Terry L. Furlow (October 18, 1954 – May 23, 1980) 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.

Amateur career

Furlow was a 6-foot-4-inch (1.93 m)

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game ...

from

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city in Genesee County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Flint River (Michigan), Flint River northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the Central Michigan, Mid Michigan region. Flin ...

who played high school basketball at

Flint Northern High School Flint Northern High School was a public secondary school located in Flint, Michigan, United States. The original building "#1" was built in 1928 and demolished in the 1980s, after being the home of the Flint Academy. It was one of the high scho ...

. With Northern and coach

Bill Frieder William Samuel Frieder (born March 3, 1942) is a former basketball coach at Michigan Wolverines men's basketball, Michigan (1981–1989) and Arizona State Sun Devils men's basketball, Arizona State (1989–1997). Frieder's 1985–86 Michigan Wo ...

, Furlow won back-to-back state Class A championships, including an undefeated team in his senior year (1971–72). Furlow paired with fellow future NBA player Wayman Britt and led the team in scoring as a senior with 14.8 ppg as Northern defeated

Pontiac Central High School Pontiac Central High School was one of two public high schools in Pontiac, Michigan, United States. It had been an accredited high school from September 4, 1849, until its closing on June 12, 2009. By December 2008 administrators had plans to con ...

86–81 to cap a 25–0 season at Jenison Fieldhouse in

East Lansing East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County, Michigan, Ingham County, although a small portion extends north into Clinton County, Michigan, Clinton County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

.
1972 Flint Northern vs. Pontiac Central
He would continue his career in East Lansing and played collegiately for

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 ...

. In 1975–76, as a senior, he led the

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...

in scoring with 29.4 ppg, and finished his career at MSU with 1717 points. The 50 points he scored against Iowa on January 5, 1976, remains the Michigan State men's all-time single-game scoring record. Controversially, Furlow was one of a number of black players who walked out on coach

Gus Ganakas Augustus George Ganakas (July 3, 1926 – January 11, 2019) was an American sports broadcaster, athletics administrator, and coach of the Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team. Early life Ganakas was born on July 3, 1926, in Mount Morri ...

before a key Big Ten game on January 4, 1975, against

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. Ganakas elected to start Jeff Tropf, who was white, Furlow and 9 other black players, led by captain Lindsay Hairston, walked out of the team meeting, returned for the game but were then suspended by Ganakas. Michigan State lost the game 107–55 with a patchwork roster that included junior varsity players. Tropf led the team with 21 points. The players would meet with Ganakas the next day, aired a number of grievances, were reinstated after apologizing, and then defeated

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 ...

88-84 the next day. Tropf would transfer to

Central Michigan Central Michigan, also called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Lower Peninsula of the United States, U.S. state of Michigan. As its name implies, it is the middle area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said t ...

at the end of the season. Furlow also befriended a young Lansing high school player named

Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. Often regarded as the greatest point guard of all time, Johnson List of NBA players who have spent their entire career w ...

, who said about Furlow, "I never seen a young man work as hard as Terry Furlow to develop his game. If it hadn't been for Terry when he went to Michigan State, I was still a young guy just coming into high school and he used to say 'Come on and meet me' at what we used to call the old men's gym. We would work out and he would beat me like 15-0 and he beat me a bad 15-0. I would have my head down and he would say 'pick your head up. I'm supposed to beat you 15-0 and I'm going to keep beating you until you finally respond.' So he made me so mad, right? But he improved my game and next year I came back and he only beat me 15-2. He said 'see, you're getting better.' And then we kept playing." Johnson was a pallbearer at Furlow's funeral.

Professional career

Furlow was selected by the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

with the 12th overall pick in the

1976 NBA draft The 1976 NBA draft was the 30th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 8, 1976, before the 1976–77 season. In this draft, 18 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players ...

; he was also selected in the sixth round of the 1975

ABA ABA may refer to: Aviation * AB Aerotransport, former Scandinavian airline * IATA airport code for Abakan International Airport in Republic of Khakassia, Russia Businesses and organizations Broadcasting * Alabama Broadcasters Association, Uni ...

draft by the

Memphis Sounds The Memphis Sounds were an American professional sports franchise that played in Memphis, Tennessee from 1970 until 1975 as a member of the American Basketball Association. The team was first founded as the New Orleans Buccaneers in 1967. Known d ...

. Unable to find time on a deep 76ers team, despite his bond with teammate

Julius Erving Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...

, Furlow was traded to the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

for two first-round picks, where he averaged 11.0 points in nearly two seasons with the team. In January 1979, he was traded to the

Atlanta 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 (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

for

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

Butch Lee Alfred "Butch" Lee Jr. (born December 5, 1956) is a Puerto Rican former professional basketball player. Lee was the first Puerto Rican and first Latin American-born athlete to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA), accomplishing thi ...

, and then, midway through the 1979–80 season, he was traded to the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

, averaging a career best 16.0 ppg. Twice in his sole season with the Jazz, Furlow scored a career high 37 points, once on December 25, 1979, and again two weeks later on January 5, 1980.

Personal life

Furlow was part of a growing problem in the 1970s NBA with cocaine and illegal drug use.

Mike Fratello Michael Robert Fratello (born February 24, 1947), nicknamed "the Czar", is an American sports broadcasting, sports broadcaster and former professional basketball coach. He is currently a part-time Color commentator, analyst for FanDuel Sports Net ...

, who was an assistant coach with Atlanta under

Hubie Brown Hubert Jude Brown (born September 25, 1933) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and analyst. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, the honors separated by 26 years. Brown was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Bas ...

during Furlow's tenure in Atlanta said, “He was competitive as hell. He'd fight you in a game, and he understood the toughness of the NBA. There were some other things that he just couldn’t get past.” On May 23, 1980, Furlow was killed in a car accident when he crashed into a pole on

Interstate 71 Interstate 71 (I-71) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the midwestern and Southeastern United States, southeastern regions of the United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 64, I-64 and Interstate 65, ...

at 120 mph in

Linndale, Ohio Linndale is the smallest village in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is landlocked, surrounded by the city of Cleveland and the suburb of Brooklyn. According to the 2020 census, the population was 108. Geography Linndale is located at ...

after spending the night with former teammate Foots Walker. An autopsy report confirmed he had cocaine and Valium in his bloodstream when he died, with open beer and marijuana in the car. Furlow was inducted into the Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1991 and into the Greater Flint Afro-American Hall of Fame in 2005. Furlow left behind one son, Terrence O'Neal Paige from Hammond, Indiana. He also now has a granddaughter, Nyah.

Career statistics

NBA

Source

Regular season

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Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 32 , , 0 , , 5.4 , , .340 , , , , .889 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .2 , , .1 , , 2.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, 53 , , , , 15.6 , , .433 , , , , .889 , , 2.0 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , .3 , , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", , style="text-align:left;",

, 49 , , , , 22.7 , , .483 , , , , .824 , , 2.0 , , 2.1 , , .8 , , .3 , , 13.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, 29 , , 0 , , 19.9 , , .481 , , , , .857 , , 2.4 , , 2.8 , , .6 , , .4 , , 9.9 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", , style="text-align:left;",

, 21 , , , , 19.2 , , .410 , , .111 , , .863 , , 2.0 , , 3.4 , , .9 , , .4 , , 8.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, 55 , , , , 31.2 , , .476 , , .315 , , .876 , , 2.8 , , 4.0 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 16.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 239 , , 0 , , 20.1 , , .459 , , .293 , , .862 , , 2.1 , , 2.4 , , .7 , , .3 , , 10.7

Playoffs

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right;" !Year !Team !GP !MPG !FG% !FT% !RPG !APG !SPG !BPG !PPG , - , style="text-align:left;",

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 3.2 , , .545 , , 1.000 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .2 , , .0 , , 3.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , 25.0 , , .481 , , 1.000 , , 2.5 , , 2.5 , , .0 , , .0 , , 16.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 9 , , 27.1 , , .487 , , .929 , , 3.6 , , 3.2 , , .8 , , .2 , , 15.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 16 , , 19.4 , , .490 , , .947 , , 2.6 , , 2.1 , , .5 , , .1 , , 11.5

References

External links

Terry Furlow career statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Furlow, Terry 1954 births 1980 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks players Basketball players from Flint, Michigan Cleveland Cavaliers players Drug-related deaths in Ohio Memphis Sounds draft picks Michigan State Spartans men's basketball players Philadelphia 76ers draft picks Philadelphia 76ers players Road incident deaths in Ohio Shooting guards Utah Jazz players 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen

Amateur career

Professional career

Personal life

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

External links