Kansas State University Athletics
K-State Athletics Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1995
- Class:
- 1981
One of just two players to earn first team All-America honors in consecutive seasons, Rolando Blackman was a four-year lettermen for Jack Hartman from 1977-81. He guided the Wildcats to 80 wins, including two postseason appearances and the 1980 Big Eight Tournament title.
A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., he is one of just three players to be named Big Eight Player of the Year (1980) and to earn first team all-conference honors three times in a career. In addition, he was named the Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year on three occasions (1978, 1979, and 1980). The school’s third all-time leading scorer with 1,844 points, he was a selected a first team All-American as a senior in 1980-81 after leading the Wildcats to the Elite Eight. He also earned first team honors as a junior in 1979-80.
After being taken in the first round of the 1981 NBA Draft, he went on to play 13 seasons in the league, including 11 with the Dallas Mavericks, who, along with K-State, retired his jersey. His NBA accolades included four All-Star selections and at the time of his induction, was the Dallas Mavericks all-time leading playoff scorer.
