Hall of Fame
Erick Dampier
- Induction:
- 2015
- Class:
- 1996
Erick Dampier was a dominant force as a two-time AP All-America Honorable Mention pick and a two-time All-SEC First-Team selection during his sophomore and junior seasons. He was the first freshman in program history to collect All-SEC Second-Team honors.
State racked up 66 victories and earned a trio of postseason appearances during Dampier's career highlighted by 1996 NCAA Final Four and 1995 NCAA Sweet 16 trips coached by Richard Williams.
Dampier finished his State career ranked first in blocks (249), tied for first in field goal percentage (58.7), fourth in rebounds (859) and 13th in points (1,231). He piled up double figures in 74 of 93 games and collected 33 double-doubles.
Dampier became the first State player to amass 400+ points, 300+ rebounds and 100+ blocks during a season in 1995-96. He and Darryl Wilson also became the first State players to secure double figures in at least 30 games during a season, also in 1995-96.
One of his Dampier’s most memorable performances was a 21-point, 10-rebound and 8-block effort to ignite a 78-64 victory over No. 19 Utah in the 1995 NCAA Tournament Second Round. He was joined by Dontae’ Jones and Wilson on the 1996 NCAA All-Southeast Regional team.
Dampier was a lottery pick and chosen 10th by the Indiana Pacers in the 1996 NBA Draft. Him and Jones made State history as the first duo to be selected during the first round of NBA Draft.
Dampier’s NBA career spanned 16 seasons with stops in Indiana, Golden State, Dallas, Miami and Atlanta. The 2005-06 Dallas Mavericks and the 2010-11 Miami Heat were the NBA’s Runner-Up. He compiled 7,309 points, 7,005 rebounds and 1,398 blocks over his 987 NBA games.
Dampier, a New Hebron, Mississippi native, also was inducted into the state of Mississippi’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.
Dampier took Mississippi State to unprecedented heights, leading the Bulldogs to the 1996 Final Four, the first for a team from Mississippi. The All-SEC and All-American performer finished his time at MSU with 1,231 points in just three years before an illustrious 15-year pro career that concluded in 2012 and featured two trips to the NBA finals with both the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat.
Dampier, the 10th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers, ranks fifth all-time at MSU with his 859 rebounds, while his 1,231 points currently rank 21st. For 15 years, he held the school record with 249 blocked shots, a mark Jarvis Varnado now holds with an NCAA-best 564.
A native of New Hebron, Miss., Dampier was honored as an SEC Legend in the spring of 2015.
State racked up 66 victories and earned a trio of postseason appearances during Dampier's career highlighted by 1996 NCAA Final Four and 1995 NCAA Sweet 16 trips coached by Richard Williams.
Dampier finished his State career ranked first in blocks (249), tied for first in field goal percentage (58.7), fourth in rebounds (859) and 13th in points (1,231). He piled up double figures in 74 of 93 games and collected 33 double-doubles.
Dampier became the first State player to amass 400+ points, 300+ rebounds and 100+ blocks during a season in 1995-96. He and Darryl Wilson also became the first State players to secure double figures in at least 30 games during a season, also in 1995-96.
One of his Dampier’s most memorable performances was a 21-point, 10-rebound and 8-block effort to ignite a 78-64 victory over No. 19 Utah in the 1995 NCAA Tournament Second Round. He was joined by Dontae’ Jones and Wilson on the 1996 NCAA All-Southeast Regional team.
Dampier was a lottery pick and chosen 10th by the Indiana Pacers in the 1996 NBA Draft. Him and Jones made State history as the first duo to be selected during the first round of NBA Draft.
Dampier’s NBA career spanned 16 seasons with stops in Indiana, Golden State, Dallas, Miami and Atlanta. The 2005-06 Dallas Mavericks and the 2010-11 Miami Heat were the NBA’s Runner-Up. He compiled 7,309 points, 7,005 rebounds and 1,398 blocks over his 987 NBA games.
Dampier, a New Hebron, Mississippi native, also was inducted into the state of Mississippi’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.
Dampier took Mississippi State to unprecedented heights, leading the Bulldogs to the 1996 Final Four, the first for a team from Mississippi. The All-SEC and All-American performer finished his time at MSU with 1,231 points in just three years before an illustrious 15-year pro career that concluded in 2012 and featured two trips to the NBA finals with both the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat.
Dampier, the 10th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers, ranks fifth all-time at MSU with his 859 rebounds, while his 1,231 points currently rank 21st. For 15 years, he held the school record with 249 blocked shots, a mark Jarvis Varnado now holds with an NCAA-best 564.
A native of New Hebron, Miss., Dampier was honored as an SEC Legend in the spring of 2015.
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