From East Bakersfield to the NBA, Boyd paved the way for future area basketball players

Oct. 25—Best known for his quickness on the basketball court, Freddie Boyd could get from one point to another in a blink of an eye.

It's safe to say Boyd's legacy will last much longer.

Boyd was 73 when he died of cancer on Oct. 8, bringing to a close the life of one of the most storied basketball careers Kern County has ever seen, extending far beyond his modest beginnings in east Bakersfield.

By all accounts, the speedy Boyd was unguardable, and he could handle the ball with the best of them. He was also dedicated, determined and supremely loyal to most everyone he met and everything he did, all characteristics that helped provide a balance to his ultra competitive nature.

It was those ingredients that all came together to make Boyd who he was, a unique combination of skill and style, mixed with plenty of humility and respect for the game and the people in his life.

The 1968 East High graduate was a four-year starter for a talented Blades squads that dominated the area landscape in the late 1960s. He also starred as a tailback and defensive back in football through his junior year and as a sprinter in track.

But he found a home on the basketball court.

With legendary coach Ralph Krafve's tough-as-nails approach, the teams went 58-1 during a two-year stretch, capturing two Central Section championships and garnering plenty of accolades for Boyd and his teammates that included Andrew Hill, Mark Hutson, Jim Kroeker, Vincent Ludd, Donald Parrish and Carl Meier.

Boyd earned a scholarship to Oregon State where he played his final two seasons for another legendary Ralph, Hall of Famer Ralph Miller, who was 657-382 during a 38-year career. Miller was just one of several Hall of Fame coaches and players who Boyd built relationships with over the years.

The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder chose the Beavers after being recruited by notable coaches Bob Boyd (USC), Dale Brown (Colorado and later Shaquille O'Neal's coach at LSU) and Denny Crum (UCLA and later at Louisville).

While at Oregon State, Boyd was a three-year starter (freshmen couldn't play varsity back then), earned All-American and All-Pac-8 honors his senior year and was a two-time most valuable player of the prestigious Far West Classic.

Boyd finished his collegiate career with a school record for single-season assists and scored 1,221 points. That total included a 37-point outburst against UCLA in 1972 in a six-point loss to a 30-0 Bruins squad that featured a starting lineup of future Hall of Famers Bill Walton and Jamaal (Keith) Wilkes, along with future NBA players Henry Bibby and Greg Lee, and college coach Larry Farmer. The game was the closest margin of victory during the season for UCLA until a five-point victory over Florida State in the national title game.

Boyd also wowed another Hall of Famer when Larry Brown was one of the coaches for a senior college All-Star game, calling the speedy guard the best and most pro-ready player at the event.

He was selected fifth overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1972 NBA Draft, three spots behind Bob McAdoo and ahead of Paul Westphal, Julius Erving (playing in the ABA at the time). All three players are enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

Boyd's rookie season was a rough one, with the Sixers going an NBA all-time worst 9-73. But Boyd was a bright spot, averaging 10.5 points and 3.7 rebounds to earn a spot on the first-team all-rookie team.

It was the start of a seven-year career that was cut short by an ACL injury to his right knee. Boyd tried to play through the injury and finished off his final three years playing beside legendary guard Pete Maravich.

Boyd was inducted into the Bob Elias Kern County Hall of Fame in 1981 and enshrined Oregon State's Hall in 1992. He joined East High's hall of fame in 2011.

Before his health began to fail, Boyd was a coach for several years, working as an assistant at Oregon State, helping out at Bakersfield College when Krafve coached there and also coached at Bakersfield High, Garces and North.

Excellence on the hardwood

Andrew Hill got to know Boyd early on. He was a 1967 East High graduate where he led the team in scoring for three years. He was also Boyd's roommate for a season at Oregon State and went on to coach several years at South High.

"He was always a strong minded person even from the Lincoln Junior High days when he used to dribble the ball up and down the street," Hill said. "Wherever he went, he'd always have a basketball.

"He would always dribble for hours and hours on end, just dribbling up and down the street and of course staying in the gym after practice, getting in early before practice. He was just very determined to make it as far he could. Six years in the NBA was quite an accomplishment and I think that if he hadn't hurt his knee that he would have had a longer journey at that time."

Mark Huston had a unique look at Boyd from early in his career as his high school teammate. The 1967 graduate went on to become the all-time winningest coach in Kern County history, with most of his success coming at Bakersfield High.

"I got to try and guard him in practice, and I emphasize the word try," Hutson said. "I was second string and by second string I mean way behind Freddie. Ralph Kravfe played five guys those years and I might get in the last few minutes of the game. But I got to watch Freddie play and try to guard him. He was a fabulous player."

Despite his talent, Boyd preferred to let his play do the talking, Hutson said.

"He didn't have a swagger, he didn't have any kind of persona that tried to make him stand out," Hutson said. "He just played hard, he was extremely quick and talented, I mean extremely quick and talented. But he played the game like it was supposed to be played. I mean, you idolize people like that."

Hutson's admiration for his former teammate and close friend grew over the years.

"In college and even in the NBA, he went up against the best guards around and he always held his own, if he didn't end up on top," Hutson said. "I mean he was a super player. I used to love to watch him play. I'd catch all the Oregon State games I could and I went to see him two or three times professionally. You just loved the way he played.

"There's all kinds of stories just watching him play. ... He had a little in-and-out move in basketball and if he got the ball on the wing and there'd be some poor guy guarding him, even at the collegiate level, he'd make that move and he'd lay it up. He'd get to the hole and boom, he'd explode."

Hill, who was a talented player in his own right, also was impressed with Boyd's abilities.

"Freddie was the ballhandler and he never turned it over, and was too quick to press," Hill said. "He was the quickest point guard I think to ever come out of Bakersfield. He put together quite a feat here in town and at Oregon State. He's still one of the greatest of all time."

Another of Boyd's teammates, former East and West High coach Vincent Ludd, had similar views. The 1967 East High graduate starred in football, basketball and track for the Blades, and also ran track at Bakersfield College. He's currently retired, but still actively involved in area track and field as a starter.