Willie J. McCarter is a retired American basketball player. He was a 6'3" 175 lb guard. He played at Drake University, averaging 19.9 PPG in three seasons. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 12th pick in the 1969 NBA Draft, and played three seasons with the Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers. McCarter later served as head coach at the University of Detroit Mercy. On September 23, 2005, McCarter suffered the first of three strokes within nine months. With the help of his doctors, he recovered. In February 2009, Drake University retired the #15 jersey that he wore for the Bulldogs. [More at Wikipedia]

July 26th, 1946 in Gary (Age 77)