Hall of Fame
CHUCK GRIGSBY - Men's Basketball - 1948-1952
Charles L. (Chuck) Grigsby was born on August 15, 1928 in Dayton, Ohio. He was born
and raised in his hometown of Dayton. He only played one year of basketball at Strivers
High School, but he still lead the school to their first undisputed championship in 8 years
as well as being named All City. After graduating high school, he had no plans to go to
college, his plan was to work. He worked at the Defense electronics Supply Center and
played amateur basketball for Millet’s groceries. He had no intension of going to college
that is until Tom Blackburn found him and Meineke. Blackburn was impressed by their
ability to play the game and even though he was nearly 20 years old when Blackburn
reached him, he decided to play basketball at UD along with teammate Don “Monk”
Meineke. They described their journey as “we went there for basketball.” Chuck Grigsby
made a difference every time he stepped on the court and his nick names provide it.
Chuck Grigsby was UD’s “Blue Chip” and “The Clutch Man.” He was a starter for most
of his career but injuries made it difficult for him, but even coming off the bench he
produced. He played fewer minutes than the other starter but average more points than
anyone on the team. The lanky forward was said to “shoot ‘em where they ain’t,” this
was to compliment his uncanny habit of making shoots that weren’t there. Aside from
being a good shooter, he was a good rebounder. So much so that the New York Post
described him as a ‘bounding kangaroo” when he helped lead the team to the NIT final
and the NCCA tournaments. Grigsby gradated UD in 1952 with a physical education
major and reaching the level of a letterman.
He became the highest professional basketball draft choice of any UD player. He was
drafted by the Baltimore Bullets in 1952, but then was drafted in the army. He served
two years in the army, but still kept basketball in his heart. In the Third Army Basketball
Tournament held at Fort Benning, he leads his team to be the runners up. He was
Private Grigsby Clerk-general with the Judge Advocate General’s Office, 47 th Infantry
Division. He returned only to be traded and then let go after one season. He tried to
make it with the St. Louis team, but the years in the military caught up to him. He
became an assistant coach at UD and helped lead the team to win the NIT in 1967-68.
He left UD in 1969 for a substantial salary increase at Mechanics Uniform Rental. He
stayed there for 5 years and then went into the horse training business for awhile but
ultimately went back to the uniform business. He enjoyed playing golf during his spare
time. He died in 2003 at age 74 and left behind his ex-wife and his daughter. He died
from a long battle of leukemia.
