Hall of Fame
Basketball & Track & Field (1944-49)
A product of Sacramento’s McClatchy High School, Bob O’Shaughnessy moved to Reno after high school and enrolled at Nevada in 1941 where he competed in basketball, baseball and track and field. In his second season, he set the Old Gym scoring record with 31 points in a game and helped lead the team to a 16-4 record. In track that year, he led Nevada to an undefeated season, starring in the springs and long jump. His college career was interrupted by service in the Army Air Corps where as a pilot he saw action in the Philippines and Japan. He flew over 50 missions against the Imperial Japanese Army and returned to Reno in 1948 with a number of combat decorations. After the war, he turned down an opportunity to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He returned for the final 13 games of the 1945-46 season, averaging 12 points per game. He helped lead Nevada to the quarterfinals of the National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball Tournament, scoring 54 points in three games and being named a first-team All-American at the conclusion of the event. After college, he played for the Syracuse Nationals in the National Basketball League during the 1947–48 season and averaged 4.0 points per game. After his playing days ended, O’Shaughnessy moved to Kauai in Hawaii and operated a restaurant. He passed away in 1995 after a long illness.
