Born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1937, Bob established himself as a 6'8" center at Saint Louis University. In 1959, he was selected by the St. Louis Hawks with the seventh pick of the NBA Draft. He played ten seasons in the NBA with the Hawks, Detroit Pistons and ended his career with the Baltimore Bullets.
After his playing career ended, he became an assistant coach and then general manager for the Bullets, winning the NBA Executive of the Year Award in 1979 and 1982.