At Long Beach State in the early 70s, Ed Ratleff was one of the top guards in the nation, earning several All-America honors. He averaged almost 40 points per game in freshman ball, and over 20 points per game as a three-year varsity starter, including an amazing high game of 68 vs. San Diego State in 1970. After the Olympics and his senior year of college, Ratleff was drafted first by the Houston Rockets. He was 6-6 (1.98) tall and was very big for a guard in that era, but seemed to have all the attributes to be one of the greats at the position. However he played only five years in the NBA, never quite reaching the stardom predicted for him.
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