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Dick O'Keefe

1923 – 2006

American basketball player and sportsperson

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About Dick O'Keefe

Lived 1923 – 2006 (aged 83). Dick O'Keefe was an American basketball player.

Richard Thomas O'Keefe (September 29, 1923 – December 17, 2006) was an American professional basketball player. After serving as captain of the St. James High School basketball team in his hometown of San Francisco, California, O'Keefe began his college basketball career with Santa Clara Broncos in 1941. He played for the Pacific Tigers during the 1943–44 season. He missed the 1944–45 and 1945–46 seasons to serve in World War II, but returned to play his senior year with the Broncos in 1946–47. O'Keefe was selected with the ninth overall pick in the 1947 BAA draft by the Washington Capitols and played with the team for four years until it folded from the NBA in 1951 before rejoining them in the smaller American Basketball League for the 1951–52 season before that team folded for good in January 1952 due to law concerns with the NBA holding the legal copyright to the Washington Capitols team and their history.

After his basketball career, O'Keefe worked as a security chief. He served as a charter member of Santa Clara's Athletic Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the San Francisco Prep Hall of Fame in 2002.

BAA/NBA career statistics Legend GP Games played APG Assists per game FG% Field-goal percentage PPG Points per game FT% Free-throw percentage Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team GP FG% FT% APG PPG 1947–48 Washington 37 .245 .508 0.5 4.2 1948–49 Washington 50 .255 .515 0.9 3.8 1949–50 Washington 68 .306 .739 1.1 7.0 1950–51 Washington 17 .206 .641 1.5 3.9Career 172 .272 .640 0.9 5.2

Playoffs Year Team GP FG% FT% APG PPG 1949 Washington 11 .367 .650 1.0 5.2 1950 Washington 2 .308 .875 2.5 7.5Career 13 .356 .714 1.2 5.5

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Education
Santa Clara University

People in Dick O'Keefe's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Dick O'Keefe's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Dick O'Keefe?

American basketball player and sportsperson (1923–2006)

When was Dick O'Keefe born?

Dick O'Keefe was born on 29 September 1923 in San Francisco.

When did Dick O'Keefe die?

Dick O'Keefe died on 17 December 2006 in Greenbrae.

What was Dick O'Keefe's occupation?

Dick O'Keefe was a basketball player.

What nationality was Dick O'Keefe?

Dick O'Keefe was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Dick O'Keefe

· Wikidata: Q3706959

· DBpedia: Dick O'Keefe

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Dick O'Keefe. https://biography.guide/dick-o-keefe/

MLA: "Dick O'Keefe." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/dick-o-keefe/.

Chicago: "Dick O'Keefe." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/dick-o-keefe/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

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