Leo Rautins, 1983 (Basketball)
Leo Rautins won three letters in basketball . In 1981, he helped lead the Orange to its first BIG EAST Tournament championship with the winning tip-in in the third overtime and was named tournament MVP. He was a tri-captain as a senior, and played in the NCAA tournament. A three-time BIG EAST All-Tournament selection, he was an honorable mention All-American in 1983. He received a B.S. in broadcast journalism.
A first-round draft pick of the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983 (the first Canadian ever selected in the first round), Rautins spent two injury-marred seasons in the NBA before playing professionally in Europe, where he was an all-star in the Spanish and Italian leagues. At 16, he was the youngest player ever selected to the Canadian Senior National men’s basketball team and served as its head coach from 2005-2011. The Toronto native has been the television analyst for his hometown NBA Raptors since their inaugural season in 1995. Rautins’ 27-year career in broadcast and print journalism began as an analyst for SU basketball and CBC Radio covering the 1984 Olympics. He continues to be an ambassador for basketball as a speaker and teacher.
At SU, Rautins was a member of Phi Kappa Alpha honorary and named to Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. He was the only team sport member to be named Canadian Junior Athlete of the Year and was inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame and Ontario Basketball Hall of Fame. He is a member of SU’s All-Century Team and a recipient of the Vic Hanson Medal of Excellence.
He helps raise awareness and money for children’s hospitals and charities through his Rautins-House celebrity events.
A first-round draft pick of the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983 (the first Canadian ever selected in the first round), Rautins spent two injury-marred seasons in the NBA before playing professionally in Europe, where he was an all-star in the Spanish and Italian leagues. At 16, he was the youngest player ever selected to the Canadian Senior National men’s basketball team and served as its head coach from 2005-2011. The Toronto native has been the television analyst for his hometown NBA Raptors since their inaugural season in 1995. Rautins’ 27-year career in broadcast and print journalism began as an analyst for SU basketball and CBC Radio covering the 1984 Olympics. He continues to be an ambassador for basketball as a speaker and teacher.
At SU, Rautins was a member of Phi Kappa Alpha honorary and named to Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. He was the only team sport member to be named Canadian Junior Athlete of the Year and was inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame and Ontario Basketball Hall of Fame. He is a member of SU’s All-Century Team and a recipient of the Vic Hanson Medal of Excellence.
He helps raise awareness and money for children’s hospitals and charities through his Rautins-House celebrity events.
