Cowens, David W.
Basketball
b. Oct. 25, 1948, Newport, KY
Because he was only 6-foot-9, many thought Cowens would have to switch from center to forward when he entered the NBA with the Boston Celtics in 1970. But, as a center, he was named the league's most valuable player for the 1972-73 season.
Cowens was an All-American as a senior at Florida State, where he scored 1,479 points and had 1,340 rebounds. His offensive forte was a soft, left-handed jump shot from the 15- to 20-foot range. When bigger defenders moved out to try to stop that shot, Cowens would drive to the basket.
The fiery, 230-pound redhead played aggressively on offense and defense. He shared rookie of the year honors with Geoff Petrie in 1970-71, when he was seventh in the league in rebounding and led in fouls with 350, a Celtics' record. Cowens helped lead the Celtics to championships in 1974 and 1976. He became the team's player-coach for the 1978-79 season, but quit coaching after a 24-41 record and stayed with the team for one more season as a player.
After two years of retirement, Cowens played a final season with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1982-83. He scored 13,516 points in 766 regular season games, an average of 17.6 per game. He also had 10,444 rebounds and 2,910 assists.