Orlando Woolridge ✝

Woolridge was born in Bernice, Louisiana, a town dependent on the lumber industry. After attending local schools, he went to the University of Notre Dame, where he played for their Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball team. He played in the NCAA Tournament\'s Final Four in 1978 as a freshman with teammate Bill Laimbeer (the two would later reunite as teammates of the Detroit Pistons during the 1990s).\n', ' Woolridge started every game as a college sophomore, junior and senior. He helped guide Notre Dame to NCAA tournament appearances in 1980 and 1981. The 6-foot-9-inch (2.06 m) forward played one season at center in 1979–80, when he made 58.5 percent of his field goals. Named a second-team All-American by The Sporting News in 1981, Woolridge made a last-second fall-away jumper to beat the eventual NBA Hall of Famer Ralph Sampson and no. 1 Virginia to end their 28-game winning streak. Throughout his collegiate career, he averaged 10.6 points, 5 rebounds, 1.2 assists per game and shot just under 60% from the field.\n', ' Woolridge was selected sixth in the 1981 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls, where he played for his first five seasons. Woolridge made his NBA debut on November 7, 1981. Woolridge was named NBA Player of the week on December 9, 1984. During the 1984–85 season, Woolridge averaged 22.9 points per game and combined with rookie teammate Michael Jordan to average over 51 points per game. Prior to the Jordan era, Woolridge was one of the Chicago Bulls\' marquee players along with Hall of Famer Artis Gilmore, Reggie Theus and David Greenwood. At 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) tall, and weighing 215 lb (98 kg), Woolridge was one of the most gifted dunkers in professional basketball. Woolridge was also one of the original alley-oop artists. Woolridge competed in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1984 and 1985, surpassing the scores of Clyde Drexler and Michael Cooper. Woolridge led the Chicago Bulls in scoring in 1986 and was the last player to lead in scoring before Jordan took over. While unstoppable on the open court, his one-dimensional play did not complement Jordan\'s skills.\n', '