 Downey circa 1963 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 28, 1941 Canton, Illinois |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Canton (Canton, Illinois) |
| College | Illinois (1960–1963) |
| NBA draft | 1963: 4th round, 30th overall pick |
| Selected by the San Francisco Warriors | |
| Position | Forward |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
David John Downey (born October 28, 1941) is a former collegiate basketball player for the University of Illinois Fighting Illini basketball team. He is best known for setting the Illinois single-game scoring record with 53 points at Indiana on February 16, 1963.
Downey's 18.9 career scoring average ranks fourth in school history while his 11.0 career rebounding average ranks third, with his 790 career rebounds ranking seventh on the career list. Downey earned the 1963 Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor for excellence in both academics and athletics. He was drafted into the NBA in 1963 by the San Francisco Warriors; however, he never played a game in the league.
Downey was elected to the "Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team" in 2004.
Downey was the leading scorer for his hometown high school, Canton High School. His record was then broken by Kevin Rhodes. When asked about this accomplishment, Downey simply said, "It was only a matter of time until Kevin Rhodes broke my record."
Honors
Basketball
- 1961 – Team MVP[1]
- 1961 – 2nd Team All-Big Ten
- 1961 – Honorable Mention All American
- 1962 – Team MVP
- 1962 – 2nd Team All-Big Ten
- 1962 – Honorable Mention All American
- 1963 – Team MVP
- 1963 – 1st Team All-Big Ten
- 1963 – 1st Team All American
- 1963 – Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient
- 1963 – NCAA All-Regional Team
- 2004 – Elected to the "Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team".
- 2008 – Honored as one of the thirty-three honored jerseys which hang in the State Farm Center to show regard for being the most decorated basketball players in the University of Illinois' history.
- 2018 – Inducted into the Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame[4]
Statistics
| Season | Games | Points | PPG | Field Goals | Attempts | Avg | Free Throws | Attempts | Avg | Rebounds | Avg | Big Ten Record |
Overall Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960–61 | 24 | 402 | 16.8 | 157 | 404 | .389 | 88 | 123 | .715 | 267 | 11.1 | 5–9 | 9–15 |
| 1961–62 | 22 | 445 | 20.2 | 174 | 385 | .452 | 97 | 130 | .746 | 269 | 12.2 | 7–7 | 15–8 |
| 1962–63 | 26 | 513 | 19.7 | 201 | 459 | .438 | 111 | 156 | .712 | 254 | 9.8 | 11–3 | 20–6 |
| Totals | 72 | 1360 | 18.9 | 532 | 1248 | .426 | 296 | 409 | .724 | 790 | 11.0 | 23–19 | 44–29 |
References
- ^ "FightingIllini.com" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-08-24. Retrieved 2019-03-05.
- ^ IBCA Hall of Fame
- ^ BasketballMuseumOfIllinois.com
- ^ Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame
- ^ Sports-Reference.com
External links
- Further biography at The Downey Group, Inc.
- 1963 NBA Draft at basketball-reference.com
This page was last edited on 16 January 2024, at 07:19