{{Short description|American basketball player (1943–1965)}} {{Infobox basketball biography | name = Wayne Estes | image = Wayne Estes 1965.jpeg | image_size = 125px | number = | position = Forward | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 6 | weight_lb = | birth_date = {{birth date|1943|5|13}} | birth_place = Virginia City, Montana, U.S.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}} | death_date = {{death date and age|1965|2|8|1943|5|13}} | death_place = Logan, Utah, U.S. | high_school = Anaconda (Anaconda, Montana) | college = Utah State (1962–1965) | highlights = *Consensus second-team All-American (1965) *No. 33 retired by Utah State Aggies | CBBASKHOF_year = 2024 }} '''Wayne Vernon Estes''' (May 13, 1943 – February 8, 1965) was an American basketball player. He was a {{convert|6|ft|6|in|m|adj=on}} All-American forward for the Utah State Aggies from 1962 to 1965. Wayne is the fourth-leading scorer in Utah State history, with 2,001 points and the fourth-leading rebounder (893). He holds school records for career points per game (26.7), free throws made in a career (469), consecutive 10-point games (64), points in a season (821), points per game in a season (33.7), points in a game (52), and rebounds in a game (28). He was the second leading scorer in the nation in 1965, just behind Rick Barry.
== High school ==
Estes earned all-state honors in three sports for the Anaconda Copperheads: football, basketball, and track. Estes earned three letters each in football and basketball (freshmen were unable to play varsity football and basketball at this time) and four letters in track.
Estes was the Montana state class A champion discus and shot put thrower in his senior season. He still holds the Anaconda high school shot put record with a mark of 59' 4.5".
During his high school basketball career, Estes scored 1,430 points. Only Minneapolis Lakers Center Ed Kalafat, who racked up 1,561 points, outscored Estes while at Anaconda High School.
== Accidental death == On the night of February 8, 1965, Wayne Estes played what would be the last game of his college career, against the University of Denver in the Nelson Field House. Estes scored 48 points during this game, surpassing 2,000 points for his career.
<blockquote>Bounce pass to Estes. Puts the ball behind his back. Turns and looks out front to Hal Hale…(Estes) looks at his defense, pushes, and it's…in! Oh, great! Wayne Estes has now scored two-thousand points in a three-year career. <br/>—Play-by-play announcer Reid Andreasen, KVNU Radio, Feb. 8, 1965</blockquote>
After the game, Estes and some friends stopped at the scene of a car accident near campus. While crossing the street, Estes brushed against a downed high power line and was fatally electrocuted. Estes would have likely been a high draft pick in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1965. The Los Angeles Lakers had intended to draft him in the first round.<ref>"Estes Was No. 1 With Lakers", ''Los Angeles Times'', Feb 10, 1965, pg. B3</ref> Estes was posthumously given All-American honors by the Associated Press and also earned a posthumous consensus Second Team All-American distinction. His number of #33 was posthumously retired by the Aggies. Wayne is buried in the Sunset Memorial cemetery near Fairmont, Montana just southeast of Anaconda.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/years-after-his-bizarre-death-wayne-estes-remains-a-towering/article_61c21706-49f4-5f63-8034-cd2aedba188c.html|title= 50 years after his bizarre death, Wayne Estes remains a towering presence|work=The Missoulian | date=February 9, 2015|accessdate=November 13, 2019}}</ref>
==Wayne Estes Center== thumb|right|Wayne Estes Center In May 2013, Utah State University announced the construction of the $9.7 million Wayne Estes Center, which will serve as a practice facility for the Utah State University Aggies men's and women's basketball teams and house a competition venue women's volleyball team. In the foyer will be a visual tribute to Wayne Estes. The center was made possible by a $5.25 million gift from Jim and Carol Laub and a $1.3 million gift from Blake Kirby. Groundbreaking was held in June 2013, and the facility was completed in September 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.utahstateaggies.com/genrel/062413aaa.html|title = Utah State Athletics Holds Groundbreaking Ceremony for Wayne Estes Center}}</ref>
==Career statistics== {{NBA player statistics legend}}
===College=== {| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;" |- !Year !Team !GP !FG% !FT% !RPG !PPG |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1962–63 | style="text-align:left;"| Utah State | 27 || .479 || .838 || 9.5 || 20.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1963–64 | style="text-align:left;"| Utah State | '''29''' || .479 || .853 || 13.0 || 28.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1964–65 | style="text-align:left;"| Utah State | 19 || '''.486''' || '''.878''' || '''13.7''' || '''33.7''' |- | style="text-align:center;" colspan=2|'''Career'''<ref name="Estes">{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/wayne-estes-1.html|title=Wayne Estes NCAA Stats |publisher=Sports-Reference.com |date= |accessdate=27 September 2020}}</ref> | 75 || .481 || .856 || 11.9 || 26.7 {{s-end}}
==See also== *List of basketball players who died during their careers
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [http://bigbluecheeseheads.com/pages/estes.html Big Blue CheeseHeads Wayne Estes memorial page] * [http://utahstateaggies.cstv.com/library/ust-all_century.html Utah State University Basketball All-Century Team] * [https://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/all_america.html 1964-65 AP All-Americans]
{{1965 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Estes, Wayne}} Category:1943 births Category:1965 deaths Category:Accidental deaths by electrocution Category:Accidental deaths in Utah Category:All-American college men's basketball players Category:American men's basketball players Category:Basketball players from Montana Category:People from Anaconda, Montana Category:Small forwards Category:Utah State Aggies men's basketball players Category:20th-century American sportsmen