Height 1.93 m Role Basketball Player Positions Basketball positions | Nationality American Name Dave Downey Date drafted 1963 Sport Basketball Awards Weight 91 kg | |
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Born October 28, 1941 ( 1941-10-28 ) School University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign | ||
Dave Downey - 2018 Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame
David J. "Dave" 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 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."
