Julius L. McCoy (February 21, 1932 – April 4, 2008) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. He was an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

college player at

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

and went on to become the all-time leading scorer in the Eastern Basketball Association (later known as the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

). McCoy played for Farrell High School in

Farrell, Pennsylvania Farrell is a city in western Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the Shenango River. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 4,258. The city is part of the Hermitage micropolitan area. History Once dubbed "The Magic City, ...

, where he led the team to the 1952 Pennsylvania State championship. He scored 1,471 career points for Farrell, a record that still stood at the time of his death in 2008. An undersized

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

in high school, he was the tallest player on the 1952 squad at just over six feet tall. He was recruited by

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...

to play college football by then-assistant

Duffy Daugherty Hugh Duffy Daugherty (September 8, 1915 – September 25, 1987) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Michigan State University from 1954 to 1972, compiling a record of 109–69–5. His 1955 and 1957 and 1965 ...

, and chose the Spartans because he would have the opportunity to play basketball, which he ultimately chose to pursue. Nicknamed "Hooks" for the size of his hands, McCoy played for coach

Pete Newell Peter Francis Newell (August 31, 1915 – November 17, 2008) was an American college men's basketball coach and basketball instructional coach. He coached for 15 years at the University of San Francisco, Michigan State University, and the Unive ...

and was an immediate impact player as a sophomore. He averaged 18.6 points per game, a mark which dipped to 16.7 the following year. In his senior season, McCoy broke out, scoring 27.3 points per game – good for second in the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

behind Robin Freeman of

Ohio State The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...

. At the close of his senior campaign, McCoy was named a third-team All-American by both the

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and

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and was selected first-team All-Big Ten. After the close of his college career, McCoy was drafted by the

St. Louis Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at S ...

in the

1956 NBA draft The 1956 NBA draft was the tenth annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 30, 1956, before the 1956–57 season. In this draft, eight NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball pl ...

. However, he was also drafted into the U.S. Army and served in the military, resuming his basketball career with the Williamsport Billies of the

Eastern Professional Basketball League The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

(EBPL) in 1958. He averaged 24.3 points in the 1958–59 season and earned EPBL Rookie of the Year honors. He played twelve seasons in the league, primarily for the Billies and the Sunbury Mercuries, and was the all-time leading scorer in the league's history (prior to it becoming the Continental Basketball Association in 1977) and won the league MVP award in 1966. McCoy served as head coach of the Billies during the 1962–63 season and the Mercuries from 1967 to 1969. In 1995, McCoy was named to the CBA's 50th anniversary team. After the conclusion of his playing career, McCoy served as a teacher and head boys' coach for John Harris High School in

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg ( ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,099 as of 2020, Harrisburg is the ninth-most populous city in Pennsylvania. It is the larger of the two pr ...

from 1971 to 1983. He then worked in the Pennsylvania Bureau of Transportation until his retirement in 2004. McCoy died of complications from diabetes on April 4, 2008, at age 76.

References

External links

College stats @ sports-reference.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCoy, Julius 1932 births 2008 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Pennsylvania Basketball players from South Carolina High school basketball coaches in Pennsylvania Michigan State Spartans men's basketball players Sportspeople from Cheraw, South Carolina People from Farrell, Pennsylvania Shooting guards Small forwards St. Louis Hawks draft picks Sunbury Mercuries players Wilkes-Barre Barons players Williamsport Billies (basketball) players