Rich Branning
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Rich Branning (born August 4, 1957, Huntington Beach, California) is an American former basketball player who played point guard at Notre Dame from 1976 to 1980 and who was selected in the fourth round (78th overall pick) of the 1980 NBA draft by the Indiana Pacers.[1]
A 6’ 3”, 180-lb guard in his playing days, Branning’s sharp passing and leadership abilities earned him the title of “quarterback of the Notre Dame attack.”[2] He is one of only five basketball players in Notre Dame history to average double figures in scoring and also lead the team in assists for four straight years and was the first player in 40 years of Notre Dame basketball to start in all four years of his college career. Branning also joins David Rivers (1984-88) and teammate Kelly Tripucka (1977-81) as the only Irish players to average double-figure per game scoring all four of their seasons under Coach “Digger” Phelps.
In 123 seasons of Notre Dame basketball, Branning ranks #40 in career scoring and #10 in career assists. He also has the distinction of being starting point guard on the only Notre Dame team to appear in a Final Four.
High School Career
Branning attended Marina High School in Huntington Beach, California, where he scored 1,700 points and helped the Vikings to 75-14 regular season and 7-3 playoff records in a stellar high school career. He was named MVP of the Sunset League twice and Orange County Player of the year twice. An early mentor at Marina was future Hall-of-Famer Lute Olson who coached Marina’s varsity team from 1964 to 1969 before going on to coach Long Beach State (1973-74), the Iowa Hawkeyes (1974-83) and the Arizona Wildcats (1983-2007).
In 1976, Branning was named a Parade Magazine 1st Team All American; voted California Mr. Basketball; named Orange County prep basketball Player of the Year by the Los Angeles Times and Orange County co-high school student-athlete of the year.
Branning was named by the California Interscholastic Foundation (CIF) to the All-Southern California “AAAA” Division first teams for basketball in his junior and senior years at Marina and to the third team in 1973-74. He led the CIF in scoring in his senior year with a 27 ppg average and became the CIF’s career assist leader with 625 assists. He was recruited by over 200 colleges nationally, settling on Notre Dame.
Boston Celtics general manager Red Auerbach once called Branning the best prep guard prospect in the nation and he was described as “one of the nation’s more touted freshmen” by Chicago Sun-Times sportswriter Bob Pille.[3]
Branning’s #10 jersey was retired by Marina High when he graduated in 1976 and officially recognized, along with that of 6’ 11’ center Cherokee Parks (#44, Class of ’91, Duke University and 12th pick in the 1995 NBA draft) in a halftime ceremony during the Vikings’ game against Huntington Beach High School on January 20, 2023.[4]
College Career
Branning averaged 10.8 points and 4.1 assists throughout his 114-game career in South Bend and played on teams which posted an 84-22 (.792) regular season win-loss record.
Notre Dame was ranked in the top 3 of the AP Poll in all four years of Branning’s career on the team and made the NCAA tournament four years in a row, playing in the Sweet Sixteen, Elite 8 and the Final Four. Branning played in a total of 11 tournament games ending with a 7-4 (.636) win-loss record.[5]
He has the distinction of being part of Fighting Irish teams which included future NBA players Kelly Tripucka, Orlando Woolridge, Bill Laimbeer, Bill Hanzlik, John Paxson, Duck Williams, Dave Batton, Bruce Flowers, Toby Knight and Tracy Jackson. Branning helped Notre Dame beat the UCLA Bruins six times in eight meetings in a home-and-away series from the 1976-77 season to the 1979-80 season. On December 11, 1976, he and fellow freshman Bill Hanzlik became the first two freshmen starters to beat UCLA in non-conference play at Pauley Pavilion. The 66-63 upset win ended the Bruins’ 115 game non-conference home winning streak and was highlighted by Branning’s driving lay-up and two free throws in the final 46 seconds. In the 1978-79 season, Branning scored a career high 21 points against UCLA at Pauley Pavilion and he is part of the only Notre Dame team to win four straight on the Bruins’ home court.
Branning started in all four of the Fighting Irish’ games in the 1978 NCAA tournament leading the team in minutes played (181) and assists (26) and averaging 10.2 ppg. He scored 15 points and had 7 assists in an 84-64 victory over DePaul in the Midwest regional final at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas on March 19, for which he was named game MVP by NBC-TV. He was also named to the Midwest Regional All-Tournament team.[6]
At the Checkerdome (St. Louis Arena) in St. Louis, Missouri on Saturday, March 25, 1978, Notre Dame played the Duke Blue Devils (27-7) coached by Bill Foster. In a tightly fought game in front of 18,721 the Irish lost 90-86.
The 1978 NCAA Tournament remains Notre Dame’s only ever appearance in the Final Four.
In his senior year (1979-80) Branning was named an Academic All-American and Notre Dame basketball team captain. Notre Dame was ranked #5 in AP’s preseason poll and #3 by UPI and compiled a 22-5 regular season record including a double overtime win over #1-ranked DePaul on February 27, 1980 and home-and-away wins over rival UCLA. Another highlight of the season was an 86-76 win over the Soviet National Team in a preseason exhibition game.
On June 10, 1980, after graduating from Notre Dame with a business degree, Branning achieved a life-long dream and was drafted into the NBA by the Indiana Pacers. Branning signed a pro contract with the Pacers on Sept 1. 1980 but was released by the team just prior to the regular season getting underway.
Branning went on to play one season of basketball for Athletes in Action, an athletic ministry traveling domestically and internationally. He then elected to pursue master's degrees in Athletic Administration and an MBA from the University of Southern California in hopes of becoming an Athletic Director or landing a front office job in professional sports. Instead, he pursued a career in business joining IBM in 1983, at the time recognized as “America’s Most Admired Corporation” by Fortune Magazine.[7] This led to a 30-year career in real estate, first with Trammell Crow Company, then the Staubach Company.[8]
He is currently Executive Managing Director and helps oversee JLL’s Corporate Advisory Services group (NYSE: JLL) in Silicon Valley while building and leading real estate teams across the globe.
References[edit]
- ↑ "Indiana Pacers Draft Picks". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
- ↑ Notre Dame Basketball 1979-1980 (Media Guide). University of Notre Dame Athletic Department. 1979. p. 7. Search this book on
- ↑ Pille, Bob (1976–77). "Midwest: Big Ten will be hard-pressed to repeat last year's showing when two of its schools played for NCAA title". Street and Smith's Official College, Pro and Prep Basketball Yearbook 1976-77. p. 65.
- ↑ "Marina boys' basketball retires jerseys of Cherokee Parks, Rich Branning". Daily Pilot. 2023-01-21. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
- ↑ "Notre Dame Men's Basketball NCAA Tournament History". Fighting Irish Wire. 2023-03-02. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
- ↑ @NDmbb | 40th Anniversary: 1978 Final Four Team (2018), retrieved 2023-03-15
- ↑ "AMERICA'S MOST ADMIRED CORPORATIONS IBM remains the most admired big company. Coca-Cola slips less than you might expect. Some big new names, including BankAmerica, join the list of least admired corporations. International Harvester and Eastern Air Lines finally get some respect. - January 6, 1986". money.cnn.com. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
- ↑ Miller, Scott (1993-12-23). "Notre Dame's Golden Era? Branning Could Tell You : Ex-Marina Guard Led Irish Giant Killers of the '70s". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
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