Paul Rice
-
- Class of:
- 1939
-
- Induction Class of:
- 1971
Paul Rice '39 of Roanoke, VA was a member of the “Five Smart Boys” that assisted the team in winning consecutive state titles in the late 1930’s. They went 40-5 in a two-year span which gained the program national attention as they finished his final two seasons with national rankings of #2 and #3, respectively. They played in both the NAIA National Tournament and the National Invitational Tournament in 1939 at Madison Square Garden, which was bigger than the NCAA Tournament at that time.
Playing in the finals of the NAIA National Tournament at Kansas City, Rice was the leading scorer and was named to the all-tournament team. He weighed 155 pounds at the beginning of the tournament and after six games in five days, ended up at 140 pounds. Rice was named to the Associated Press Virginia All-State teams in 1938 and ’39.
He served as president of his sophomore class and later president of the entire student body at Roanoke College. Besides being a basketball star and a distinguished member of the Monogram Club, Rice was the #1 player on the tennis team and a centerfielder on the baseball team, batting cleanup.
Following his playing days at Roanoke College, Rice enjoyed a very successful career in the AAU in basketball. His team was undefeated during the Pre-World War II days and was the undefeated State AAU Champion in 1941. He holds the distinction of not having played in a losing game against a Virginia college or semi-pro team from 1935-1945.
Rice served in the U.S. Navy for three years during World War II (1942-45) and was discharged as a Lieutenant, senior grade.
