University of Missouri Athletics

Al Eberhard was a rugged inside performer who was a key figure in the emergence of the Missouri basketball program onto the national scene in the early 1970s.  He was a scoring and rebounding force for Coach Norm Stewart, who earned all-Big Eight Conference honors as a senior in 1974 when he averaged 19.7 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. He was also an all-District selection and an honorable mention all-American. His 313 rebounds that year were the most by a Tiger since 1952, and his career rebounding average of 10.1 makes him one of only four players to average double-figure rebounds for their career. He scored 1,347 career points. Eberhard was a first-round draft choice by the NBA’s Detroit Pistons in 1974, and played for Detroit through 1978, seeing action on three playoff teams. The Springville, Iowa native is a member of the Iowa High School Basketball Hall of Fame and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. He spent time working in the MU athletic department for the Tiger Scholarship Fund and in the University Development Office. He also served as the executive director of the Thompson Foundation for Autism.