] as did United Press International.[21] The AP also named him an honorable mention for All-American.[22]

Tormohlen's career 16.86 rebounds per game average ranks third all-time in SEC history,[23] and first in Tennessee history (as of 2025–26).[23][24] His 1,113 total rebounds ranks 13th all-time in SEC history and first in Tennessee history (as of 2025–26).[25][24]

He was named to Converse's All-American team and become known to scores of Vols fans as the "Chairman of the Boards".

Professional career

After a splendid college career at the University of Tennessee, Tormohlen was selected with the fifth pick in the second round of the 1959 NBA draft by the Syracuse Nationals. However, his first years as a pro were spent in the NIBL with the Cleveland Pipers before being traded to the Kansas City Steers in the fledgling American Basketball League. After two seasons in that league, he moved to the NBA, joining the St. Louis Hawks) in 1962. His entire NBA playing career was with the Hawks; five seasons in St. Louis and one season in Atlanta. He retired as an NBA player in 1970, having spent the 1968-68 & 1969–70 seasons as a player-coach for the Hawks. He was a member of the 1970 Western Division champions during his final season in uniform.

Coaching and scouting career

He remained with the Hawks, becoming an assistant coach for four seasons. With the Hawks at 28–46 and mired in a ten-game losing streak, he was promoted to replace Cotton Fitzsimmons on an interim basis on March 30, 1976.[26] The next season, the team hired Hubie Brown as their full-time head coach. He spent several seasons as the Director of College Scouting for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Honors

In 1987, Tormohlen was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.[2] In 2009, he was voted as among the top-20 players in Tennessee's 100-year history.[2]

Personal life and death

Tormohlen died on December 27, 2018, at age 81.[27]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Source[1]

Regular season

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1962–63 St. Louis 7 6.7 .500 .200 2.1 .7 1.7
1963–64 St. Louis 51 12.5 .376 .478 4.2 1.0 4.1
1965–66 St. Louis 71 10.9 .444 .659 4.4 .8 4.8
1966–67 St. Louis 63 16.4 .427 .595 5.5 1.2 6.3
1967–68 St. Louis 77 9.3 .374 .589 2.9 .9 3.0
1969–70 Atlanta 2 5.5 .500 – 2.0 .5 2.0
Career 271 11.9 .411 .579 4.1 .9 4.4

Playoffs

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1963 St. Louis 5 3.0 .400 – 1.0 .6 1.6
1964 St. Louis 6 6.5 .385 .600 2.3 .8 2.2
1966 St. Louis 6 6.3 .200 .750 3.0 1.0 1.2
1967 St. Louis 6 8.7 .524 .400 3.7 .3 4.0
1968 St. Louis 3 8.3 .333 .750 2.0 1.7 2.3
Career 26 6.5 .400 .611 2.5 .8 2.3

Head coaching record

Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
Atlanta 1975–76 8 1 7 .125 5th in Central — — — — Missed playoffs

Source[28]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Gene Tormohlen NBA player stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Deaths, Gene Tormohle 81, Lawrenceville, Ga". The Herald (Jasper, Indiana). December 31, 2018. p. 5.
  3. ^ ""Taxpayers not satisfied"". The Huntingburg Independent (Huntingburg, Indiana). April 4, 1974. p. 1.
  4. ^ a b Swanson, Pete (January 10, 2017). "Todrank honored in Indiana high school gyms". Princeton Daily Clarion (Princeton, Indiana). pp. B6.
  5. ^ "Holland Too Tough For Mater Dei, 56–47". The Evansville Press (Evansville, Indiana). February 13, 1954. p. 6.
  6. ^ "Emmett Lowery Coaching Record". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
  7. ^ Welsch, Jack (December 23, 1953). "Hoosier-Born Coach Lowery Expects to Have Tennessee At Full Strength for Game With Aces at Owensboro". The Evansville Courier (Evansville, Indiana). pp. Twenty.
  8. ^ "Boys' Basketball State Finals History". The Herald Times (Bloomington, Indiana). March 29, 2003. pp. B6.
  9. ^ McCawley, Harry (November 30, 1995). "Found medal just tip of the iceberg". The Republic (Columbus, Indiana). pp. A4.
  10. ^ "Gene Tormohlen College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
  11. ^ "1956-57 Tennessee Volunteers Men's Roster and Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
  12. ^ "1956-57 Men's Southeastern Conference Leaders". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
  13. ^ "1957-58 Tennessee Volunteers Men's Roster and Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
  14. ^ "1957-58 Men's Southeastern Conference Leaders". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
  15. ^ "Men's All-Southeastern Conference Winners". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
  16. ^ "U-T's Gene Tormohlen on UP, AP All-SEC teams". The Knoxville News-Sentinel (Knoxville, Tennessee). March 7, 1958. p. 14.
  17. ^ "1958-59 Tennessee Volunteers Men's Roster and Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
  18. ^ "1958-59 Men's Southeastern Conference Leaders". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
  19. ^ "1958-59 Men's College Basketball Leaders". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
  20. ^ Bailey, Mercer (February 28, 1959). "Howell Tops SEC Pick". The Montgomery Advertiser (Montgomery, Alabama). pp. Two–B.
  21. ^ "All-SEC Selections In UPI Poll". The Lexington Herald (Lexington, Kentucky). March 6, 1959. p. 11.
  22. ^ "AP All-America Squad". The Lexington Herald (Lexington, Kentucky). March 6, 1959. p. 11.
  23. ^ a b "Men's Southeastern Conference Career Leaders and Records for Total Rebounds Per Game". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
  24. ^ a b "Tennessee Men's Basketball Leaders & Records - Career". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
  25. ^ "Men's Southeastern Conference Career Leaders and Records for Total Rebounds". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
  26. ^ "Cotton pickin'," The Associated Press (AP), Wednesday, March 31, 1976. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  27. ^ "Tennessee Basketball Great Gene Tormohlen Passes Away". wtlv.tv. December 31, 2018. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  28. ^ "Gene Tormohlen: Coaching Record, Awards". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
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