Jerseys retired for 1980s superstars Detlef Schrempf and Christian Welp
Germany came to Hec Ed back in the ’80s, and Washington Men’s Basketball was never the same.
Detlef Schrempf, a 6’10” forward from Leverkusen, helped lead the Huskies to back-to-back Pac-10 Championships and consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 1984 and 1985. His teammate and countryman from Delmenhorst, the late Christian Welp, played alongside him for two seasons before continuing the NCAA Tourney streak in 1986 and being named Pac-10 Player of the Year.
UW Athletics retired both players’ jerseys earlier this year, bestowing one of sports’ greatest honors on the two legends of the court.
“Everybody knows Chris as the gentle giant with the soft hands. He was so much more than that,” says Christian’s widow, Melanie. “He was a family man who loved his kids and loved his cabin on Hood Canal. He was a very private person. His circle of friends was tiny. But once you were in that circle, he’d do anything for you.”
Christian still holds the team record for points, blocks and field goal makes and ranks among the top five Husky Men’s Basketball players in rebounds and field goal percentage. The 7’0” center was selected 16th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1987 NBA Draft and played three seasons for the 76ers, Spurs and Warriors.
He played nine professional seasons in Europe, winning six German national league championships, three German Cups, and the EuroBasket gold medal in 1993 while earning tournament MVP. A 2001 inductee into the Husky Hall of Fame, Christian passed away in 2015, survived by Melanie along with his children, Allison, Collin and Nic.
Detlef was a two-time Pac-10 All-Conference selection and team captain his senior season. He was selected 8th overall in the 1985 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks, beginning a 16-year NBA career. A three-time All-Star, he was named Sixth Man of the Year twice in 1991 and 1992 — the first European player to win the award and the first to be selected to play in the NBA All-Star Game.
He went on to play six seasons for the Seattle SuperSonics, reaching the NBA Finals in 1996. He played in four Western Conference Finals for the Mavericks, Sonics and Trail Blazers. Inducted into the Husky Hall of Fame in 1995, Schrempf and his wife, Mari, have two sons, Alex and Michael.
“Who would have imagined that a skinny, shy kid from Leverkusen, Germany would come to the United States and one day have his jersey raised to the rafters at the place he fell in love with?” said Detlef, who was joined courtside at the ceremony by Sonics teammates Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and Sam Perkins.
