Bernard Toone

Bernard Toone
Born	(1956-07-14) 14 July 1956 Yonkers, New York, U.S.
Died	9 July 2022(2022-07-09) (aged 65)
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	1975–1980s
Known for	Played for Philadelphia 76ers; member of 1977 NCAA champion Marquette Warriors

Bernard Arthur Toone (July 14, 1956 – July 9, 2022) was a professional American basketball athlete who participated in 23 games for the Philadelphia 76ers during the 1979–80 NBA season. He played collegiate basketball with the Marquette Golden Eagles, helping secure their sole NCAA championship in 1977.

Early life

Toone was born in Yonkers, New York on July 14, 1956. He attended Gorton High School in Yonkers, where he earned all-state honors and was recognized as a Parade All-American in 1975. That year, he stood out among the nation’s top high school players, playing a key role in Gorton’s upset victory over Section 1 AA champion Lincoln High School. Following high school, Toone enrolled at Marquette University and spent summers working at a Miller Brewing Company brewery in Milwaukee alongside Jim Boylan.

College career

From 1975 to 1979, Toone competed for the Marquette Warriors. As a sophomore coming off the bench, he contributed to the Warriors' 1977 National Championship team under Hall of Fame coach Al McGuire during his final year. Toone’s relationship with McGuire was strained due to limited court time and McGuire’s view that Toone lacked effort to improve defensively. Their disagreements were public throughout the season, including during the NCAA Tournament. In the Christmas Classic game against Clemson, McGuire benched Toone early and reprimanded him to tears, leading to a standing ovation from the home crowd when Toone returned to play.

Coming off the bench, Toone scored 18 points against Wake Forest in the Midwest Regional Final and earned Most Outstanding Player honors for that round. Reflecting on his conflicts with McGuire, he later minimized them by saying, "it all paid off when we won the championship" and that it "meant a lot to me with all the controversy me and Al had." In his senior year, Toone averaged 18.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest and was named a fourth-team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).

Professional career

Following his collegiate career, Toone was chosen in the second round as the 37th overall pick of the 1979 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. He made his NBA debut on October 17, 1979, recording two points, two assists, and one rebound in six minutes against the New Jersey Nets. His tenure in the NBA spanned just one season, during which he averaged 2.4 points and 1.5 rebounds per game primarily coming off the bench in the 1979–80 NBA season. Afterwards, Toone pursued professional opportunities abroad playing for teams in Italy, Venezuela, the Netherlands, and West Germany.

Later life

After retiring from professional basketball, Toone resided in New York and remained active in summer basketball tournaments alongside players such as Ken Owens and Gary Springer. In the 1990s, he reportedly worked at a medical office located in his hometown.

During the 1980s, Toone encountered legal troubles including arrests related to attempted theft of car audio equipment and operating a stolen rental vehicle. Additionally, struggles with substance abuse affected his career progression. In 2014, he was featured in ESPN’s documentary film Untucked as part of 30 for 30. While he attended Marquette’s 30-year championship reunion in 2007, illness prevented him from joining the 40th anniversary gathering in 2016.

Toone passed away on July 9, 2022, at age 65 after a battle with cancer.

NBA

Source

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 23 || 0 || 5.4 || .359 || .143 || .800 || 1.5 || 0.5 || 0.2 || 0.2 || 2.4

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1980	Philadelphia	4	1.5	.000	.000	–	0.3	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0 External links