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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Gene Conley, a former WSU two-sport standout, died Tuesday

From staff and wire reports

Gene Conley was a rare professional double dipper, winning championships in two sports.

Conley won three NBA titles with the Boston Celtics and helped pitch the Milwaukee Braves to a World Series championship.

The Boston Red Sox, for whom Conley played for from 1961-63, announced Tuesday Conley died. He was 86.

He was a baseball and basketball standout at Richland High School and Washington State.

Conley was a right-hander and three-time All-Star (1954, ’55, ’59). He spent 11 years in baseball with three teams.

He was picked by the Celtics in the 1952 draft. After spending six years playing mostly baseball, he returned to the NBA in 1958 and won three straight titles with Boston.

Conley was 91-96 with a 3.82 ERA in his major league career.

In the NBA, he had career averages of 5.9 points and 6.3 rebounds.

Conley was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, Conley and his wife, Katie, founded the Foxboro Paper Company in Foxborough, Massachusetts. They had three children and seven grandchildren.