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Carlisle Towery

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Carlisle Towery
Personal information
Born(1920-06-20)June 20, 1920
Caldwell County, Kentucky
DiedNovember 25, 2012(2012-11-25) (aged 92)
Marion, Kentucky
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High schoolShady Grove
(Shady Grove, Kentucky)
CollegeWestern Kentucky (1938–1941)
Playing career1941–1950
PositionPower forward / center
Number24, 77, 10
Career history
1941–1944,
1946–1948
Fort Wayne Pistons
1948–1949Indianapolis Jets
1949–1950Baltimore Bullets
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference

William Carlisle Towery (June 20, 1920 – November 25, 2012), nicknamed "Blackie" or "Big Boy",[1] was an American professional basketball player.

A 6'5" (1.96 m) forward-center, Towery played for the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers from 1938 to 1941. He was a two-time All-America selection and the first Hilltopper to score 1,000 points. He also led the Hilltoppers to three Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association titles.[2]

After graduating, Towery began his professional career with the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons of the National Basketball League. He played three seasons with the Pistons before entering military service in World War II, where he earned a Bronze Star as an infantryman.[2] He then returned to the Pistons in 1946, and remained with the team as they joined the Basketball Association of America (the modern NBA) in 1948. Towery spent half a season with the Pistons in the BAA, and later served stints for the Indianapolis Jets and Baltimore Bullets. When he retired from basketball in 1950, he had scored 2,317 combined NBL/NBA points.[3]

In 2003, Western Kentucky University retired his #42 college jersey. He became the sixth Hilltopper to receive such honors.[2] Towery died on November 25, 2012, at the age of 92.[4]

BAA/NBA career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played  FG%  Field-goal percentage
 FT%  Free-throw percentage  APG  Assists per game
 PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

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Year Team GP FG% FT% APG PPG
1948–49 Fort Wayne 22 .259 .712 1.6 7.5
1948–49 Indianapolis 38 .265 .753 3.6 11.5
1949–50 Baltimore 68 .327 .757 2.1 8.8
Career 128 .293 .748 2.4 9.4

Notes

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  1. ^ "Carlisle Towery Interview". Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved January 13, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) at Hilltopper Haven. Retrieved on January 13, 2008.
  2. ^ a b c Danny Schoenbaechler. "Men's Basketball: 'It's an honor and I'm speechless'[permanent dead link]". College Heights Herald. February 25, 2003. Retrieved on November 25, 2012.
  3. ^ The Official NBA Encyclopedia. New York: Doubleday, 2000. 784.
  4. ^ Area deaths. The Crittenden Press. November 25, 2012. Retrieved on November 25, 2012.
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