William B. "Bill" Chambers (born December 13, 1930) is an American former
college basketballCollege basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
player for the
William & Mary TribeThe William & Mary Tribe men's basketball team represents The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia in NCAA Division I competition. The school's team competes in the Colonial Athletic Association and play their home games in Kaplan Arena....
.
He attended
E. C. Glass High SchoolE. C. Glass High School is a public school in Lynchburg, Virginia. It was founded in 1871 as Lynchburg High School and was named for long-time Superintendent of Public Schools in Lynchburg, Edward Christian Glass.Some of the awards and recognition for E. C...
in
Lynchburg, VirginiaLynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in...
where he led his team to a state championship and an undefeated season (22–0) during his senior year.
Chambers then went on to play collegiately for The College of William & Mary in
Williamsburg, VirginiaWilliamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
from 1951–1953. He earned All-State, All-
Southern ConferenceThe Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...
and Helms All-American status while playing for the Tribe. On February 14 of his senior year, Chambers set an NCAA single game
reboundA rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made...
record of
51 against the
University of VirginiaThe University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. It is a record that still stands to this day. He was also selected as Virginia's Outstanding Collegiate Basketball Player that same year.
Bill Chambers ended his William & Mary career with 1,456 points, a total good enough for 7th all-time in Tribe men's basketball history. He also set the
VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
schools' record for rebounds in a single season when he grabbed
509 in 1951–52. His jersey number (#32) was retired and now hangs in the rafters of
William & Mary HallWilliam & Mary Hall is a building used for athletic events for The College of William & Mary Tribe sports teams in Williamsburg, Virginia. Kaplan Arena is the 8,600-seat multi-purpose arena within the Hall. When the extra bleachers are pulled out, however, it seats up to 11,300. The arena's floor...
.
In the
1953 NBA DraftThe 1953 NBA Draft was the seventh annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on April 24, 1953 before the 1953–54 season. In this draft, nine remaining NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players. In each round, the teams select in reverse...
, Chambers was selected by the Minneapolis Lakers as their 11th pick. Despite the selection, he was cut by the Lakers during pre-season.
In 1957, Bill returned to his alma mater to coach his former team after several years of highly successful high school coaching. Over the course of the next nine seasons (six of which were winning years), he compiled at 113–110 career record. It is still highest total number of wins in W&M history for a coach. The most notable win during his tenure was on January 30, 1960, when his unranked Tribe defeated No. 4
West Virginia UniversityWest Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
94–86. The win broke the Mountaineers' 56-game Southern Conference winning streak. For his accomplishments, Chambers has been inducted into the William & Mary
Hall of FameA hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
.
See also