Rich Yunkus

{{short description|American former basketball player (born 1949)}}

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Rich Yunkus

| image = Rich yunkus georgiatech 1971.jpg

| caption = Yunkus in 1971

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1949|11|13}}

| birth_place = Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 9

| weight_lbs = 215

| high_school = Benton (Benton, Illinois)

| college = Georgia Tech (1968–1971)

| draft_year = 1971

| draft_round = 3

| draft_pick = 38

| draft_team = Cincinnati Royals

| career_position = Power forward / center

| career_number = 40

| highlights =

• Second-team All-American – NABC (1971)
• 2× Third-team All-American (1970, 1971)
• 3× Academic All-American (1969–1971)
• No. 40 retired by Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

}}

Richard A. Yunkus (born November 13, 1949) is an American former basketball player, best known for his All-American college career at Georgia Tech.

Born in Omaha, Nebraska, to a family of Lithuanian descent,{{cite web |title=Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine Vol. 47, No. 03 1969 |url=https://issuu.com/gtalumni/docs/1969_47_3 |website=Issuu |date=8 October 2013 |accessdate=October 25, 2018 |pages=16 |quote=Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Yunkus moved with his parents to Benton, a farming community of 8,000 in the southern Illinois coal-mining area, when he was a year old. His father of Lithuanian descent...}} Yunkus was a star player at Benton High School in Benton, Illinois, where he led the Rangers to a 61–2 record over his last two seasons.{{cite web| last = | first = | title = Rich Yunkus profile | publisher = Illinois High School Basketball Hall of Fame | date = | url = http://illinoishoops.org/rich-yunkus/ | accessdate = August 15, 2013}} Though Yunkus was recruited by most top schools nationally, he chose to attend Georgia Tech, in part due to his interest in becoming an engineer.{{cite web| last = Tierney | first = Mike | title = Lienhard, Yunkus: Georgia's first big men | work=Atlanta Journal-Constitution | date = June 23, 2010 | url = http://www.ajc.com/news/sports/lienhard-yunkus-georgias-first-big-men/nQg5f/ | accessdate = August 15, 2013}}

File:Rich Yunkus.jpg

At Georgia Tech, Yunkus proved a capable highly scorer and rebounder, averaging 26.6 points and 11.4 rebounds per game for his three-year varsity career (freshmen were ineligible in his day). He received All-American honors in both his junior and senior seasons and was an Academic All-American all three seasons.

For his career, Yunkus scored 2,232 points and recorded 955 rebounds. He is still the Yellow Jackets' all-time leading scorer, despite playing only three seasons. He also is the program career leader in scoring average.{{cite web| last = | first = | title = 2012-13 Georgia Tech men's basketball media guide, pages 44-45 | publisher = Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | date = | url = http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/geot/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2012-13/misc_non_event/MBKinfoguide13.pdf | accessdate = August 15, 2013}}

Following the close of his college career in 1971, Yunkus was drafted by both the ABA's Carolina Cougars and the NBA's Cincinnati Royals (third round, 38th pick overall). The Royals traded his rights to the Atlanta Hawks, but Yunkus ultimately left the team without playing a game for them. He returned home to Benton to enter the business world.