Charlie Gardner (2018) - CU Athletic Hall of Fame - University of Colorado Athletics

Charlie Gardner

Induction:
2018
Class:
1966

A three-time letterman under the legendary CU basketball coach Sox Walseth, Gardner was a two-time first-team all-Big Eight Conference performer at center … He was noted for having an excellent touch around the basket and a dangerous hook shot that made him an outstanding inside scorer … The 6-foot-8 Gardner led the Big Eight in scoring in conference games as a senior in 1965-66, owning a 20.2 average (third in overall games), and the same year was second in rebounding (9.8) and field goal percentage (52.4) as well as fourth in free throw percentage (65.0); his finishing first or second in three categories and fourth in a fourth was the best all-around effort at the time in Big Eight history … The 20.2 average was the second-highest in program history at the time and it still ranks as the 10th-best … He scored 845 points in 70 career games (12.1 per), the fifth-most points in CU annals at the time; he had 456 rebounds (6.9 per), which ranked seventh at the end of his career … He was a two-time Academic All-Big 8 team member and a honorable mention Scholastic All-American … He played one year of professional ball with the Denver Rockets of the American Basketball Association, playing in 42 games in the ’67-68 season (averaging 4.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game) … He then spent four seasons as an assistant coach under Walseth (1968-72), and was instrumental in recruiting Cliff Meely to Boulder before entering private business … He is a member of CU’s National Buff Club Cabinet and is an annual contributor to the Sox Walseth Basketball Endowment.