Last Updated on April 14, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Here’s a detailed profile of Bobby Wanzer:

Player Profile

  • Full Name: Robert Francis “Bobby” Wanzer
  • Nationality: American
  • Age: Born on June 4, 1921, Bobby Wanzer passed away on January 23, 2016, at the age of 94.
  • Hometown: Brooklyn, New York, USA
  • Height: 6 feet 0 inches (183 cm)
  • Weight: 180 pounds (82 kg)
  • Wingspan: 6 feet 2 inches
  • Shoe Size: Size 11 (US)
  • Jersey Numbers: Wore #9 throughout his NBA career.
  • Position: Point Guard / Shooting Guard
  • High School: Benjamin Franklin High School in New York, New York
  • College: Seton Hall University (played from 1942–1943, then served in World War II, and returned to college in 1946-1947)
  • NBA Draft: Bobby Wanzer was not drafted through the modern NBA Draft system. He was signed by the Rochester Royals in 1948.
  • Teams Played For:
    • Rochester Royals (1948–1957) — Wanzer played his entire career with this team, which later became the Sacramento Kings.
  • Championship Rings: 1× NBA Champion (1951) with the Rochester Royals.
  • Coaching Career: After retiring as a player, Wanzer also became a coach for the Royals (1955–1959), serving as a player-coach for part of his tenure.
  • Kids:
    • Bobby Wanzer had four children:
    • Robert Wanzer
    • Susan Wanzer
    • Joanne Wanzer
    • Barbara Wanzer
  • Siblings:
  • Information about his siblings is not widely publicized.

Bobby Wanzer’s player archetype was a smart, two-way combo guard: a polished backcourt operator who could slide between point guard and shooting guard, defend his matchup, and provide efficient perimeter scoring without dominating the ball. Defensively, he fit as a disciplined guard defender who competed at the point of attack and held up through positioning, effort, and awareness more than sheer size. Offensively, his role was to balance playmaking with shot-making, functioning as both a secondary creator and an outside scoring threat in Rochester’s backcourt. Physically, Wanzer was modestly sized by modern standards at 6-foot-0 and 170 pounds, but he paired that frame with skill, control, and toughness. His play style, in sum, was fundamentally sound and low-waste: he could pass, shoot, dribble, and defend, making him the kind of complete guard whose value came from versatility, efficiency, and consistently reliable team play.

Sources:

Basketball-Reference — Bobby Wanzer Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more
Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame — Bobby Wanzer