Jerry Waugh, a Kansas assistant basketball coach when Bob Billings played guard for the Jayhawks in the late 1950s, knew Billings would be successful in life. "Bob assumed a leadership role on the team early in his career," Waugh said. "There were older players, but Bob was the leader."

Billings died Thursday in Lawrence at age 65. Billings was president of Alvamar Inc., and helped develop more than 3,000 acres of residential and commercial property in west Lawrence, including the Alvamar Country Club complex. The development was named for his parents, Alva and Margaretta.

On the basketball team, Billings, a 5-foot-11 guard, wasn't much of a scorer. In fact, during his three varsity seasons with the Jayhawks, 1956-59, Billings had a career scoring average of 5.5 points per game. His best season was 1957-58, when he had a scoring average of 8.7.

"He was a good shooter and we wanted him to take more shots," Waugh said. Instead, Billings often looked for one of his best friends on the team, Wilt Chamberlain.

The two remained close long after Chamberlain left Kansas in 1958. Billings' friendship remained one of the few connections Chamberlain maintained with the university until his final years. In 1998, Chamberlain returned to see his jersey retired.

"Thanks to Bob," Waugh said. "He was very instrumental in getting Wilt back. "That's the kind of man Bob was: a very special person."