Dennis Lord wasn't your typical big man, at least not in the late 60's and early 70's. That was the era of the stereotypical center who played with his back to the basket, rarely ventured outside the key, and had no shooting range whatsoever.

Lord was the very antithesis of this with his love for the perimeter shot. Frankly, he had no choice but to develop an outside game during his first two years since fellow 6-10 big man, Mike Basarich, was patrolling the middle on most nights, eating up space and opponents. 

So, Lord stepped out to the perimeter and started to contribute right away. In his freshman year (1968-69), he averaged nearly nine points per game and just over nine rebounds per outing in limited playing time on of the college's greatest teams. 

A year later, he earned a spot in the starting lineup and didn't leave it for the next three years. He put up just over 15 points per game as a sophomore but what really stood out was his work on the boards, grabbing an unbelievable, school-record 539 rebounds (16.8rpg) in leading the Mustangs to their first 20-win (21-11) season in school history and earning All-Southern California Conference first-team honors in the process.

With Basarich graduated, Lord became the club's "big man" in 1970-71 and he responded with another stellar campaign. Averaging 18ppg and 15.7 rpg, the lanky post man was part of a terrific trio (along with Jerry Owens and Harry Taylor) that fueled a 19-10 finish. Lord led the club in free throw percentage (73.8), field goal percentage (49.8), and rebounds (456), and was a second-team All-Southern California Conference selection.

Lord capped a Hall of Fame career in 1971-72 in style, leading the Mustangs to their second 20-win (20-10) season in three years. He averaged a career-high 18.6 ppg and yanked down 15.1 rpg en route to permanently etch his name in the college's record books.

It will be hard for anyone to dislodge Lord from his standing on some of the all-time lists. His 539 rebounds in 1969-70 have stood for nearly 40 years as a single-season standard, one that will never be erased. He's No. 2 in career rebounding average (15.5rpg), rebounds (1626), and free throws made (384). In addition, his 1747 points still rank ninth on the career scoring list.

Following graduation in the spring of 1972 with a degree in Physical Education, Lord traveled to 52 countries as a member of three U. S. amateur basketball teams playing the Olympic and National teams of those countries.

Returning to the States, he continued his work at the Southern California Gas Company, for whom he has been an employee for 43 years. More importantly, he married his college sweetheart, Crystal Flint, starting a 35-year relationship that God has blessed with two children, Christopher and Vanessa, and two grandsons.

The Lords' live in Long Beach and attend SeaCoast Grace Church in Los Alamitos.