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Erwin Mueller

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This is an article about the basketball player. For the physicist, see Erwin Wilhelm Müller.
Erwin Mueller
Personal information
Born(1944-03-12)March 12, 1944
Livermore, California, U.S.
DiedJune 7, 2018(2018-06-07) (aged 74)
North Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High schoolLivermore (Livermore, California)
CollegeSan Francisco (1963–1966)
NBA draft1966: 2nd round, 20th overall pick
Drafted byChicago Bulls
Playing career1966–1973
PositionPower forward / center
Number14, 34, 6, 24, 51, 35
Career history
1966–1968Chicago Bulls
1968Los Angeles Lakers
1968–1969Chicago Bulls
1969Seattle SuperSonics
1969–1972Detroit Pistons
1972–1973Virginia Squires
1973Memphis Tams
Career highlights
Career NBA and ABA statistics
Points3,287 (7.4 ppg)
Rebounds2,100 (4.7 rpg)
Assists881 (2.0 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Erwin Louis Mueller (March 12, 1944 – June 7, 2018)[1] was an American basketball player. A 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) forward/center, he attended the University of San Francisco where he was All-Coast, All–Conference and All-America and was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the second round (10th pick overall) of the 1966 NBA draft.

Early life

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Mueller was born on March 12, 1944, in Livermore, California. He attended Livermore High School, where he excelled on the basketball team under coach Leon "Lee" Williford.[1][2][3] He led the team to two Diablo Valley Athletic League (DVAL) championships and Tournament of Champion (TOC) berths in 1960-61 and 1961-62. As a junior, he was DVAL scoring champion, and was named to the all-TOC team for averaging nearly 20 points a game.[4]

College basketball

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Mueller played college basketball at the University of San Francisco (1963—66), at both center and forward. His nickname, "Mr. Inside", came from his defensive prowess in protecting the basket at the rim. He was selected All-Coast, All-Conference and was an All-American. During his senior year, Mueller averaged 18.4 points per game and 11.9 rebounds per game. Over his three years at San Francisco, he averaged 12.1 points per game on a 50.2 field goal percentage, and 8.5 rebounds per game.[2][5]

As a junior, his 24–5 USF team was in the 1965 NCAA tournament, winning the first game of the Western Regionals before losing to eventual national champion UCLA, 101–93.[4][6] As a senior, the team participated in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), and Mueller was named to the all-NIT Team. He was also selected by coaches to the All-Coast team and was selected to the all-WCAC team that year.[4]

Professional basketball

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Mueller was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the 1966 NBA draft (20th overall).[7] It was the expansion Bulls' first college draft.[8] During his first season, Mueller averaged 26.7 minutes, 12.7 points, and 6.2 rebounds per game with the Bulls.[9] He earned NBA All-Rookie Team honors, along with Dave Bing, Lou Hudson, Jack Marin, and Cazzie Russell.[9][10]

He was traded midway through his second season to the Los Angeles Lakers for Jim Barnes and a draft choice on January 9, 1968.[9] After playing 39 games for the Lakers in 1968, Mueller would return to the Bulls for the start of the 1968–69 season by way of another trade between the Lakers and the Bulls, exchanging Keith Erickson for Mueller on September 23, 1968.[9] However, his tenure in Chicago would not last through the season. On January 31, 1969, Mueller was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics for a draft choice and cash.[9] He averaged only 7.5 points per game in 1967-68, and 4.8 points per game in 1968-69.[9]

He played all or part of four more years in the NBA, chiefly with the Detroit Pistons. His best season during this time came in 1969-70 with the Pistons, when he averaged 10.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in 74 games.[9] In his seven-season (1966–1973) NBA career, he scored 3,248 total points, averaging 7.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.[9] He spent part of the 1972–73 and 1973–74 seasons in the rival American Basketball Association as a member of the Virginia Squires and Memphis Tams, playing in only 20 games over those two seasons.[9]

Post basketball

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Mueller worked as a draftsman developing irrigation systems after retiring from basketball.[2]

Death

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Mueller died on June 7, 2018, in North Las Vegas. He was survived by Karen Mueller, after 40 years of marriage; four children and six grandchildren.[1]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA/ABA

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Source[9]

Regular season

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Year Team GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG STL BLK PPG
1966–67 Chicago 80 26.7 .441 .658 6.2 1.6 12.7
1967–68 Chicago 35 23.3 .387 .561 4.8 2.2 6.5
1967–68 L.A. Lakers 39 24.9 .520 .592 5.7 2.0 8.3
1968–69 Chicago 52 16.8 .335 .511 3.7 2.4 3.8
1968–69 Seattle 26 18.6 .431 .597 4.0 2.4 7.0
1969–70 Seattle 4 17.3 .406 .444 3.5 1.5 7.5
1969–70 Detroit 74 30.9 .467 .728 6.3 2.7 10.3
1970–71 Detroit 52 23.5 .408 .556 4.3 2.2 6.0
1971–72 Detroit 42 14.4 .345 .581 3.5 1.4 4.3
1972–73 Detroit 21 3.8 .290 .714 .7 .3 1.1
1972–73 Virginia (ABA) 17 12.1 .321 — .300 2.8 1.5 2.2
1973–74 Memphis (ABA) 3 6.6 .000 — .400 1.0 .7 .0 .0 .7
Career (NBA) 425 22.4 .429 .627 4.8 2.0 7.6
Career (ABA) 20 11.2 .298 — .333 2.5 1.4 .0 .0 2.0
Career (overall) 445 21.9 .426 — .623 4.7 2.0 .0 .0 7.4

Playoffs

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Year Team GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG PPG
1967 Chicago 3 28.0 .308 .714 4.7 3.0 8.7
1968 L.A. Lakers 14 17.9 .339 .357 3.9 1.3 3.2
1973 Virginia (ABA) 5 22.4 .278 1.000 .857 3.8 3.0 3.4
Career (NBA) 17 19.6 .329 .536 4.0 1.6 4.2
Career (overall) 22 20.3 .320 1.000 .600 4.0 1.9 4.0

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Obituary". Independentnews.com. June 21, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Erwin Mueller (1980) - Hall of Fame". University of San Francisco Athletics. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  3. ^ "Coach 'Lee' Williford left mark on Livermore sports". East Bay Times. January 11, 2005. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Faraudo, Jeff (November 3, 1972). "Erwin Mueller: pro cage veteran". The Pioneer (Dublin, California). p. 17.
  5. ^ "Erwin Mueller College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  6. ^ "1965 NCAA tournament: Bracket, scores, stats, records | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
  7. ^ "1966 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  8. ^ "Chicago Bulls Draft Picks". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Erwin Mueller NBA/ABA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  10. ^ "Year-by-year NBA All-Rookie Teams". NBA.com. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
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