One of the most ironic sights to American Olympic fans must be the memory of 7-4 (2.23) Tommy Burleson exulting at Munich in 1972, as twice it appeared the U.S. had beaten the Russians in the final game. But it was not to be. Burleson was used to success. In 1974 he led his NC State team to the NCAA championship after defeating UCLA in the semi-finals to end their string of eight straight championships. The very tall, yet very thin, Burleson had a solid, but unspectacular career as a center in the NBA. Burleson remains the tallest United States Olympian ever.