Duquesne Basketball History
The 2015-16 season marked the 100th in the history of Duquesne Men’s Basketball. In conjunction with that monumental event, the Department of Athletics compiled a list of memorable moments, created a year-by-year timeline and – with the help of Duquesne fans – selected a 25-man All-Century Team. Please enjoy this look at DU’s basketball history.
Duquesne, which played its first game on Jan. 9, 1914, was one of the first schools in the nation to disband its program (1944-45-46) to assist with the World War II effort. That is just one of the interesting chapters in DU's storied history.
Follow the "Duquesne Basketball Timeline" link to find out who wrestled a 675-pound Alaskan brown bear the day after a win over Xavier in 1970. Learn which Duke - who also happens to hold the men's college basketball single-game scoring record for Pittsburgh's Civic Arena - was taken in the third round of the 1966 Major League Baseball January Amateur draft, among other interesting notes.
Check out the "Memorable Moments" link to learn when the Dukes rose to the top of both the AP and UPI polls, what year DU became the first school to play in both the NIT and NCAA Tournament in the same season. Relive Norm Nixon Night and learn how Duquesne was at the forefront in the recruitment of African-American student-athletes.
Don’t forget to click on the names of the All-Century Team members to learn more about the all-time greats who played key roles in Duquesne’s basketball history.
Birch, a guard, was Duquesne's first All-American ... named 1st team by Converse Yearbook after leading the Dukes to a 18-1 record as a senior ... DU went 52-4 in his three seasons on the Bluff ... helped produce a school record 24-game win streak in 1933-34 and 1934-35 ... was part of DU's first Sports Hall of Fame class ... legendary Dukes head coach Chick Davies cited Birch as the best player he ever coached ... Birch toured with the Original Celtics before serving as player-coach for the Youngstown Bears (NBL) and Pittsburgh Ironmen (BAA) ... averaged 4.3 ppg with Youngstown, Pittsburgh and Fort Wayne in six pro seasons in 1938-39 and 1941-42 through 1945-46 ... compiled a 105-102 record (.507) in three seasons as head coach of the Fort Wayne Pistons (1951-52 through 1953-54) ... attended Homestead High School and later coached the school to the 1939 state title ... later coached General Braddock to the 1973 state crown.
Cooper, a forward, was a consensus 2nd team All-American in 1950 (First Team - Look Magazine, Converse Yearbook; Second Team - International News Service, Helms Foundation; Fourth Team - The Sporting News) ... had his jersey #15 retired in 2001 ... led the Dukes to a 78-19 record and two NIT appearances in his four-year career ... captained the 1949-50 squad - the first Duquesne team to be ranked for an entire season by the Associated Press - to a 23-6 record and No. 6 national ranking ... made basketball history as the first African-American player drafted by a National Basketball Association team when he was selected by the Boston Celtics with the first pick of the second round (13th overall) on April 25, 1950 ... went on to have a six-year NBA career ... led Pittsburgh's Westinghouse High School to a City League title before heading to historically black West Virginia State College, whose program also produced fellow NBA pioneer Earl Lloyd ... played a promising semester there before leaving to enter the military in the winter of 1944-45 ... after a tour of duty on the West Coast, Cooper returned home to Pittsburgh and enrolled at Duquesne.
Tucker, a forward, was named 2nd team All-American by Helms Foundation and International News Service in 1952 ... Duquesne went 70-15 and finished ranked in the AP Top 10 in each of his three seasons ... was the first player in school history to score 500 points in a season (512 points, 18.9 ppg.) when he helped lead the '52 Dukes to a 23-4 record and No. 4 national rank as a sophomore ... Duquesne's 1952 team played in both the NIT and NCAA Tournament ... beginning with the 1953 season, the NCAA decreed that colleges could not participate in two post-season tournaments in the same year ... helped DU to a third place NIT finish in 1953 (21-8) and runner-up NIT finish in 1954 (26-3) ... the '54 Dukes were the first (and only) DU team to ever reach No. 1 in both the AP and UPI polls following a 20-0 start ... was the third player in school history to top 1,000 points ... he finished with 1,091 despite missing the first semester of his junior year ... DU head coach Dudey Moore called Tucker: "the greatest jumper in college basketball today" in 1953 ... played three seasons with the NBA Syracuse Nationals ... joined Earl Lloyd as the first two African-American players to play for an NBA championship team in 1955 ... recorded the fastest triple-double in NBA history (17 minutes) in a game against the New York Knicks on Feb. 20, 1955 (finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists).
Ricketts, a forward, was Duquesne's first three-time All-American ... named 2nd team in 1953, consensus 2nd team in 1954 and consensus 1st team in 1955 ... had his jersey #12 retired in 2001 ... helped DU to a 92-19 record in four seasons ... averaged 17.7 points and 12.2 rebounds per game for his career ... still holds school records for career points (1,963) and rebounds (1,359) ... one of seven Dukes to average in double-digits (scoring) for four seasons ... averaged double digits in both points and rebounds in each of his four seasons ... scored 23 points against Bowling Green in his first college game in an era when freshmen rarely played varsity ball ... was the first player to score over 600 points and average over 20 points per game in a season (20.9 ppg.) when he totaled 606 as a sophomore ... teamed with Sihugo Green to lead the Dukes to the 1955 NIT title ... led Duquesne to a Top 10 final AP rank in each of his four seasons on the Bluff (No. 4 in 1952, No. 9 in 1953, No. 5 in 1954 and No. 6 in 1955) ... was the first player chosen in the 1955 NBA draft ... went on to have a three-year NBA career with the Rochester/Cincinnati Royals (1956-58) ... also reached the major leagues as a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1959 ... turned down a professional baseball contract offer to attend Duquesne ... helped Pottstown High School to a national scholastic record 48 consecutive wins in baseball ... hit .400 in four seasons of baseball at DU.
Green, a guard, is the only two-time consensus 1st team All-American in school history ... was named 2nd team in 1954 and consensus 1st team in 1955 & 1956 ... had his jersey #11 retired in 2001 ... averaged 19.8 points and 11.5 rebounds for his career ... finished with 1,605 points ... had 936 rebounds while standing 6-2 ... helped DU to a 65-17 record during his three-year career ... scored a then-school record 662 points as a senior ... helped the Dukes to the 1955 NIT title and later went on to be part of the 1966 NBA World Champion Boston Celtics ... "Si Green, at 6-2, must be the best college basketball player in the country today. In a sense, he is to college basketball what Ray Robinson was to boxing - the best fighter pound for pound," said the New York Post's Milton Gross following Duquesne's 1955 NIT Championship ... played for three NIT teams at Duquesne (DU went 65-17 in his three seasons) was the first overall pick of the 1956 NBA draft ... had a nine-year NBA career with five teams.
Somerset, a guard, was named 1st team All-American by Coach and Athlete Magazine and Helms Foundation and 2nd team by Converse Yearbook in 1965 ... had his jersey #24 retired in 2001 ... scored more points in three seasons (1,725) than any other Duquesne player ... his 22.7 ppg. career scoring average (min. 800 points) stands as the best in school history ... topped the 30-point mark a school-record 16 times in his three-year career ... was forced to miss the 1962-63 season with a leg injury ... led DU to NIT appearances in 1962 & 1964 before earning All-America honors in 1965 ... holds the record for most points scored in a college game at Pittsburgh's defunct Civic/Mellon Arena with his 47 points vs. Xavier in 1964... played professionally for the Baltimore Bullets (one season) and ABA Houston Mavericks (two seasons) ... played in the 1969 ABA All-Star Game ... holds the distinction of being first Duquesne player drafted by Major League Baseball, when he was taken as an infielder in the 3rd round (50th overall) of the 1966 January amateur draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates ... Somerset is the highest drafted DU baseball player ever.
Had his jersey #10 retired in 2001 ... led Duquesne to the first Atlantic 10 (then Eastern 8) Championship on his way to being named the league's first player of the year in 1977 ... handed out a school record 577 assists while averaging 17.4 ppg. for his career ... one of seven Dukes to average in double-digits (scoring) for four seasons ... said then-Penn, and future Detroit Pistons, coach Chuck Daly of Nixon: "There are a lot of players who shoot well when they are 12 points up. Nixon shoots well when the game is up for grabs. He is the best I've seen in college ball shooting off the transition-sytle offense." ... joined Dick Ricketts and Sihugo Green as Duquesne first round draft picks when he was chosen by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1977 ... had the most-successful NBA career of any DU player ... earned a spot on the 1977-78 NBA All-Rookie Team ... his .497 first-year field goal percentage was the best in the 33-year history of NBA rookies at the time ... was the second player in Laker history (Jerry West was the first) to score 1,000 points as a rookie ... played for two World Champion Los Angeles Lakers teams during his 10 NBA seasons ... also played for the L.A. Clippers ... appeared in two NBA All-Star Games ... finished his NBA career with 12,065 points and 6,386 assists.
Had a three-year professional career with the Pittsburgh Ironmen and Boston Celtics ... starred for DU's last three pre-World War II teams that posted a combined 44-16 record ... helped the Dukes to the 1941 NIT with a 17-3 record (DU turned down an NCAA bid to play in the NIT) ... was a senior co-captain ... went on to serve as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate from 1967 to 1978.
Was the first Duke to score 1,000 points (1,034 total) ... part of DU's first four teams after basketball was reinstated following a three-year hiatus for World War II ... the Dukes went 78-19 in his four seasons on the Bluff ... helped the 1947 team to 20-straight wins to open the season on the way to an NIT appearance ... DU's 21-2 record in '47 was the best of the nation's 32 independent teams ... led the 1950 NIT team, which finished ranked No. 6 nationally, in scoring at 16.9 ppg. as a senior ... the '50 squad was the first Duquesne team to finish a season with a Top 10 national rank ... scored in double digits 45 times ... drafted by the Philadelphia Warriors in the second round (15th overall) of the 1951 NBA draft and played one season.
Played for the Cincinnati Royals in 1971 ... played for Duquesne's 1969 NCAA Regional semifinalists ... scored 1,094 points in three seasons ... was known for his consistency ... his scoring average never varied by more than .5 points: 14.7 ppg. as a sophomore, 15.2 as a junior and 15.0 as a senior.
Was taken in the second round of the 1970 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks and was part of Milwaukee's 1971 World Championship team ... played for two NIT (1968 & 1970) and one NCAA Tournament team (1969) in his three seasons at Duquesne ... the Dukes were 56-19 over that span ... known primarily as a playmaker, he finished his career with 999 points ... averaged 15.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists in three 1969 NCAA Tournament games ... is the only DU men's basketball player to earn Academic All-America, which he did in 1969 and 1970 ... "Billy is just one of the best backcourt men ever at this school, and that covers a lot of good ones," said DU head coach Red Manning prior to the 1969-70 season. "For defense and inspiration, he has no peer." Said Sports Illustrated in its 1969-70 preseason college basketball issue - which picked the Dukes No. 5: "The Dukes are famous for guards - Dave Ricketts, Sihugo Green, Willie Somerset were some of the best who played their college basketball there - and this season they have another one, Billy (Zip) Zopf, a little lefty who steals passes, feeds his teammates, scores points, earns almost straight A's and hopes to be a Rhodes Scholar after he graduates. He not only can see the Monongahela River from up on the Bluff, he can pronounce it."
Was drafted in the fourth round by the Detroit Pistons in 1971 ... played one season for the ABA New York Nets ... played on two NCAA Tournament (1969 & 1971) and one NIT (1970) team in his three seasons at Duquesne (59-16 overall) ... his 18.0 ppg. career scoring average ranks third on Duquesne's all-time list (only first-team All-Americans Willie Somerset (22.7 ppg.) and Sihugo Green (19.8 ppg.) averaged more ppg. at Duquesne) ... averaged 17.4 ppg. as a sophomore, 18.9 ppg. as a junior and 18.0 ppg. as a senior ... finished with 1,339 career points ... only Somerset & Green scored more in three seasons ... led the Dukes in scoring as a sophomore and junior and finished second to future NBA player Mickey Davis (Milwaukee Bucks) as a senior ... was an AP honorable mention All-American as a junior ... was named to the NCAA All-East Regional team as a sophomore ... appeared in seven NCAA Tournaments in four different decades as a player, assistant coach and head coach: 1969 & 1971 as a player at Duquesne; 1982 & 1983 as an assistant coach at Robert Morris and 1989, 1990 and 1992 as a head coach at Robert Morris.
Was drafted in the fifth round by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971 and played the 1972 season for the defending World Champions ... played on two NCAA Tournament (1969 & 1971) and one NIT (1970) team in his three seasons at Duquesne (59-16 overall) ... totaled 669 points and 546 rebounds in his career ... played professionally in France for three seasons ...appeared on the April 14, 1971 episode of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood with his brother Garry to talk about how twins are the same and different ... they went outside to demonstrate a basic warm-up technique used in basketball, before moving back inside where Picture-Picture showed a film of the Nelsons playing basketball ... when the film was finished, they watched it in reverse ... famously wrestled "Gentleman Ben" - a 7-foot-10, 675-pound Alaskan brown bear - at the West Penn Sportsmen's Show at the Civic Arena in 1970 ... the match, which occurred on the day between wins over Xavier and Steubenville, earned Nelson both $50 and the wrath of head coach Red Manning.
Averaged 15.1 ppg. as a sophomore and 19.1 ppg. as a junior before foregoing his senior season to sign with the ABA Pittsburgh Condors ... went on to have a five-year NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks ... was described as "a beautifully coordinated, fluidly-moving artist with the body control of a gymnast" by Pat Livingston of the Pittsburgh Press in February of 1971 ... scored 840 points (17.1 ppg.) and pulled down 420 rebounds (8.6 rpg.) in his two-year DU career ... led DU's 1971 NCAA Tournament team (21-4) in scoring (19.1 ppg.), rebounding (9.5 rpg.) and assists (5.6 apg.) ... showed his all-around game by recording an "unofficial" triple-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists in No. 10 (AP) Duquesne's 95-86 win at No. 11 La Salle on Feb. 17, 1971 (assists weren't officially recorded as an NCAA stat until 1983-84).
Was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the 13th round of the 1972 NBA draft ... was also chosen by the ABA Virginia Squires ... played four seasons with the Squires, Saint Louis Spirit and NBA Kansas City Kings ... scored 605 points in three seasons at DU ... DU went 58-16 during his career ... was an ABA Rookie of Year candidate playing with Julius Erving for the Squires in 1972-73 ... averaged 13.4 ppg. and set an unofficial school record with 142 assists (5.7 apg.) as a senior for a 20-5 team ... was also an outstanding baseball player at Duquesne where he hit .477 as junior outfielder/first baseman.
The "Big Train" scored 1,156 points and pulled down 893 rebounds in 65 games at Duquesne ... averaged 17.8 points and a school record 13.7 rebounds per game for his career ... ranked among the nation's top 25 rebounders in both 1972 (14.3 rpg.) & 1973 (13.6 rpg.) ... recorded 48 double-doubles (nearly 74 percent of his total games played) ... holds the school record for most points scored against Pitt with a 35-14 double-double in the 1971 Steel Bowl championship (his sophomore season) ... named honorable mention All-American by Converse and Universal Sports ... was drafted in the fourth round of the 1974 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks ... was also drafted in the third round by the ABA Virginia Squires ... played one season for the Squires ... went on to have a long professional career playing and coaching in France and Belgium.
Was a first team All-Atlantic 10 pick after leading the conference in scoring (21.3 ppg.) and leading Duquesne to the NIT in 1994 ... was a second team all-conference pick in 1992 ... was also named to the 1991 A-10 all-freshman team ... earned a spot on the '94 A-10 All-Championship team ... finished as DU's second-leading scorer with 1,903 points ... also had 879 career rebounds and 229 blocks ... his .561 career field goal percentage is the best in school history ... is one of only two players (Bruce Atkins is the other) to lead the team in rebounding for four consecutive seasons ... one of seven Dukes to average in double-digits (scoring) for four seasons ... scored in double digits 97 times in 114 games ... ended an 11-year Duquesne NBA draft drought when he was selected in the second round by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1994 ... went on to have a three-year NBA career with the Sixers and Atlanta Hawks.
Had the longest NBA career of any Duquesne player ... played for 11 teams in 12 seasons ... was named first team All-Atlantic 10 in 1998 and third team in 1996 ... led the Dukes in steals and assists as a sophomore, junior and senior ... finished his career with 1,411 points ... was one of eight players chosen to participate in the National Slam Dunk Championship at the 1998 Final Four in San Antonio ... joined the NBA as an undrafted free agent in 2001 ... was the first undrafted NBA player to average 20 points per game when he averaged 20.3 ppg. for the Toronto Raptors in 2005-06 ... was part of a World Championship team with the Detroit Pistons in 2004.
Earned first team All-Atlantic 10 honors in 1980 ... finished his career with 1,382 points and 309 assists ... is the only player to lead Duquesne in scoring and assists in three consecutive seasons ... was the first Duke to lead the A-10 in scoring when he averaged 20.4 ppg. in 1979 ... teamed with Bruce Atkins to lead the Dukes to a share of the A-10 regular-season title in 1980 ... posted the 11th- and second-highest scoring games in school history in a span of two days with back-to-back games of 41 (vs. Marshall) and 48 points (vs. Ohio) at the 1978 West Virginia Classic ... is the only Duquesne player to score 40 or more in consecutive games ... his six career games with 30 or more points ranks fourth all-time ... is the only Parade All-American in Duquesne history.
Duquesne's only two-time first team All-Atlantic 10 player ... helped the Dukes to a share of the Atlantic 10 regular season title in both 1980 and 1981 ... finished his career with 1,533 points and 1,147 rebounds ... is one of two players (Dick Ricketts is the other) to finish his career with over 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds ... his .557 career field goal percentage is the second-best in school history ... started 111 of 111 games at DU ... posted a school record 58 double-doubles ... led the A-10 in rebounding in 1981 and 1982 ... led DU in rebounding in each of his four seasons ... one of seven Dukes to average in double-digits (scoring) for four seasons ... was the 1979 A-10 Rookie of the Year ... his six career A-10 player of the week honors are tied with Aaron Jackson for most in school history ... was drafted in the fourth round by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1982.
Named first team All-Atlantic 10 in 1986 and second team in 1985 ... led the A-10 in scoring (20.5 ppg.) and earned a spot on the A-10 Championship team in '86 ... scored more than 500 points in a season twice ... finished his career with 1,459 points ... is the top free throw shooter in school history at .877 (342-390) ... scored in double digits in all 29 games as a senior.
Was a first team All-Atlantic 10 player in his one memorable season as a Duke ... scored a school record 788 points after transferring to DU from Notre Dame for the 1990 season ... the 788 points are 126 more than the second-highest mark of 662 scored by Sihugo Green in 1955-56 ... was the nation's 10th-leading scorer at a school record 27.2 ppg in '90 ... the 27.2 ppg. still stands as the top single-season average in A-10 history ... holds the Palumbo Center scoring record with 43 points vs. West Virginia ... scored in double digits in all 29 games at DU ... totaled 20 or more 26 times and 30 or more six times ... was named the 1990 A-10 Newcomer of the Year.
A first team All-Atlantic 10 pick in 2009 ... finished his career with 1,428 points in a school record-tying 120 consecutive games played (did not miss a game in his career) ... ended up ranked among Duquesne's Top 10 in career assists (505) and steals (169) ... is the top shooting guard in school history at .521 ... totaled 20 or more points in a game 18 times (15 as a senior) with a career high of 46 in his final game (at Virginia Tech in the NIT) ... the NIT game marked DU's first post-season appearance since 1994 ... saw Duquesne increase its win total from 3-24 as a freshman to 10-19 as a sophomore, 17-13 as a junior and 21-13 as a senior ... the 17-13 record in 2008 marked DU's first winning season since 1994 and the 21 victories in 2009 marked Duquesne's first 20-win season since 1981 and was the most wins by a Dukes team since 1971 ... earned a spot on the 2009 All-Atlantic 10 Championship team after leading the Dukes to three wins in three nights and an appearance in the title game for the first time since 1981 ... improved his scoring average from 9.0 ppg. to 19.3 ppg. in earning the A-10 Chris Daniels Award as the league's most-improved player in 2009 ... played his senior year with a roster that featured 10 underclassmen including seven freshmen ... was Duquesne's first first team All-Atlantic 10 player since Mike James in 1998 ... earned first team All-A-10 honors despite not being named to any of the three 2008-09 preseason All-Atlantic 10 teams ... earned Atlantic 10 Player of the Week honors a school record-tying six times in his career (two as a sophomore and a DU single-season record four times as a senior).
A first team All-Atlantic 10 pick in 2010 and second team choice in 2011... two-time Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year (2010 & 2011) finished his career as the only player in NCAA history with over 250 assists (281), steals (277) and blocks (300) ... set Duquesne career records for games (127), starts (116), steals, blocks and dunks (166) ... posted the third-most rebounds (1,019) and double-doubles (36) in school history ... scored 1,511 points and shot .506 ... joined Mike James as the only other player in school history to average over two steals per game in three consecutive seasons (2.1 spg. in 2009, 2.8 in 2010 and 2.3 in 2011) ... was the first two-time A-10 All-Defensive Team member in school history (2010 & 2011) and fourth in A-10 history ... finished among the Atlantic 10 all-time Top 10 in blocks (8th), rebounds (9th) and steals (9th) ... all of his 36 career double-doubles came in his last 94 games ... was part of a senior class that was the first to not experience a losing season since 1972-75 ... the class of 2011 was responsible for 73 total wins - the most over a four-year period since 1970-73 (74 victories) ... helped DU reach the postseason as a sophomore (NIT), junior (CBI) and senior (CBI).
Named second team All-Atlantic 10 in 1981 ... was also named to the '81 A-10 All-Championship team ... helped the Dukes to A-10 co-titles and NIT appearances in 1980 & 1981 ... scored 504 of his 951 career points as a senior ... led the team in scoring in '81 at 16.8 ppg.
Named second team All-Atlantic 10 in 1981 ... came back from a knee injury to average 13.3 ppg. in helping the Dukes to an A-10 co-title and NIT appearance in 1981 ... finished his career with 1,122 points and 674 rebounds ... was a .529 career shooter ... was a freshman on DU's 1977 NCAA Tournament team.
Named second team All-Atlantic 10 in 1983 ... finished his career with 831 points and 565 rebounds ... played for A-10 co-champion/NIT teams in 1980 & 1981 ... averaged 13.4 ppg. as a senior.
Was named second team All-Atlantic 10 in 1984 & 1987 ... finished his career with 1,335 points in 100 games ... shot .510 for his career ... scored 738 points in his first two seasons and added 514 as a senior ... averaged 17.9 ppg. as a sophomore and 17.7 ppg. as a senior ... was the first DU player ever named to the A-10 all-rookie team (1983).
Was named second team All-Atlantic 10 in 1986 ... earned a spot on the A-10 All-Championship team in 1985 ... scored 403 of his 772 career points as a senior ... led the team in rebounding as a junior and senior.
Junior college transfer scored 892 points (17.5 ppg.) in his two seasons on the Bluff ... was named second team All-Atlantic 10 after leading the conference in scoring (20.7 ppg.) in 1992 ... led the Dukes in scoring in each of his two seasons ... came off the bench in 22 of 23 games to lead DU's NIT team with a 13.6 ppg. average in 1991 ...scored 30 or more four times as a senior with a career-best of 37 in a win over Temple in 1992 ... the 37 points were the most scored by a Temple opponent in an A-10 game.
Was named second team All-Atlantic 10 in 1995 & 1997 ... finished his career as DU's third-leading scorer with 1,828 points ... averaged 16.3 ppg. for his career ... averaged 34.3 minutes in playing in every game (112 with 103 starts) in his Duquesne career ... scored in double digits 91 times, including 36 games with 20 or more points ... two of his three career 30-point games came against ranked teams - 30 in a win at No. 16 (AP) Xavier and 30 in an 88-86 loss to No. 6 Georgetown ... set a school and then-Atlantic 10 record with 311 career 3-pointers ... had three seasons with 75 or more 3-pointers ... one of seven Dukes to average in double-digits (scoring) for four seasons ... one of five DU players with 600 or more field goals ... scored 26 points in his first varsity game.
Named second team All-Atlantic 10 in 2000 and third team in 2002 ... finished his career with 1,820 points (16.2 ppg.), good for the fourth-highest total in school history ... scored a DU freshman record 466 points in 1998-99, added 485 as a sophomore, 426 as a junior and 443 as a senior, making him the first player in DU history to score 400 or more points in each of his four seasons ... was the only player in NCAA Division I to score over 400 points in each season from 1999-02 ... the Halifax, Nova Scotia native finished as the No. 2 all-time Canadian scorer in NCAA history, ahead of such notables as No. 6 Steve Nash (Santa Clara/NBA) and No. 5 Rick Fox (North Carolina/NBA) ... scored in double digits in 95 of 112 career games ... hit at least one three-pointer in a game 97 times ... scored 20 or more on 35 occasions.
Named second team all-Atlantic 10 in 2005 & 2006 ... finished his career with 1,546 points (13.4 ppg.) ... played in 115 of a possible 116 games ... led the Atlantic 10 in scoring with a 19.7 ppg. average as a senior ... came within .08 assists of becoming just the third player in league history to lead the A-10 in scoring and assists in the same season ... finished ranked in DU's all-time Top 10 in nine different statistical categories ... scored in double digits 83 times, including 51 times in 56 games as a junior and senior ... scored 20 or more points in a game 23 times ... tied school records for assists in a game (12) and 3-pointers made (8 at Rhode Island) as a senior.
Named second team all-Atlantic 10 in 2011 ... finished his career ranked among the Top 10 in eight statistical categories ... scored 1,628 points ... played in 126 of a possible 128 games ... scored in double-digits 87 times and reached the 20-point mark 19 times ... was part of a senior class that was the first to not experience a losing season since 1972-75 ... hit at least one 3-pointer in 99 of 126 career games ... hit five or more "3s" in a game eight times ... had at least 40 3-pointers in every season ...helped DU reach the postseason as a sophomore (NIT), junior (CBI) and senior (CBI).
Has the second-highest career rebounding average in school history (13.1 rpg.) ... the 6-10 center also averaged 13.8 ppg. for his career ... was the second-tallest player in school history at the time ... led the Dukes in rebounding as a sophomore (12.8), junior (13.4) and senior (13.3) ... he and Lionel Billingy are the only three-year players to average double digit points and rebounds in each season on the Bluff ... was part of Red Manning's first three teams at DU ... was drafted in the sixth round by the NBA Cincinnati Royals.
Finished his career with 1,485 points and 653 rebounds... one of seven Dukes to average in double-digits (scoring) for four seasons ... averaged 13.3 ppg. for his career ... led the team in rebounding for three consecutive seasons ... was named to the 1995 Atlantic 10 all-rookie team ... represented Duquesne at the 1995 Olympic Festival.
Teamed with his twin brother Barry to give the Dukes one of the most physical frontcourts in the country ... played on two NCAA Tournament (1969 & 1971) and one NIT (1970) team in his three seasons at Duquesne (59-16 overall) ... finished his career with 958 points and 722 rebounds (12.8, 9.6) ...led the team in field-goal percentage all three seasons and in rebounding as a sophomore and junior ... was drafted in the fifth round by the NBA Buffalo Braves ... was also chosen in the ABA draft by the Dallas Chaparrals ... played one season in Italy after being released by the Chaps prior to the 1971-72 season.
Playmaker for the legendary "Iron Dukes" ... played for teams that posted 14-4, 20-3 and 17-3 records (51-10 overall) in his three seasons on the Bluff ... was part of the first team in NCAA history to play in the both the NIT and NCAA Tournament in the same season (1940).
A 6-4 center, had his career split by military service and the three-year suspension of the basketball program for World War II ... said all-time great Paul Birch after watching Camic play in 1942 as a sophomore: "Camic is good enough to make the Celtics right now. I never saw a college player who was so far advanced as a sophomore. Camic is cool under fire, a deadly shotmaker, a fine playmaker, and remarkably fast for a big man." The 'Rankin Razor' was set to be the centerpiece of Chick Davies 1943 squad when he was called to duty. Said the Dec. 8, 1942 Pittsburgh Press: "One of the classiest players in Duquesne University basketball history, Joe Camic, six-foot-four junior center from Rankin, will do all his shooting for Uncle Sam this winter instead of Coach Davies and the Duquesne Dukes. Camic has been ordered to report for induction into the Army on Dec. 17 by his Rankin draft board, this interrupting the collegiate career of one of the greatest prospects to perform on the Duquesne hardwood since all-time great Paul Birch." ... Camic was leading the 1943 team in scoring with 64 points in seven games prior to leaving for the service ... he returned to lead the district in scoring in helping the 1947 team to a 21-2 record and NIT bid ... Camic, who had one year of eligibility remaining, opted to to turn pro following the '47 season that saw him not only named to the Associated Press All-Pennsylvania five-man team, but engaged as well. "I am 25 years of age and figure it might be best to turn pro at this time," said Camic at DU's year-end banquet held before 750 people at the Hotel William Penn. "After all, I have had one season of freshman play, two full varsity campaigns and part of another before I went into the armed forces. Regardless of my final decision, I am going to get my degree in the school of business administration."
Averaged 14.3 points and 8.5 rebounds in two seasons after transferring to the Bluff from Detroit Tech ... averaged 15.5 points per game as a junior and 13.7 ppg. as a senior ... helped the '62 team to a 22-7 record and fourth place NIT finish ... the 1962 Dukes, the first Red Manning-coached DU team to reach the postseason, finished ranked No. 17 by AP and No. 18 by UPI.
Averaged 14.2 points and 9.5 rebounds per game for his career ... scored 936 points to go along with 624 rebounds ... was a double-digit scorer in each of his three varsity seasons ... averaged 10.8 rebounds per game as a junior and 10.6 rpg. as a senior ... posted back-to-back 20-rebound games at Seton Hall (20) and at St. Bonaventure (22) on Feb. 21 & 24, 1965 ... recorded a rare "20-20" game with 20 points and 22 rebounds in a win over St. Bonaventure on Feb. 24, 1965 ... was considered a top-notch defender.
Never averaged below 16 points per game in his three-year career ... finished with 1,148 points and a 16.6 ppg. scoring average ... is the fifth-leading three-year scorer in school history ... averaged 16.0 ppg. as a sophomore, 16.1 as a junior and 17.8 as a senior ... helped the Dukes to a 43-26 record in his three seasons.
Scored 1,049 points in his three-year career ... averaged 15.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game for his career ... holds the school record for points in a game with 50 at Saint Francis U on March 6, 1968 ... led the '68 Dukes in scoring at 18.6 ppg.
Scored 849 of his 883 career points as a junior and senior ... averaged 16.8 ppg. as a junior and a team-high 17.8 ppg. as a senior ... played for 20-win teams in 1971 & 1972 ... was one of the top rebounding guards in DU history (6.9 rpg. as a junior and 5.2 rpg. as a senior).