Nationality American 1940–1941 Chicago Bruins College Illinois (1937–1940) 1945–1946 Chicago American Gears | Pro career 1940–1948 Name Bill Hapac Position Guard / Forward Role Basketball Player | |
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Born January 26, 1918
Chicago, Illinois ( 1918-01-26 ) Died March 9, 1967, Chicago, Illinois, United States Education J. Sterling Morton High School East, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign | ||
William J. "Wild Bill" Hapac (January 26, 1918 – March 9, 1967) was the first consensus All-American to play for the University of Illinois men's basketball team when he garnered the recognition during his senior season of 1939–40. A native of Chicago, Illinois, Hapac was an all-state player for J. Sterling Morton High School East in 1935.
Hapac would star for the Fighting Illini before playing in the National Basketball League from 1940 to 1948. He set a then-unheard of Big Ten Conference single game scoring record of 34 points against Minnesota on February 10, 1940. His senior year, he was honored as a Consensus NCAA First Team All-American and was the first ever recipient of the University of Illinois' Athlete of the Year award. In addition to basketball, Hapac also lettered for three years while playing for the school's baseball team.
Hapac played professionally for the Chicago Bruins.