{{Short description|American basketball player (born 1942)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox basketball biography | name = Bud Acton | image = | width = | caption = | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 6 | weight_lb = 210 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1942|01|11}} | birth_place = Troy, Michigan, U.S. | nationality = American | high_school = Troy (Troy, Michigan) | college = *Alma (1961–1964) *Hillsdale (1965–1966) | draft_year = 1966 | career_start = 1966 | career_end = 1968 | career_number = 24 | career_position = Small forward | years1 = 1966–1967 | team1 = Holland Carvers | years2 = 1967–1968 | team2 = Battle Creek Braves | years3 = {{nbay|1967|end}} | team3 = San Diego Rockets | highlights = *MIAA Player of the Year (1964) *2× First-team All-MIAA (1963, 1964) }} '''Charles R.''' "'''Bud'''" '''Acton''' (born January 11, 1942) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Alma Scots and Hillsdale Chargers. Acton was the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Player of the Year with the Scots in 1964. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the San Diego Rockets during the 1967–68 NBA season.
==Early life== Acton survived an accidental shotgun blast to the jaw when he was aged twelve.<ref name=kotlar>{{cite news |last1=Kotlar |first1=Ed |title=From the Campuses |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-grand-rapids-press-from-the-campuses/158267595/ |access-date=November 2, 2024 |work=The Grand Rapids Press |date=October 18, 1964 |page=73 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> He attended Troy High School in Troy, Michigan.<ref name=thes>{{cite news |title=Bud Acton Named MVP In MIAA |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-holland-evening-sentinel-bud-acton-n/158265428/ |access-date=November 2, 2024 |work=The Holland Evening Sentinel |date=March 13, 1964 |page=2 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
==College career== Acton started his collegiate career with Alma College. He was selected to the All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) first-team in 1963.<ref name=almahof/> He broke the MIAA seasonal and single game scoring records during the 1963–64 season.<ref name=thes/> Acton was selected as the MIAA Player of the Year in 1964 and became the first player from Alma to win the award.<ref name=thes/>
Acton was dismissed from Alma College in 1964 because he missed too many chapel sessions.<ref name=kotlar/> Although Alma officials had expected him to return the following year,<ref name=kotlar/> Acton transferred to Hillsdale College where he broke the basketball program's single-season point marks.<ref>{{cite news |title=Holland Picks Bob Wilkinson |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-grand-rapids-press-holland-picks-bob/158267624/ |access-date=November 2, 2024 |work=The Grand Rapids Press |date=October 6, 1966 |page=36 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
Acton was inducted into the Alma College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.<ref name=almahof>{{cite web |title=Bud Acton (2019) |url=https://almascots.com/honors/hall-of-fame/bud-acton/220 |website=Alma College Athletics |access-date=September 7, 2023}}</ref>
==Professional career== Acton began his professional career with the Holland Carvers of the North American Basketball League (NABL).<ref>{{cite news |title=Carvers Will Sign Acton |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-holland-evening-sentinel-carvers-wil/158267649/ |access-date=November 2, 2024 |work=The Holland Evening Sentinel |date=October 21, 1966 |page=14 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> On November 5, 1967, he was traded to the Battle Creek Braves.<ref>{{cite news |title=BC Braves Obtain Bowerman |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/battle-creek-enquirer-bc-braves-obtain-b/158267314/ |access-date=November 2, 2024 |work=Battle Creek Enquirer |date=November 5, 1967 |page=26 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
On February 1, 1968, Acton was loaned to the San Diego Rockets of the National Basketball Association.<ref name=lsj>{{cite news |title=Ex-Alma Ace Joins NBA Team |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/lansing-state-journal-ex-alma-ace-joins/158267336/ |access-date=November 2, 2024 |work=Lansing State Journal |date=February 2, 1968 |page=24 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> He had been the second-leading rebounder in the NABL with 14.3 rebounds per game at the time of his signing.<ref>{{cite news |title=Rockets Buy Bud Acton |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-record-rockets-buy-bud-acton/158267425/ |access-date=November 2, 2024 |work=The Times Record |date=February 2, 1968 |page=17 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Acton recorded four points in his NBA debut in a loss to the San Francisco Warriors.<ref name=lsj/> On February 16, he was sold to the Rockets.<ref>{{cite news |title=Braves Sell Bud Acton |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/battle-creek-enquirer-braves-sell-bud-ac/158267549/ |access-date=November 2, 2024 |work=Battle Creek Enquirer |date=February 16, 1968 |page=14 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Acton averaged 3.3 points and 2 rebounds per game in 23 appearances with the Rockets.<ref name=dta>{{cite news |title=Rockets will start drills on Sept. 19 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-times-advocate-rockets-will-start/158267567/ |access-date=November 2, 2024 |work=Daily Times-Advocate |date=August 11, 1968 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> He was waived by the Rockets in August 1968.<ref name=dta/>
==NBA career statistics== {{NBA player statistics legend}}
===Regular season=== {{NBA player statistics start}} |- | style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1967}} | style="text-align:left;"| San Diego | 23 || – || 8.5 || .392 || – || .655 || 2.0 || .5 || – || – || 3.3 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 23 || – || 8.5 || .392 || – || .655 || 2.0 || .5 || – || – || 3.3 {{S-end}}
==Personal life== Acton's older brothers, John and Jack, played basketball for the Alma Scots during the late 1950s.<ref name=thes/> His younger brother, Sim, and a cousin, Bob, played on the Scots football team.<ref name=thes/>
== References == {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acton, Bud}} Category:1942 births Category:Living people Category:Alma Scots men's basketball players Category:American men's basketball players Category:Hillsdale Chargers men's basketball players Category:Forwards (basketball) Category:Sportspeople from Troy, Michigan Category:Basketball players from Oakland County, Michigan Category:San Diego Rockets players Category:Small forwards Category:Undrafted NBA players Category:20th-century American sportsmen
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