Wall of Fame: Rick Fox

Author

Institute of Caribbean Studies

Release Date

Friday, June 19, 2015

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Rick Fox was born in Toronto, Canada to Bahamian father, Ulrich Fox, and Italian-Canadian mother, Dianne Gerace, who was an Olympic high jumper and women's pentathlete. When he was very young, the family moved to the Bahamas. Rick studied at the Kingsway Academy in Nassau where he played on the basketball team until the family moved to Warsaw, Indiana. He played two more years of high school basketball and was voted onto the Indiana All-Star team in 1987.

He later attended North Carolina University and is noted for never missing a game over four seasons, tying a record at 130 appearances, and for leading the Tar Heels to the 1991 NCAA Final Four conference.

Rick began his pro-basketball career as a first round draft pick of the Boston Celtics. He became the first rookie starter on opening night since Larry Bird in 1979 and made the 1992 NBA All-Rookie Second Team after averaging 8 points a game. He was released from the Celtics in 1997 and picked up by the Los Angeles Lakers where he was critical in the winning three NBA Championships from 1999 to 2002. Fox was set to be traded back to the Celtics for the 2003-04 season but opted instead to retire and focus on his acting career.

While attending University, Rick had earned a Bachelor's degree in Radio, Television, and Film. He appeared in a few bit parts from 1994 but in 1997 got his big break in a recurring role on HBO's smash hit, Oz. He has since worked steadily in television and film, appearing in two or three roles annually and finished in sixth place as a season eleven contestant on "Dancing with the Stars".

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