Robert “Bobby” Dandridge
Maggie L. Walker High, Richmond (1965)
Basketball
Robert “Bobby” Dandridge is among Virginia’s all-time great basketball players. He developed his skills under legendary coach Arthur “Stretch” Gardner at VIA Group I Maggie L. Walker High School. He attended Norfolk State University where he was selected as an All-CIAA player from 1967 to 1969 and was CIAA Tournament Most Valuable Player in 1968. In his senior year, he scored 32.9 points per game on the nation’s highest scoring team, which averaged 110 points per game. As a fourth round draft pick of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, he was selected to the league’s All-Rookie Team in 1970. He was a key player on NBA World Championship Teams with the Milwaukee Bucks (1972) and the Washington Bullets (1978). Known for his remarkable ability to run the court, he earned the nickname “the Greyhound” and played at a consistently high level on both offense and defense, usually guarding the opponents’ best offensive player. He was an NBA All-Star four times and an All-Defensive player in 1979. That consistency was evidenced by career averages of 18.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. In 98 career playoff games, his averages increased to 20.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Retiring after 13 professional seasons in 1982, he scored a total of 15,530 points. The Bucks retired his uniform number “10” in 2015. Mr. Dandridge has been elected to the Norfolk State University Athletics Hall of Fame (1983), the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame (1992) and the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame (2012). He currently lives in Norfolk, VA.