Chuck Darling was a star at every level of basketball he played, although he never attempted a career in the NBA. In high school he was All-State in both Montana and Colorado before moving on to the University of Iowa. At Iowa he made All-Big Ten in 1951 and 1952, and was voted the league’s most valuable player, and an All-American, in 1952 – all this while making Phi Beta Kappa academically while studying geology. Although Darling was drafted first by the Rochester Royals (eighth overall), he spurned their offers and instead played AAU ball with the Phillips 66 Oilers. He put that association to good use, using his geology background to become an executive of the corporation.
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