David John Downey (born October 28, 1941) is a former collegiate

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player for the

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basketball team. He is best known for setting the Illinois single-game scoring record with 53 points at

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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

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Medal of Honor for excellence in both academics and athletics. He was drafted into the NBA in 1963 by the

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; 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 * 1961 – 2nd Team All-

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* 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 –

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recipient * 1963 – NCAA All-Regional Team * 1973 – Inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association's Hall of Fame as a player. * 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

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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

Statistics

Sports-Reference.com
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References

External links

Further biography
at The Downey Group, Inc.

at basketball-reference.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Downey, Dave 1941 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from Illinois Forwards (basketball) Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball players San Francisco Warriors draft picks 20th-century American sportsmen