NBA point guard known for having won the 1973-1974 Rookie of the Year award. He subsequently played four more seasons due to a severe knee injury suffered during the 1977-1978 season.
He won a state championship in 1968 as a member of the North Providence High School basketball team. He subsequently played for the Providence Friars, who he helped lead to the 1973 Final Four.
He led a collegiate all-star team to a victory over the Soviet Union national basketball team in 1972. In 1977, he became an official endorser of Spalding's basketballs, and as a result, earned his own "Ernie D" model.
He was born and raised in north Providence, Rhode Island.
He played alongside Bill Walton on the collegiate all-star team that defeated the Soviet Union in 1972.
