Gruenig, "Ace" (Robert F.)
Basketball
b. March 12, 1913, Chicago, IL
d. Aug. 11, 1958
An outstanding high school player in Chicago, the 6-foot-9, 230-pound Gruenig joined the Rosenburg-Avery AAU team after graduating in 1931. He became one of the all-time great players in a period when many of the nation's best players joined AAU rather than playing professionally.
Gruenig, a powerful rebounder who was one of the first hook shot specialists, played for the Denver Safeway team that won the national championship in 1937 and was named an All-American for the first time. In 1939, he joined the Denver Nuggets and led them to the championship. He played for a third national champion in 1942, the Denver Legion.
When he retired in 1948, he had been an AAU All-American ten times in eleven seasons.