Karl Tilleman
Basketball Athlete - Inducted 2008
Karl Tilleman is one of the most prolific basketball shooters that Canada has ever produced and his list of personal, athletic and academic accomplishments are outstanding. He set scoring records while at high school, went on to be the top male university basketball athlete in the country, and competed on a number of Canada’s national teams.
Karl Tilleman started playing basketball at Winston Churchill High School in Calgary where he helped his team reach the Alberta 4A Provincial Championship Finals. He was a starting member on the University of Calgary men’s basketball team from 1979/80 to 1984, and was the Canadian Interuniversity Sport scoring champion in 1982 and 1983. He was named the University of Calgary Athlete of the Year two times; earned first team All-Canadian honors four times; Conference Player of the Year three times; and Canadian Interuniversity Sport Player of the year, two times. Karl Tilleman received the Mike Moser Trophy Award as Most Outstanding male university basketball player in Canada 1982 and 1983.
Karl Tilleman was on the Canadian National Men’s Basketball team from 1981 to 1984, and then from 1986 to 1988. He was a member of the gold medal team at the 1983 World University Games in Edmonton. He participated in two Summer Olympic Games, first in Los Angeles in 1984 and then he helped the team qualify and participate at the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea. He was selected 79th overall in the fourth round by the Denver Nuggets in the 1984 National Basketball Association draft. He played in the NBA while competing as a member of Canada’s national team.
Karl Tilleman’s scoring attributes took place before the advent of the “three-point” basket, and one wonders how many points he would have scored with the rules that currently exist today. He was named the greatest Dino of all time and his University of Calgary uniform was retired. Karl Tilleman was a model athlete who represented his sport, university, and country incredibly well during his playing career.
After Induction
2020 - Inducted to the Canada West Hall of Fame
