David Liam-Kyle
David Liam Kyle 77' Basketball
The big awkward kid from Cleveland Rhodes High School was just a promising high school prospect who wasn't even outstanding enough at 6 feet 9 inches to make the all-city basketball team.
Nevertheless, there were schools interested enough to offer him a scholarship.
Cleveland State was one, Western Michigan was another. He chose Western Michigan. But his steady girl, Judy Roggenburk, sister of CSU baseball coach Garry, stayed in Cleveland. It was a great break for CSU.
Kalamazoo is over 300 miles from Cleveland, and that was too great a distance for true love to endure after one quarter at WMU, Dave Kyle transferred to Cleveland State in January of 1974.
A year later, Kyle became eligible for intercollegiate competition at Cleveland State. He showed talent, not greatness, averaging seven points and six rebounds per game in 18 contests that year.
Then, as a junior, now standing 6-10 and weighing 230 lbs., Kyle blossomed into genuine stardom.
He shattered CSU's season records for scoring (613 points) and average (24.5) and also for shooting percentage ).544), finished 14th nationally in scoring and ninth in rebounding ( with 10.0 average), was named CSU's Athlete-of-the-Year, and the Outstanding Basketball Player in the Cleveland area by the Cleveland Press.
