University of Connecticut Athletics
Six Centers Span Six Decades On UConn Men's Basketball All-Century Team
2/1/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The six centers named to the 25-member UConn Basketball All- Century Team include: Walt Dropo (1942-47), Art Quimby (1951-55), Toby Kimball (1962-65), Bill Corley (1965-68), Travis Knight (1992-96), Jake Voskuhl (1996-00).
The six centers named to the UConn Basketball All-Century Team were selected following voting by UConn fans. The voting, conducted both via hard ballots and on-line via computer, took place during the months of November and December. A total of 78 former UConn basketball standouts were listed on the original ballot and 25 Husky greats are being named to the All-Century Team. The All-Century forwards will be announced on February 8 and the All-Century guards will be announced on February 15.
WALT DROPO (1942-47) (6-5, Moosup, CT): UConn's
most recognized three-sport varsity athlete, Walt Dropo averaged
20.7 points per game during a three-season Husky varsity
basketball career which was interrupted by World War II. He still
ranks No. 2 on the all-time career scoring average list. Following
his college career, Dropo was selected by Providence in the first-
ever NBA Draft in July of 1947. He had professional
opportunities in football, basketball and baseball. Dropo signed a
pro baseball contract with the Boston Red Sox and was the
American League Rookie of the Year in 1950 when he hit .322
with 34 home runs and 144 runs batted in. He played 13 seasons
in the major leagues and set a major league record in 1952 with
the Detroit Tigers when he recorded 12 consecutive base hits. In
1998, Walt Dropo was named to the UConn Football 100th
Anniversary All-Time Team. One of three brothers, along with his
late brothers Milt and George, from the village of Moosup in
Eastern Connecticut to become standout student-athletes at
UConn. Walt Dropo, a success in the business world after his
professional career (the Dropo family operated a nationwide
import fireworks company), currently resides in Boston.
ART QUIMBY (1951-55) (6-5, New London, CT): Art
Quimby totaled more points (1,398) and rebounds (1,716)
combined than any player in UConn history (3,114) and ranks No.
1 in school history in total career rebounds and career rebound
average (21.5/game). He was a standout on four consecutive
Yankee Conference Championship teams which totaled an overall
record of 80-19 while earning a 1954 NCAA berth and UConn's
first NIT bid in 1955. Quimby led the nation in total rebounds in
both his junior (588) and senior (611) seasons and also led the
country in rebound average as a junior (22.6/game). He was No.
2 in the nation in rebound average as a senior with a stunning
UConn school record of 24.4/game. He ranks No. 14 in career
scoring and led the Huskies in both scoring and rebounding his
final three college seasons. Quimby concluded his four-year, 80-
game UConn varsity career averaging 17.5 points per game while
adding 21.5 rebounds per game. He was a three-time All-Yankee
Conference First Team selection from 1952-53 through 1954-55.
After graduation from UConn, Art was selected in the 1955 NBA
Draft by the Rochester Royals. Quimby spent many years in
Educational Administration in Connecticut, retiring as
Superintendent of Schools for the Vocational Technical Schools in
the State of Connecticut. He resides in Columbia, CT with his
wife Judy and they have three children--sons James and Paul,
and daughter Kate.
TOBY KIMBALL (1962-65) (6-8, Sudbury, MA): Toby
Kimball led the nation in both total rebounds (483) and rebound
average (21.0/game) as a senior as UConn posted a 23-3 overall
record and was ranked No. 15 in the nation. He completed a
three-year varsity career as the man in the middle on three
consecutive Yankee Conference Championship teams, all three
earning NCAA Tournament invitations. Toby ranks No. 2 at
UConn in both career rebounds (1,324) and rebound average
(17.9/game) and stands No. 6 in career scoring average
(18.4/game) and No. 16 in career scoring (1,361 points). A three-
time All-Yankee Conference and All-New England First Team
selection, Toby directed the Huskies to a 57-21 three-year record,
including a berth in the NCAA "Elite Eight" as a junior in 1963-64.
After graduation from UConn in 1965, Toby was selected in the
NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics but elected to play during the
1965-66 season in the Italian League, where he led his team to the
European Championship in Rome. Kimball then returned to play
for the Celtics in 1966-67, beginning a nine-year NBA career as a
member of six different teams. He concluded his NBA career in
1975 having played in 585 games, scoring more than 3,500 points
and adding more than 3,900 rebounds. In 1990, during the NCAA
"Final Four", Toby Kimball was honored by the National
Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) as a member of the
Silver Anniversary All-America Team. Kimball resides in La
Jolla, CA with his wife, Helen, a graduate of the UConn School of
Nursing. Toby is the owner of SW Trophy & Awards and Gold
Medalion Awards in San Diego. The Kimball's have a son, Tim,
who works for KCAL-TV in Los Angeles, CA.
BILL CORLEY (1965-68) (6-7, Williston Park, NY): Bill
Corley established the UConn basketball single-game scoring
record on January 10, 1968 when he scored 51 points vs. New
Hampshire. In three varsity seasons, he averaged a "double-
double" with 16.9 points per game and 13.7 rebounds per game.
His career rebound average is No. 3 all-time behind only Art
Quimby and Toby Kimball. He was a three-time All-Yankee
Conference First Team selection and scored 21.1/game while
adding 15.2 rebounds per game as a senior. Corley ranks No. 23
on the UConn career scoring list with 1,219 points. Bill Corley
was drafted in the 1968 NBA Draft by the San Diego Rockets
and traveled the world playing basketball as a member of the
Harlem Wizards. He then established himself in the business
world, spending 25 years with IBM and rising to the rank of
Senior Program Manager of Global Channel Marketing. Bill
Corley passed away at age 52 on July 31, 1999 in Marietta,
Georgia. He is survived by his wife Kathy and three
children--Angela, Lauren, and William Jr.
TRAVIS KNIGHT (1992-1996) (7-0, Sandy, UT): Travis
Knight was the UConn center in the three most dominant years in
BIG EAST Conference men's basketball history (49-5 league
record and three consecutive BIG EAST regular season
championships). He also earned BIG EAST All-Tournament
honors as a senior in 1996, averaging 12.0 points and 12.7
rebounds per game as the Huskies won the BIG EAST tourney
championship. He was a key member of a four-year period at
Connecticut which produced a 102-25 overall record, including
two NCAA "Sweet 16" teams and one NCAA "Final 8" squad.
During his final three seasons at UConn, the Huskies won seven
NCAA games and were ranked in the National Top 10 for three
consecutive years. He led UConn in rebounding and blocked shots
in his junior and senior seasons and ranks No. 3 in career blocked
shots (179) and is No. 14 on the all-time rebound list (747). After
graduating from UConn in 1996, Travis was a NBA First Round
Draft selection in 1996 and earned a NBA World Championship
ring in 2000 as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. He is
currently in his fifth NBA season as a member of the New York
Knicks. Travis resides in Rye Brook, NY and has a one-year old
daughter Natasha.
JAKE VOSKUHL (1999-2000) (6-11, Katy, TX): Jake
Voskuhl completed his four-year UConn career owning the school
record for career starts (135) and ranked No. 2 in career games
played (138). He is No. 2 in career blocked shots (193), No. 4 in
career field goal percentage (54.2%), and No. 7 in total rebounds
(880). A rare four-year starter, Jake was the anchor in the middle
for a school record-setting four-year overall mark of 109-32,
including back-to-back BIG EAST regular season and tournament
championships, and three trips to the NCAA Championship
Tournament, including winning the 1999 National Championship.
He played a major role at UConn during an overall four-year post-
season national tournament record of 14-3. After graduating from
UConn in 2000, Jake Voskuhl was selected in the NBA Draft and
signed a three-year contract with the Chicago Bulls. He and his
wife Jennifer reside in Chicago.
A Connecticut Basketball All-Century Team Celebration and Awards Dinner will be held during the summer at a date and place to be announced.
The UConn men's basketball program is celebrating a century of varsity competition during the current 2000-2001 college basketball season. The first varsity year for men's basketball at Connecticut was the 1901-1902 season.
